Read Online The Last Whisper in the Dark: A Novel by Tom Piccirilli - Free Book Online Page A

don’t feel that way at all. I was glad I could help you, and let me say that you helped me just as much. We made love and you were sweet and shy and careful. It’s been a long time since a man, any man, made me feel so warm and right. I’m just wondering why.”
    “Why?”
    “Why you went to such lengths to show such intimacy. I knew you were different. But you said you were worse. You didn’t act worse.”
    “Did you really want me to be?”
    “I’m not certain. I think I might have initially. MPerhaps as much as a quarter millionre couple of y feelings about such things are … complicated. Even more so after my divorce.”
    I wasn’t sure what she was saying. I was pretty certain she didn’t know herself. I wanted to be a proper sounding board and come up with insightful discourse. I wanted to assure her I would never hurt her, except I couldn’t, and she wouldn’t want to hear it anyway.
    “That’s what I’m investigating,” she said, “those impulses, by doing this.”
    “Oh.”
    “Don’t look so shocked.”
    “I’m not.”
    “Then don’t look it.”
    I tried not to look it. I didn’t know how not to look it, so I made an effort to wipe all expression from my face. It hurt. The tape tugged.
    “There’s a lot of bad people out there,” I said. “I think you shouldn’t go looking for them.”
    I thought she was too good for the life, if that’s what she was in, but I didn’t know why. I didn’t know anything about her. I thought maybe I wanted to. A hundred questions were backed up inside me, but the Percocet wouldn’t let me get to them.
    I found myself on my feet and Darla whispered, “Come back to bed.”
    I did as I was told.
    “I’m not sure I like it,” she said, glancing down at my chest. She traced the borders of my dog tattoo, which took up the entire left side of my chest. It covered three bad scars including the one from where my father had yanked out my busted rib. “It’s garish, but beautiful, in its own way. Speaking from a purely aesthetic viewpoint.” She let the pause hang there for a full three count before adding, “Of course.”
    I wasn’t sure what other point of view you could have besides an aesthetic one when discussing a tattoo, but I was sort of out of it.
    She let her fingers roam along the bandages, snarling in the runway of hair leading down to my belly button. She pressed her knuckles into the scar tissue, hissing a little as if the wounds were fresh and she was the one feeling the pain. Everywhere else hurt, but not the scars. They were barely visible beneath the deep black ink of a howling dog. Darla stroked me, stroking the dog’s head.
    Her robe fell open. She rolled closer. I slid against her and tightened my jaws. She said, “You’re one of those guys who likes to be in love when you do it.”
    “I suppose I am.”
    “Don’t fall in love with me.”
    “I probably won’t, but it’s a weird thing to tell somebody.”
    “I know, but you’re the type to fall hard and get hurt.”
    “If you haven’t noticed, I get hurt just fine all by myself.”
    I expected a titter at least, but she didn’t even crack a smile. “Aren’t you going to tell me not to fall in love with you?”
    “I might if there was any chance of that.”
    “There’s always a chance.”
    The pain had grown muted. The Percs did their job. Darla’s touch became more insi Intimate Clinical Strength Antiperspirant and Deodorant Advanced Lady Solid Speed Stick, Light and Fresh pH-Balanced. h Mstent. She moaned and said my name again. For the first time I liked the way she said it. We clasped and grappled. I squawked when I twisted the wrong way. Or maybe it was the right way.
    She kept murmuring beneath her breath, “It’s all right,” trying to comfort me or simply commenting on my performance. I wondered if she’d picked up any of the beaten-down bastards at the Elbow Room after I’d skipped. As I nipped her shoulder I couldn’t help looking past her,