Read Online Drift Away (Noah Braddock Mysteries) by Jeff Shelby - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Jeff Shelby
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then shoved Colin toward David. He stumbled and fell at David’s feet, coughing and gasping, his hands going to his throat.
“Leave her alone,” I said.
David squinted at me. “Seems like I’m the one with the gun and I’m pretty sure in the movies, the guy with the gun is the one telling people what to do.”
“I don’t watch movies.”
David smiled, nodded. “Good one.”
Colin got to his feet, rubbing his neck, adjusting his sunglasses on his bright red face. “Motherfucker.”
Bella started the car and the door lock popped.
David kept the gun on me and walked in my direction. “I can tell you are going to be a problem.”
“Most likely,” I said.
“I hate problems.”
“I hate assholes.”
He laughed again, now right in front of me. He pressed the barrel of the gun to my forehead. “Now who do you hate?”
David’s biggest problem wasn’t me. It was that he didn’t know me. He had no idea what I’d been through, that I’d had plenty of guns stuck in my face, that I’d shared space with guys far scarier.
And he had no idea that I wasn’t afraid to die.
“Still you,” I said. “Because you’re an asshole. An asshole who beats up women. Your buddy, too.”
“Pretty ballsy calling me an asshole,” David said, raising an eyebrow. “Me holding a gun to your skull and all.”
“Pull it,” I said.
“Excuse me?”
“Pull the trigger,” I repeated.
“Do it,” Colin urged from behind him.
But he wasn’t going to. I could already see it in David’s eyes. I felt sure he was capable of pulling the trigger, but he was too smart to do it in such a public place.
Which made him even more dangerous.
“You are going to wish you never met me,” he whispered.
“Already do,” I said.
I heard the window slide down behind me.
“David, don’t,” Bella said. “Just don’t. Please.”
His eyes never left me. “You’ll call me later, baby? Finish the discussion?”
“Yeah,” she said. “Noah, get in the car.”
I stood still, leaning into the gun, letting the steel bite into the skin on my forehead.
David slid the gun to the side, then jerked his arm and slammed the weapon into the side of my face.
Colors exploded in my eyes and pain seared through my skull as I dropped to a knee. I heard both Bella and Jackson scream.
The steel crashed into me again and I went down on both knees, the colors brighter, the pain hotter as it spread through my forehead and cheeks. I leaned forward and rested on my hands. Drops of blood fell to the asphalt next to them.
I felt David’s breath on my ear. “Lucky the kid was here. Only reason you’re alive.”
Nausea swept through my stomach and I swallowed hard to keep it at bay, the red droplets near my hand beginning to form a pool.
“See you soon, Noah,” David said, sweeping my arms with his leg.
I hit the ground, my body heavy and I rolled to my side. The black clouds, thick with rain, were the last things I saw before I blacked out.
EIGHTEEN
The side of my face was frozen.
My eyes fluttered in protest as I tried to open them. I lay still for a moment, finally realizing I was on Bella’s couch, staring at her ceiling, with something extremely cold pressed to my face.
I reached up and grabbed a massive freezer bag full of ice. The plastic stuck to my skin and stung when I pulled it free.
“Are you okay?” Jackson asked.
His voice startled me because it was so close. I turned to the side and he was right next to my face, kneeling on the floor. His eyes were wide, rimmed with red.
“I’m okay,” I mumbled.
“You don’t look okay,” he said. “Your face is all messed up.”
“I’ve heard that before.”
“You have?”
I shifted on the couch and pain shot through my jaw and up into my temple. I bit my
“Leave her alone,” I said.
David squinted at me. “Seems like I’m the one with the gun and I’m pretty sure in the movies, the guy with the gun is the one telling people what to do.”
“I don’t watch movies.”
David smiled, nodded. “Good one.”
Colin got to his feet, rubbing his neck, adjusting his sunglasses on his bright red face. “Motherfucker.”
Bella started the car and the door lock popped.
David kept the gun on me and walked in my direction. “I can tell you are going to be a problem.”
“Most likely,” I said.
“I hate problems.”
“I hate assholes.”
He laughed again, now right in front of me. He pressed the barrel of the gun to my forehead. “Now who do you hate?”
David’s biggest problem wasn’t me. It was that he didn’t know me. He had no idea what I’d been through, that I’d had plenty of guns stuck in my face, that I’d shared space with guys far scarier.
And he had no idea that I wasn’t afraid to die.
“Still you,” I said. “Because you’re an asshole. An asshole who beats up women. Your buddy, too.”
“Pretty ballsy calling me an asshole,” David said, raising an eyebrow. “Me holding a gun to your skull and all.”
“Pull it,” I said.
“Excuse me?”
“Pull the trigger,” I repeated.
“Do it,” Colin urged from behind him.
But he wasn’t going to. I could already see it in David’s eyes. I felt sure he was capable of pulling the trigger, but he was too smart to do it in such a public place.
Which made him even more dangerous.
“You are going to wish you never met me,” he whispered.
“Already do,” I said.
I heard the window slide down behind me.
“David, don’t,” Bella said. “Just don’t. Please.”
His eyes never left me. “You’ll call me later, baby? Finish the discussion?”
“Yeah,” she said. “Noah, get in the car.”
I stood still, leaning into the gun, letting the steel bite into the skin on my forehead.
David slid the gun to the side, then jerked his arm and slammed the weapon into the side of my face.
Colors exploded in my eyes and pain seared through my skull as I dropped to a knee. I heard both Bella and Jackson scream.
The steel crashed into me again and I went down on both knees, the colors brighter, the pain hotter as it spread through my forehead and cheeks. I leaned forward and rested on my hands. Drops of blood fell to the asphalt next to them.
I felt David’s breath on my ear. “Lucky the kid was here. Only reason you’re alive.”
Nausea swept through my stomach and I swallowed hard to keep it at bay, the red droplets near my hand beginning to form a pool.
“See you soon, Noah,” David said, sweeping my arms with his leg.
I hit the ground, my body heavy and I rolled to my side. The black clouds, thick with rain, were the last things I saw before I blacked out.
EIGHTEEN
The side of my face was frozen.
My eyes fluttered in protest as I tried to open them. I lay still for a moment, finally realizing I was on Bella’s couch, staring at her ceiling, with something extremely cold pressed to my face.
I reached up and grabbed a massive freezer bag full of ice. The plastic stuck to my skin and stung when I pulled it free.
“Are you okay?” Jackson asked.
His voice startled me because it was so close. I turned to the side and he was right next to my face, kneeling on the floor. His eyes were wide, rimmed with red.
“I’m okay,” I mumbled.
“You don’t look okay,” he said. “Your face is all messed up.”
“I’ve heard that before.”
“You have?”
I shifted on the couch and pain shot through my jaw and up into my temple. I bit my
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