Cold Intentions (Ellie Kline Psychological Thriller Series Book 12) by Mary Stone

Author:Mary Stone [Stone, Mary]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-05-16T16:00:00+00:00

21

Ellie watched as hexagonal dice bounced atop a dark wooden table before rolling to a stop.

Luke grinned and held out a hand. “Four grain cards, please.”

The mood at Luke and Caraleigh’s house was subdued. Bethany sat next to Ellie in the dining room with her chin balanced against her fist. She picked up Ellie’s tiny strip of blue wood and rolled the piece between her fingertips. “What’s this again?”

“A road.” Ellie considered the blue settlement, city, and road pieces in front of her. She’d never played Catan before and didn’t plan on playing again in the future. To her, games should be simple and fun. This one involved way too much thinking and strategizing.

Might as well be playing chess.

Beside her, Clay’s fingers flew across his laptop keyboard. Ellie nudged him. “Clay, Luke needs cards.”

Clay lifted his head. “Huh?”

Luke frowned and pointed at the dice. “I rolled a four next to my settlement. Four grain cards.”

Across the table, Caraleigh sighed. “C’mon, Clay. Can’t you focus on the game?”

“I’m multitasking.” Clay handed Luke his cards.

Caraleigh shook her head. “No, you’re not being a good guest. If you didn’t want to play, why did you even come over tonight?” Her fingers stimmed, and red splotches erupted on her cheeks.

Since coming into the house, Caraleigh’s mood had been off, her sunny disposition dimmed by a dark cloud. It was more than agitation. Ellie recognized the fear slipping in and out between the other woman’s words. What had provoked it, though? She’d seemed fine earlier.

Luke fanned the cards in his hand. “I got my cards. We’re good now.”

Caraleigh shook her head again, gripping a handful of red game pieces. “No, it’s not okay. We can’t play the game if we don’t all focus.”

Across the table, Bethany’s eyes were wide as she gazed at the adults. Ellie offered her a reassuring smile. At least, she hoped it was reassuring.

Caraleigh sprang to her feet, her thighs slamming against the table. The game board shifted, and pieces scattered. “I need some fresh air.”

She turned on her heel and shot through the kitchen. The back door opened and slammed shut.

The stricken expression on Clay’s face was unmistakable. Ellie held up her hand. “Stay here. I’ve got this.”

She hopped out of her seat and jogged into the backyard. She found Caraleigh hovering near the hammock, tugging at a tendril of blond hair. The setting sun drenched the sky in a hazy half-light, but Ellie could still make out the glistening trails streaming down Caraleigh’s cheeks.

Scooting onto the hammock, Ellie patted the meshy fabric. “Want to talk?”

“No. Yes. I guess?” Caraleigh sniffled and gingerly settled on the hammock. Her chin dropped, and she fiddled with her thumbs. “I looked silly in there, huh?”

Ellie shook her head. “No. You looked like someone struggling with something. What’s going on?”

Above them, a bird cawed deep in the leaves of the oak tree. Caraleigh raised her head but didn’t face Ellie. “Those women, the ones who died…it started to scare me again. I try to be strong because Luke’s already a mess about Gabby.

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.