Total pages in book: 69
Estimated words: 69352 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 347(@200wpm)___ 277(@250wpm)___ 231(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 69352 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 347(@200wpm)___ 277(@250wpm)___ 231(@300wpm)
Me:
Good. Let me know when you arrive. Love you, too.
Milena:
I almost threw up when I said that. It’s too soon, isn’t it?
Me:
I don’t think anything we’ve done so far has been normal.
Milena:
No, I guess you’re right. Have a good day. Love you.
I shoved the phone in my pocket and looked at Nastya and Haze. “See you later.”
Yes, I would definitely have a good day.
Getting rid of this motherfucker would be my pleasure.
I don’t like to be in public too long. I start to get irritated.
—Milena to Cutter
MILENA
“Hey,” Hazel said distractedly.
“Hey, where are you?” I asked.
“Oh.” Hazel paused. “I might’ve messed up.”
I frowned. “What do you mean?”
I looked over at Artur who was tapping his fingers on the steering wheel restlessly.
We’d been sitting at the airport for an hour now, and we were both more than ready to leave.
Yet, Artur hadn’t complained one bit.
He was, by far, one of the favorite guards that Shasha assigned to me. Mostly because he was pretty chill and didn’t much care what I did or where I went as long as he got fed along the way.
But we were going on hour six of no food for him, and I was fairly sure he was about to perish.
“I might’ve had an alcoholic beverage, and can’t drive now,” Hazel admitted. “I got a drink with breakfast, and I didn’t realize that it was a real mimosa until I was about three in and feeling fiiiinnnne.”
I gritted my teeth and said, “Okay. Well, I guess that I can just meet you at the cabin. How will you get there if you’re inebriated? Want a ride?”
“Oh, no. I have a ride. I’m not too far from the cabin really, either.”
I narrowed my eyes as I looked at the GPS that was hooked up and saying we had a two-hour drive on our hands.
God.
Why did she act like this?
“Okay,” I said. “Well, then I’ll meet you at the cabin.”
Artur didn’t wait for me to finish before he was driving out of the underground parking garage.
The first view of the mountains was breathtaking.
Luckily, the phone call cut off when we got too far away from the Wi-Fi, making me not be able to yell at Hazel for her rudeness.
Instead, I sent out a text to Cutter, using iPhone’s new satellite texting technology when you have no service, and admired the view.
I didn’t say a word when Artur pulled into the first drive through he got to, which luckily was Chick-Fil-A.
We were both sipping on sweet teas when we got our first view of Glacier National Park.
“Oh my god,” I breathed. “This is breathtaking.”
“Yeah it is,” Artur said. “Nothin’ like the Smokies, huh?”
“Agreed.”
We arrived at the cabin an hour later, and I couldn’t believe the place that Shasha had scored.
It was big enough to fit ten people easily, so fitting three would be no problem.
I inputted the code, and the first thing I saw upon entering was shit.
Like a lot of it.
There were bottles on every available surface, some empty, some full and opened.
All of them liquor of some kind.
Artur, who’d preceded me into the cabin, walked around with a look of disbelief on his face.
The place was trashed.
“What the hell?” I asked.
That’s when a car pulled up behind us.
I looked out the still open door and saw Hazel’s car slide to a stop.
But it wasn’t Hazel driving.
No, it was Hazel’s boyfriend, Mark.
I crossed my arms over my chest and stared at Hazel and Mark as they got out of the car.
“What are you doing here?” I asked him.
He appeared sober, but I wasn’t sure due to his horrible park job.
“I came with Hazel.” He frowned. “Why?”
“It was only supposed to be Hazel and me,” I pointed out.
“You have someone with you.” He pointed behind me at who I assumed was Artur.
“Artur is my bodyguard, bozo,” I said. “Which you all know.”
“Yeah, but Hazel wasn’t comfortable staying in a house with another man so close without me,” he pointed out.
What was more likely the problem was that Mark wasn’t interested in Hazel staying in a house with another man without him.
“Well, as you know,” I said, “Hazel has spent plenty of time with Artur…and she can speak for herself, can’t she?”
Except Hazel was on the phone, giving directions to our cabin and not paying attention.
“Oh, there you are!” Hazel cried. “Hi!”
Another car pulled up, and two people spilled out of the car.
Rayann and Gibson, as well as their friend, Jacinda.
What. The. Fuck.
“Oh, you’ll just love the view!” Hazel chirped at them. “Come in! You can put your bags down in one of the upstairs…”
I was already shaking my head. “Artur, go get them their things. They won’t be staying here.”
Mark frowned. “What do you mean, we won’t be staying here?”
“I mean, I’m not allowing y’all to stay here anymore. The only person whose name is on the list to rent this house is me. So, sadly, y’all are on your own for accommodations.”