Behind the Pines (The Gass County Series Book 3) by Unknown Page A

rested on the windowsill and, following the massive hand gripping its handle, the contours of a pale man’s face baring eyes glowing as the fires in hell stared at them and his hand pushed itself through, widening the window further. The revolver could end her days with a simple press of a finger, yet what was more frightening was the smile on the man’s face.
    “If that dog jumps, I’m not saving my ammunition, you know what I’m saying?”
    “Yes,” she whispered and clamped her hand harder around Brutus’s mouth, holding it shut.
    “Now, I’m going to come in. Where will the dog go?”
    Her eyes followed the revolver as it swung around like a baton guiding its orchestra.
    “Outside,” she managed to answer, swallowing down a desperate cry.
    “I’m not sure what you’re waiting for, sweetheart. Let’s get to it, shall we?” His eyes aimed at Brutus tucked hard by her side.
    “Sure, yes.” In panic she grabbed the thick fur at the back of Brutus’s neck, pulled down the leash from the hook next to the door and headed out into the darkening hours of the evening.
    As she reached the end of the trailer, she wasn’t sure her wobbly legs could hold her upright much longer and she bumped into Brutus, who immediately found her eyes, looking for an answer or command, noting the level of distress in Sunshine.
    “In, Brutus.”
    “Lock it and come back to the trailer, now.” The voice shook, and with uneasy feet she stepped across the gravel and was met by the open door to her own home, which she for the first time didn’t want to enter. Gone was the sweet smell of baked beans; now the small space stunk of dirt, forest, and old-set moisture.
    “Come sit down.”
    She hadn’t dared look back at him yet. The few steps along the hallway felt heavy, not knowing whether an execution would present itself at the end. 
    “Sit.”
    The rough fabric stretched against her bottom as she slid herself onto the seat, watching her hands fold in her lap.
    “Now, this is what we’ll do.” He lit up a cigarette and she was happy the smoke concealed the pungent smell he’d brought inside. Thin swirls of smoke rose in the air, the sound of burning paper at the tip when he inhaled sharply was the sound of crackling fire to her ears. Her eyes traced the small flakes of ashes landing on the table until she met his gaze across the table.
    “There they are, the blue ones trying to hide.”
    That was the last thing she remembered as the table smashed her in the face, a large hand pushing her down into it. The crackling of cigarette paper vanished and the echo of silence took over her world. She preferred it to what was at hand. It felt pleasant.
     
     
     
     
     
    Chapter Eighteen
    A hard lash of a hand across her cheek woke her. A view of darkened forest before her and when she looked down, she saw her hands wrapped in what must have been Brutus’s leash, itself tied to the car’s steering wheel. She tried to pull her hands away, shaking them, terror taking over every part of her body. A hand suddenly pushed against the back of her head, shoving her face against the hardness of the wheel.
    “For being so pretty, you ain’t too smart. Can’t you see you’re stuck? It’s not my first time, miss. Leave it.”
    Again the smoke of a cigarette took up space in her lungs, reminding her of burned leather. Her skin branded like cattle. She swallowed hard and sniffed in the smell of nosebleed. The gleaming orange light of a lit Marlboro dangled from the mouth of the man next to her in the passenger seat.
    “Let’s go.”
    “Where to?” she asked, her voice a faint whisper, wondering if he’d heard her question.
    “None of your business. Just drive until I tell you not to.”
    “People will wonder.”
“They will not,” he answered and flicked the lengthy ashes on the floor and stared out the window. “Drive,” he spat and pressed his cold hand onto her right thigh, pushing her foot onto the gas pedal.
     
    Miles of