Read Online Pretty Little Dead Girls by Mercedes M. Yardley - Free Book Online

there was an impromptu cupcake party full of sprinkles and raspberry lemonade and good times and laughter. It was an enjoyable occasion, and funny stories were told, and each had the choice opportunity to see each other as the enchanting and mischievous beings that they had been as small children. But then it was time to get serious.
    “They found another body, Bryony. A young woman with all of her limbs broken, stashed behind some trees in the park. She had some sort of book shoved down her throat, is what I’m hearing.”
    “Oh, how terrible.”
    “It’s coming up on your turn, you know.”
    Well. He knew it, and she knew he knew it, but somehow the words still sounded unpleasant hanging in the air like that.
    “Is it time for me to leave, Rikki?” she said. He was a big man, and a kind man, but most important of all, he was a wise man that listened to his gut and the wind. He watched things closely while the rest of them ran around in carefree bliss. Bryony trusted he would pick up on the subtle tell-tale signs the rest of them would miss.
    He shook his head.
    “Nah, it ain’t time. Not to leave permanently, not yet, anyhow, but you need to be aware.” He leaned forward. “I think it is time that you take Eddie home and pay a visit to your daddy. He needs to meet the man you’re in love with, and the man that loves you.”
    Bryony smiled. “I don’t know if Eddie knows he loves me yet. We haven’t even gone out.”
    Rikki-Tikki rolled his eyes. “Girl, he knows. Doesn’t sit well with him, but he knows.” He looked at her meaningfully. “It’s time for you to get out of here. Not for long, because I know fate can find you there, too, and quite possibly it is even more dangerous there. But, you’ll have Eddie, and you’ll have your daddy, and with the three of you standing arm in arm, I think you would have a mighty fine chance of surviving. Might even give fate a good ole kick in the eye, and I can’t think of nothing better. But here? It’s getting too hot around here right now. If you slow down for a second, I think you’ll realize it.”
    Bryony patted his knee. “Thank you. You are a dear friend to me.”
    Rikki-Tikki grinned, and Bryony liked that. His teeth were white and happy and when he smiled, somehow the world seemed to be a better place.
    “There’s one more thing, kid,” he said.
    “What’s that?”
    “I think it’s time that the ole Rickster teaches you how to box.”

CHAPTER TWENTY ONE
    A Circle of Stars
    Bryony didn’t know why, but she was nervous the next time she saw Eddie. Usually she said what needed to be said without any embarrassment whatsoever, because honestly, who had the time to dance around what was really important? If there was something to be said, it should be said. There might not be a tomorrow, or even a later tonight. But something in her stomach flipped around, and when she saw Eddie at the market the next morning, she found herself suddenly not knowing what to say.
    “I called the radio station,” he said to her, and grinned. “I’m going down on Tuesday to introduce myself and play a couple of songs. Which ones do you think I should choose?”
    She stared at him and her mouth worked, but nothing seemed to come out. Eddie’s smile faded and he looked at her with some concern.
    “Bryony? Are you all right?”
    Suddenly she wasn’t. She was tired, and scared, and the feeling of somebody’s eyes on the back of her neck became more intense lately. Her daily boxing lessons with Rikki-Tikki made her feel strong and safer for the most part, but as she clenched her fists (careful to keep her thumb on the outside as he had demonstrated) it could not be denied that she was learning to defend herself from someone. Even if it was the palms of Rikki-Tikki’s hands she was hitting, or an imagined foe she was kicking, there was a very real someone out there causing all of this commotion. If she was anywhere else, she would have run by now, picked up and