August Moon by Jess Lourey

Author:Jess Lourey [Lourey, Jess]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: Fiction, Mystery, (¯`'•.¸//(*_*)\\¸.•'´¯)
ISBN: 9780738713250
Publisher: Midnight Ink
Published: 2008-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

This booby trap had Les Pastner written all over it. I knew because the sapling the rope had been tied to didn’t have the recoil strength to lift me off the ground and dangle me in the air, like the rope traps you saw in the Tarzan movies or Looney Tunes cartoons. When I had stepped into the circle of rope, releasing whatever contraption had been putting pressure on the tree, it ricocheted upright, yanking my feet out from under and giving me one hell of a rope burn, but otherwise leaving me unharmed with my foot about two feet off the ground. I tried to undo the knot at my ankle with my hands, but it was too tight.

I was accosted by a surprise party of panic when I couldn’t immediately find my spider knife. Had it gone flying with my flashlight? Was all the circulation getting cut off from my foot? Would I have to gnaw it off and crawl to safety? Then I found the knife, nestled warm and tight between my skin and waistband. I flicked the blade, slid it delicately underneath the ankle noose, and wiggled it until it was facing toward the rope. I sawed slowly, hyper-aware of the razor edge of the blade and the fact that I was a sitting duck if Les heard my tussling and returned. I panted anxiously, feeling my heart beat rapidly against the tourniquet on my ankle. My knife cut through the rope like it was shredded wheat, and I massaged around the hot and raw skin underneath, listening for any movement around me. The woods were quiet. On a whim, I used the rope to pull the sapling toward me, cut the rope off at the tree end, too, and threw the fifteen-foot line over my shoulder. Better Les think he had misplaced his booby trap than know someone had been caught in it.

I limped back to my car, the journey taking twice as long because I couldn’t use the road or put all my weight on my left ankle. I didn’t spot Les, and I sincerely hoped he didn’t see me. Once in my Toyota, I breathed out the jittery weight of a near catastrophe. I was a weird mix of angry and relieved—mad because I had walked into a trap like a dumbass, and thankful because I had gotten out. As I drove home, I wondered who the trap had been set for. Les was well-known for his militia ways; had he indoctrinated his girlfriend into the lifestyle? And was his girlfriend Sissy, Naomi Meales’ sister? I wasn’t any wiser for my trip. In fact, my spying goal had been completely thwarted, and more mystery laid on top of it.

At the home front, I tossed the rope into a shed, watered my “I think I can, I think I can” vegetable garden, dumped fresh ice cubes in Luna and Tiger Pop’s water dishes, and fell across my bed, still wearing my spy clothes. I

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.