Liberation by Kate L. Mary

Author:Kate L. Mary [Mary, Kate L.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Twisted Press, LLC
Published: 2016-11-01T00:00:00+00:00

20

We walk for almost an hour before we reach the Hocking River. The sun has come up, warming the air just a little. Thanks to that and the physical exertion of hiking through the forest, I’ve actually started to sweat. The pants that kept my legs warm earlier are now annoying and confining. I should have stuck to my skirt.

Asher stops at the bank of the river, right in front of a rickety old bridge, and turns to face the rest of us. “We need to cross.”

A nervous laugh pops out of my mouth. “Are you serious?”

The bridge had to have been built before technology fell—way before—and it’s so old that I’m certain it will collapse the second one of us steps on it.

Asher flashes me a teasing smile, and a thrill shoots through me. It’s the look that always makes me want to rip his clothes off, and now, standing in front of a crumbling bridge in the middle of the forest, is no exception.

“I thought you weren’t scared of anything,” he says.

I start to tell him that I’m not, but the words get stuck in my throat. After the encounter with his father a few nights ago, we both know it’s a lie.

“Hope you can swim.” Keith elbows me as he heads to the bridge.

I give him the finger, but it’s shaky.

Damn. I can’t swim, and the idea of getting drenched isn’t appealing. Now or ever. The water is too cold, and I don’t have a change of clothes. Walking for miles through the woods in soaking wet boots sounds miserable.

Keith jumps onto the bridge and it groans under his weight. Rock is only a step behind him. I brace myself, waiting for the whole thing to collapse, but it holds. Even when Dex and Turk follow the other two men onto the bridge, it doesn’t break into a hundred pieces. They head across, but I still don’t move. My eyes stay glued to the rushing water below. It’s dark and probably ice cold. I haven’t been around water much, and it makes me squirm to see something so powerful that I don’t have an ounce of control over.

Asher grabs my arm and pulls me forward. “It’s sturdier than it looks. Paget’s family has been using it for years.” He winces and his hand falls away. It’s as if he isn’t allowed to touch me while he’s thinking about her. “I won’t let you fall.”

The wood creaks when I put my foot on it, but it doesn’t give. The bridge is mostly made of metal, which should make me feel better. It doesn’t, though. I do my best to convince myself it will hold, but my legs tremble with every step I take. Asher is behind me and Dex is in front of me. There’s no way Dex can swim, so he won’t be much help if I fall.

“Can you swim, Asher?” I call over my shoulder.

He chuckles and I want to look back so I can give him a nasty look, but I’m afraid to take my eyes off the bridge.

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