Total pages in book: 61
Estimated words: 58408 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 292(@200wpm)___ 234(@250wpm)___ 195(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 58408 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 292(@200wpm)___ 234(@250wpm)___ 195(@300wpm)
I try to count them, but lose track at twelve and head to the barn. I don’t even notice a large cow approaching until I’m just stepping inside the barn. A shadow blocks the sunlight, and I turn to see it standing at the only exit, large and angry. It doesn’t have horns, which makes me think it’s female. It looks like it very likely might kill me if I take even a step wrong.
It snorts.
Oh shit.
“Ah, hello cow,” I mutter, smiling as if that will do anything. The cow stares. I stare back.
I try to take a step towards the exit, but it snorts at me in a way that tells me if I take one more step, it will charge. I put my hands up, but it starts moving towards me, forcing me to move back. The thing pins me in the corner so close I can feel the heat radiating off her with a faint barnyard musk undertone. No matter how much I nudge and coax, she’s not budging, and the other cows seem to have formed a semi-circle, silently amused at my predicament.
Twenty minutes pass. I am now sitting on an upside-down feed bin, staring at my phone, with one bar of reception and only three percent battery. I contemplate texting Sable or Mera, but deep down I know who I have to call. When Knox picks up, he sounds like he’s underwater or in a wind tunnel, but that doesn’t stop me from blurting, “I’m trapped in a barn. By a cow. I’m afraid if I move, she might actually kill me.”
He laughs. He actually fucking laughs. “Guess you met Daisy.”
“How fucking original,” I mutter. “Well, Daisy isn’t moving, and I’m not sleeping here tonight. Can you help?”
“What do I get for it?”
I mutter a curse.
He chuckles.
“I’ll be there in ten.”
The wait is excruciating. The cow has started licking her own nose, and the sound is less cute than it is unsettling. A bird flies in through a broken window, perches on a beam, and immediately shits on the ground next to me. I stare at it for a while, and for the first time in a year, I wish I could light a cigarette.
Knox arrives at the barn with headlights blazing, his boots crunching on the gravel, and when he steps through the door with a half-smile and his leather jacket, I contemplate what kind of murder would be legal in this state.
“Well fuck me, she actually pinned you,” he says, stopping for a moment to enjoy the sight before him.
“She’s blocking the way out,” I say, as if it isn’t evident. “The devil herself.”
Knox takes a step closer to the cow and gives a low whistle, and for a second I think the cow will just walk away like it’s trained, but instead, it stands its ground, unmoved. “She doesn’t like new people,” he shrugs, as if that’s the best he’s got. “You gotta show her you’re boss.”
“Well, why don’t you show me how that works,” I challenge, glaring at him.
He steps up closer, rolling his broad shoulders, and looks the cow dead on. “Piss off, Daisy,” he orders, and then—swear to God—he slaps her on the backside.
She spins around, snorting at him, and he just crosses his arms, not taking his eyes off her. Then, as if she’s bored with the entire situation, she gives a big moo and just walks out, taking her posse with her. My mouth drops open. I can guarantee if I slapped that cow, I’d be dead.
Fuck you, Daisy.
I climb off the feed bin, remembering just how filthy I am right now.
“City girl, zero,” Knox murmurs, pulling out a cigarette and lighting it. “Farm, three.”
“Fuck you,” I grumble.
He walks me back through the paddock, arms crossed against his chest. He’s so huge next to me, an overwhelming presence, drawing my attention in a way that is deeply unfair, considering the circumstances.
“Don’t mean to be rude,” he finally says, when we reach the farmhouse. “But when was the last time you showered?”
I spin around, facing him. “I’m sorry that I’m not willing to go into a bathroom when, in the last twenty-four hours, I have been attacked by rats, a snake, and a fucking cow.”
He flashes his teeth, a grin that catches me off guard.
“You can shower at the club.”
I blink at him. “The gas station up the road is fine.”
“You seen the shower there?”
I shake my head.
“Unless you want a new disease not even a doctor can pronounce, you’ll come with me.”
“I feel like this is going to give you some sort of leverage in our bet,” I mutter, crossing my arms.
He shrugs, dropping the cigarette and crushing it out with his boot. “Suit yourself.”
He turns, and I can’t help it; I call out before he can reach his truck. “Fine, but only because I’m desperate.”