Read Online Until the End of the World (Book 1) by Sarah Lyons Fleming - Free Book Online

by accident,” I said.
    He shook his head, amused. “Goodnight, Cassie,” he said in a soft voice.
    The way he looked at me, like I was something special, something worth staring at, made my legs wobbly. I waved and managed to walk in the door, not into the door, and headed to my room.
    ***
    Nelly lifts the bin lid and takes a deep whiff. “Ah, I love the smell of gun oil.” He probably does, too.
    “So what’s in there, you good ol’ boy?” asks Penny. “Not that it will mean anything to me.”
    Nelly sets the long bin on the ping pong table. He opens the cases and pulls out two revolvers, one nine millimeter and a shotgun. They’re clean and shiny. They look like my dad might have packed them up yesterday. Boxes of ammunition come next. Nelly stacks them according to size.
    “There’s nothing worse than an unloaded gun,” he says.
    He deftly loads the proper ammunition into its respective gun. I help him. The revolver feels heavy and weird in my hands. I haven’t held one in over three years.
    Penny backs away. “Jeepers.” My dad taught her to shoot a rifle, but she’s afraid of pistols. “Didn’t your dad know it’s illegal to have guns in the city?”
    “Sure,” I say with a grin. “That’s why most of them are still up at the house.”
    Penny shakes her head and Nelly laughs.

CHAPTER 12
    We finish up downstairs, for now. The cabin is only a four-hour drive, but if my dad were here he’d say not to count on that. We need to have enough supplies with us in case it takes days. In case we have to walk. I’m not a light packer, and left to my own devices I’d bring everything. James might be good at helping with it; he has an ordered way of thinking. So does Peter.
    Peter. He’s here, and it seems he’s coming with us. I can’t keep this up much longer. Every minute I spend still officially dating him feels like a lie. I head upstairs. James is intent on my computer. A giggle comes from the kitchen.
    “Yeah, no one goes there anymore. And—” Ana stops talking and looks up.
    I smile brightly. Peter smiles back. Ana looks at my cat sweatshirt with something akin to horror. I’m planning to put it back in my BOB to keep it safe but didn’t want to take it off yet.
    “So, we’ve had a look in the basement, and we have backpacks for everyone. Peter, you have clothes here.” He nods. “You’re going to have to pack things that you can walk in, just in case. Like jeans.” I give Ana a pointed look.
    Peter looks at me like I’m a silly little girl. It’s maddening. “So, we’re really leaving?”
    “Well, Maria said we should. Ana, it’s your mother. She’s not one to blow something out of proportion.” I stop short of telling him he’s welcome to stay in New York if it’s too much of a hassle.
    Ana clearly doesn’t want to agree, but she does. “It’s true. My mom is the most practical person you’ve ever met. We should probably listen to her.”
    The unstated implication is that Cassie is not. She’s spot on with that one; I’m not going to argue. Peter smiles and holds out his hands. I take one, even though I don’t want to.
    “No, Cassie’s not the most practical, but she is the prettiest,” he says.
    Ana smiles at him, but after he turns to me she rolls her eyes. His skin, even in my terrible kitchen light, is gorgeous. But all that aristocratic perfection is boring when there’s nothing behind it.
    “Thanks,” I reply, although it’s not true. Ana could beat me in a beauty contest any day. Personality is another story. “Time to pack.”
    I pull on his hand. It’s smooth but strong. He does things like faux mountain climbing and running, but only in climate-controlled environments. The one time I cajoled him into walking around Prospect Park with me, he bitched about the mosquitoes the whole time.
    I’ve thrown some of my stuff on his shelf in my closet. Peter tsks at me as he pulls his clothes out from under mine and places them on the bed. Then he closes