The Cypress Trap: A Suspense Thriller by JC Gatlin Read Free Book Online

Rayanne. I gave you space. But you initiated this.”
    She
heard him shuffle to his feet, then yell. Startled, she threw her head back as
a flashlight beam cut into the darkness. It shined in her face.
    Rayanne
screamed, sat up, and covered herself. The beam of light moved down to her arms
and across her chest, highlighting her breasts.
    “Did
we interrupt someth’n?” The teenager holding the flashlight erupted in
laughter.
    It
was the kid from the boat. Tattooed spider webs covered his arms, and his black
hair was cut in an angry-looking flattop short enough for the white of his
scalp to show through. His combat boots, laced well above his ankles, were
crusted with mud. When his head moved, Rayanne saw the web pattern continue on
his neck.
    Behind
him, she saw two more boys. One was large and thick, easily three hundred
pounds. A shaggy black beard hid his face. He raised a hand to his head,
removing a knitted black beanie that revealed an even thicker, uncombed mop
atop his head that fell below his eyes. He had piercings in his nose and ears
that reflected the moonlight. His smile, clear evidence he was either high or
psychotic, revealed two buck teeth. He hit the shoulder of the boy on his left.
    That
boy, with dark blond hair parted on the right, was slightly older and looked
somehow out of place. Dressed in a tan button-down shirt and faded jeans, he
reacted to getting hit in the shoulder. His left arm hung in a sling and his
hand was wrapped in bandages from which only a thumb protruded.
    Finally,
a girl, seventeen at the most, pushed her way between the two boys and stood
next to the alpha in the front. Rayanne recognized her from the boat. The
girl’s shoulder-length, bleached-white hair fell to the left side of her face;
the right side of her head was shorn short and spiky. Her eyes were encircled
by dark eyeliner, almost to the point of looking like two deep holes in the
middle of her face. Contrasting against her pale skin, her face looked
skull-like. She wore black boots too, laced tight up her calves, and she
stepped closer to the boy, resting an arm around his shoulder.
    Rayanne
reached for Owen as he took a step forward. He was immediately in the alpha’s
face. He swatted the flashlight from the boy’s hand, and it struck the ground.
The other hand wrapped around the boy’s neck, squeezing the tattoo webbing.
    “What
the hell do you kids want?” Owen said through his teeth.
    The
teenager raised both arms, forcing the girl to step back and Owen to release
him. The boys behind him moved forward as the girl flipped her head, waving a
swath of bleached hair, and whistled.
    Answering
her call, something large moved in the bushes behind her. It was almost as if
the night itself was taking form.
    Then
Rayanne saw a large black dog emerge from the undergrowth. For a second, she
thought it might be some kind of gorilla. As the dog padded out of the shadows
to stand beside the girl, Rayanne saw its black, focused eyes and realized it
was a Rottweiler.
    Rayanne
cast a nervous glance at Owen, who was biting his bottom lip, a dead giveaway
that he was uneasy.
    Then
the teenage girl leaned slightly forward and ruffled the dog’s head as the
larger boy stepped closer.
    “You
Owen Meeks?” he asked. “That your name?”
    “Yeah,”
Owen said slowly. “We know each other?”
    “Willow
is a small town, old man.” The boy cocked his head, grinning ever so slightly.
“It’s the kind of place where everyone knows everyone else. You know what I
mean? The kinda place that is naturally suspicious of strangers.”
    His
voice chilled Rayanne, and she looked at Owen. Both his hands were balled up into
fists. She reached for him, grasping his left arm.
    He
shook his head at the teenagers. “What do you want?” he asked.
    “I’m
Scut and this is Rude Roddy, and Nelson.” He motioned to the two boys behind
him. “Dru’s my girl and that’s Dru’s little baby,” he said, smiling and nodding
toward the dog. “We