Total pages in book: 166
Estimated words: 161257 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 806(@200wpm)___ 645(@250wpm)___ 538(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 161257 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 806(@200wpm)___ 645(@250wpm)___ 538(@300wpm)
He couldn’t breathe. He couldn’t breathe. His lungs had locked tight.
Sean’s image slammed him next.
His bright, cheeky smile—That captivating gaze—
Then his wide eyes as the earth sucked him under—
“Sean!” Max jolted, gasping for air.
Get up! Get up! Keeping fucking going!
He lurched back to his feet, choking on pure panic, his fear so fucking powerful it was staggering.
This couldn’t be happening! His worst nightmare all over again!
His heart jackhammered wildly, his head fucking spun. He could feel it, his mind splintering, his sanity coming unglued.
He stumbled, nearly falling again. “Sean!” Goddamn it, he couldn’t see!
Desperately, he blinked to clear his vision, tripping on exposed roots as he sprinted. He clamored to right himself, but never stopped running.
“Sean!”
He couldn’t lose him!
He needed him. He knew this now.
The sound of raging waters penetrated his chaos. He was close. Max ran faster. Up ahead, the trees parted. He tore through the opening and slammed on the brakes, urgently searching the vicinity for his cat. Visibility was somewhat better than in the forest, but not by much. There wasn’t a full moon this time to aid him.
“Sean!”
He glanced forward, then left, then right. A shit ton of boulders but no sign of Sean. His anxiety rocketed through the fucking roof.
“Sean!” He bellowed louder, kicking back into a run, racing down the narrow path between rock mounds. He reached their spot in seconds.
No Sean.
No Sean.
Oh, God.
No Sean.
“No!” He howled. He could not be too late! He refused to believe it! Fate could not be this cruel! He leapt up onto their boulder and whirled around. “SEAN!!” But the rapids were too loud from a recent storm, the violent torrent of water all but roaring. His wild eyes searched desperately; in the water, back in the trees. Nothing. He grimaced, frantically fisting his hair. He can’t be gone! He can’t! “Sean!” His voice cracked. “Sean, please!”
His heart started to tear. His head swam dizzily. But still he kept looking, kept hoping.
And then he saw him, a good hundred yards away, just a black figure standing motionless atop a cliff.
Max’s splitting heart shot up into his throat. “Sean!”
He was standing way too close to the edge.
Oh, Jesus. Max bounded off their boulder and tore toward his a stór. “Sean!” he shouted. “Sean!”
Sean didn’t turn around, though. Just kept staring at the water.
Fifty yard—twenty-five—
But then Sean started to sway. Like his balance was wavering… or he was simply letting it go.
No! He was too close! Too close to that ledge!
What was he doing? Oh, God, what was he doing?!
Max’s eyes shot wide. Terror ripped through his torso, stopping him short, paralyzing his whole fucking body. He couldn’t move. Fear struck again, dropping him to his knees.
They hit the ground hard, but he didn’t feel it. Didn’t feel a fucking thing. Just the sharp ache of his heart preparing to flatline.
“Sean! Please, don’t!” Tears rushed down his face. “I’m sorry! I’ll be good! I’ll be good!”
Sean’s swaying form stilled. He slowly turned around, appearing to pull some earbuds from his ears. Not that Max really noticed that or anything else. He was too fucking close to having a coronary.
Their eyes met. The flood gates burst. Max openly wept. “Please don’t go, Sean. I’m sorry. I’ll be brave. I promise. Just please… Please don’t leave me… I need you.”
“Max…” Sean’s beer can dropped, forgotten, from his hand. He headed Max’s way.
Max lurched to his feet, Sean’s retreat from the ledge freeing him from paralysis. He made it to his cat in seconds flat. Not saying a word, he yanked Sean into his arms, then buried his face in Sean’s neck and loosed a broken sob. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, Sean. I should’ve been stronger for you. I’m so sorry.”
Sean held him close. “It’s okay, Max.”
A shudder wracked Max’s frame. He squeezed Sean tighter, his arms like steel bands.
Air rushed past Sean’s lips. “Jesus, Max. What’s going on? I can feel your heart pounding against my chest.”
“Just promise me you’ll stay. Please. Say you won’t go. If I lost you, if you died, it’d fucking kill me.”
“Max… I’m not gonna die.” Sean sounded perplexed.
Another tiny quake rolled through Max’s body. “I saw you. Saw you on the edge,” he groaned. “Jesus God, Sean. I saw you.”
“Saw me what? I was just standing there. I don’t understand what you—” Sean stilled mid-sentence, but then tenderly hugged Max closer. “Shit, Max... Fuck… I’d never. Why’d you think that?”
“Jonah told me you cancelled your trip. Told me about your note. How you said you were done and weren’t coming back.”
“Yeah, but—”
“That he could keep all your shit, because where you were going, you weren’t gonna need them anymore.”
“Right, that’s true, because—”
“I checked your closets, Sean. All your clothes were there. You even left your toothbrush.”
Sean went quiet for a second, then exhaled. “Shit... I guess that does kinda look fucked up.”