Total pages in book: 15
Estimated words: 14459 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 72(@200wpm)___ 58(@250wpm)___ 48(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 14459 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 72(@200wpm)___ 58(@250wpm)___ 48(@300wpm)
She glanced up as she heard poor Bev speak. The older lady had owned this store for at least twenty years. April had lived here three years now, and Bev had always been kind to her. She didn’t deserve this asshole coming in and stealing from her.
“There’s barely anything in here!” the guy roared.
“There aren’t a lot of cash sales anymore,” Bev tried to explain before letting out a squeak of fear as he kicked the counter.
April whimpered. She really wished she could grab hold of Scruffy Dog for comfort, but he was in her handbag which was stuck under her stomach.
“Fuck! Fuck!” the guy roared. “You! Get your wallet. Empty it!”
It took her a moment to realize he was screaming at her.
“It . . . it’s under me,” she said. “There isn’t anything in it!”
“Get it!” he yelled.
She quickly moved, pulling it out from under her. He snatched it up and turned it upside down, spilling everything.
Someone else let out a small cry and she turned her head to see Jess Rogers lying on her side on the floor a few feet behind her. Tears were streaming down her terrified face. Shit. Jess was five months pregnant. She didn’t need this sort of stress.
Fuck this guy. Who the fuck did he think he was? Where did he get off scaring an old lady and a pregnant woman?
And he’d just chucked her stuff around. Poor Scruffy Dog was now on the floor, looking at her accusingly.
“Fuck! Why the fuck don’t you people have any money!” he screamed.
He turned to Jess, grabbing her bag and throwing everything out.
That’s when it happened. His rage exploded, and he drew his foot back as though he was going to kick Jess.
Not today, asshole!
Without thinking, April lunged and grabbed the foot that was right in front of her and tugged. It could have gone horribly wrong. His gun could have gone off. He could have landed on Jess, who somehow had the presence of mind to scoot backward.
But it didn’t. He slammed to the floor, and the gun went flying from his hand. Getting up, April jumped on top of him, pummelling and screaming. Jess got up on her feet. April hoped like hell that she was getting help.
The guy pushed her off, and she slammed into the metal shelves with a cry of pain. And then he was looming over her.
“You fucking bitch!” he screamed. His hat had flown off and she could see his eyes moving around. They looked crazy. As though he was on something.
Oh God. Oh God.
Trent was really going to kill her this time. Of all the dumb, stupid things she could have done.
He drew his leg back, right as she heard Jess speak.
“S-step away from her, j-jerkface. Before I put a b-bullet in you.”
The man turned, and that’s when April saw that Jess had the gun in her hands, pointing it at the guy. She was pale, shaking like crazy, and the gun was going all over the place.
Fuck.
The guy tensed and she knew that he was going to leap at Jess. April scrambled to her feet, ignoring the pain in her body as she moved to Jess.
“Give the gun to me, babe,” she whispered.
“He . . . he was going to kick my b-baby,” Jess said as sirens sounded in the distance.
“I know. But I wouldn’t let that happen. Give me the gun.”
“Fuck! The cops are coming!” the guy yelled. “Give me that fucking gun.”
He lunged at them and April screamed right as Bev appeared with a shotgun in her hands. Bev let off a shot and April slammed her hands against her ears. Shit! That was loud!
“Get down on the floor, asshole,” Bev demanded.
Whoa. What happened to sweet Bev who baked cookies for the local school fair every year and knitted every new baby in town a really ugly sweater?
This woman looked tough as nails. And the asshole obviously sensed that as he backed away from Jess and April slowly.
“Hey, now, I didn’t mean nothing . . . no need to fucking go all psycho,” he said, sweating heavily.
April grabbed the gun from Jess, who was full-on sobbing now. She wrapped an arm around her as they heard the sirens grow really close.
“You didn’t mean nothing?” Bev snapped. “Boy, I should put a bullet in your ass right now for the way you’ve made a pregnant woman cry. Get down on the floor. April, put the gun down, and go see if Max is out there.”
Max was the sheriff. With her hands shaking, April took the bullets out of the gun. It was something that Trent had taught her how to do when she’d first moved in with him. Then she left the gun on the counter before heading to the door.
Now she needed more than potato chips. She needed the whole aisle of cookies. And maybe some ice cream too.