Sterling's Reasons by Joey Light Read Free Book Online

for fear that he wouldn’t continue.
    Returning, he stared into space as he took a gulp of the drink. “He was damn surprised. He knew it was my bullet that hit him. It was dark. Pitch black. We recognized each other at the same instant…” His voice was flat. He was looking away from her now and she watched as his fingers tightened around the glass.
    Holding her breath, Sterling waited for his grip to shatter it right in his hand.
    “But I had already pressed off,” he continued, as if to himself. “There was no way to stop the bullet. No way.”
    She heard the strain in his voice. Sensed the pain that gripped his body…squeezed his very soul. She felt a chill creep along her spine and raise the hair at her neck. She wanted to reach over and touch his arm. She wanted to cradle him and make him forget, just for a moment. No human being should suffer like this.
    “He grabbed hold of my jacket,” he began again. “I tried to keep him from falling, but we both fell, slowly at first and then we were on the sidewalk. His blood was all over my hands.” He held his hand in front of him and flexed it a few times, watching it. And then as if he had just come out of a dark tunnel, he turned toward her and smiled. “Ever walked in the rain?”
    She was instantly alert. It hadn’t been a normal transition. Thought processes just didn’t swing that suddenly. She felt a tingle of fear. Was he losing it? “Not lately. A warm rain, maybe, but not that cold downpour.”

    www.samhainpublishing.com
    41

    Joey Light
    He put his shoes on. “You’ve been calling all the shots so far, lady. I say we walk in the cold rain.” He took her hand and pulled her to her feet.
    “No,” she protested, realizing he was serious.
    “Yes, wrap up. It’s a good experience. Put your shoes on.” He had to get out of here, had to redirect his thinking.
    “No. We’ll catch cold.” She tried to tug her hand free.
    “So what? Put your shoes on or I’ll carry you out there.”
    She pulled her shoes on and headed for the door. “At least let me get my jacket.” She stretched her free hand toward her flannel shirt that lay over the back of a chair and grabbed it on the way out.
    He still had her by the hand and was pulling her out onto the rain-slick deck.
    The rain was cold and had slowed somewhat. She wrapped her free arm around herself and looked at him. Was he crazy?
    He pulled her down the steps behind him and then they jogged hand in hand. She felt her own anger rising. They would both get sick. “Joe.”
    “Run.” Ignoring her protests, he increased the pace until they were both puffing.
    She jerked her hand free of his and stopped. He slid and whirled around.
    “What’s the matter? In a situation you can’t control?” He mocked her. “Oh, just a minor one, but not in control one little bit. Don’t like it, do you? Well, multiply that feeling times a hundred, a thousand, and then maybe, just maybe, you’ll get an idea of how I feel.”
    They were both drenched and cold. His hair was plastered against his head and rain ran in rivulets down his face. His eyes were pain-filled and proud. His mouth was caught in a grim line. His nostrils flared with each breath. He pinned her with his eyes, and she returned his stare, chin tilted. Without a word, she turned back in the direction they’d been running and began again.
    42
    www.samhainpublishing.com

    Sterling’s Reasons
    “What the hell are you doing?” he yelled after her, perplexed.
    “Getting used to it,” she hollered back and continued. “Maybe you better try taking some of your own medicine.” Her shoes were soggy. It was getting difficult to pick one up after the other. The sand was mushy and made the going even rougher. She wondered to herself if she had any idea what she was doing.
    This was stupid. This was a job much too big for her. He needed help and she didn’t know if she was qualified to give it.
    She was caught in his strong arms and slammed to the