Nine Minutes Read Online Free Page A

this moment to stand up and point at
me, the campfire illuminating her. She was small. I couldn’t guess her age, but
she was probably younger than she looked. She had mousy blonde hair that hung
limply around her face. There was nothing really special about that face,
although I thought maybe she’d been really pretty at one time. She had smudged
dark makeup under each eye. Her eyebrows were pencil-thin and overly arched,
which added to her sinister look. She probably didn’t need expressive eyebrows
to achieve that, though. Hard living, probably including some serious drug use,
had aged her. Even in the dim light I could see traces of slight acne scars,
and her cheekbones were almost too prominent. They stuck out in sharp contrast
to the hollowness that had likely been full cheeks at one time. She was wearing
a purple tube top and ratty jeans that rested on her bony hips. And she called
me scrawny? She had an assortment of dirty macramé and beaded bracelets on both
arms. Almost every part of her skin that was showing was covered in tattoos
with the exception of her face and hands. I looked down and saw she wasn’t
wearing any shoes. Her feet and toenails were filthy.
          This was Grizz’s woman? Whoever this Grizz was, I wondered if he was into dirty feet.
          “Yeah her,
Willow. I saw her sitting at the 7-Eleven and thought she looked like the girl
on our jacket. Then I saw the damn choker and knew I had to get her for Grizz . Got a problem with that?”
          “Damn right I do.
He ain’t gonna want her and
you and your stupid ass should know better than to bring her here.”
          “Well why don’t
we let Grizz decide.”
          “Let Grizz decide what?”
          I was so busy
watching the exchange between Willow and Monster I didn’t notice the large man walk
up. Startled, I turned my head to the left and was eye level with the zipper of
a pair of blue jeans. I slowly raised my eyes and my breath actually caught in
my throat.
          I thought Monster
and his evil smile were something to fear. The man who stood next to me was not
only large and impressive in appearance, but I could feel his raw energy and
aggression radiating like a beacon. This was a person of authority. This was a
person you didn’t mess with.
          This was Grizz .
          He was the reason
I was abducted, and I feared I now belonged to him.
          At that moment my
mind went in a million directions. I remember hearing snippets of conversation
as to why I was there. Apparently Monster, the newest member of this group or
gang or whatever they were, had just finished an initiation ritual. This final
part wasn’t required, and from what I later learned rarely, if ever, carried
out: Kidnapping someone to be presented to the leader as a thank-you gift to do
with whatever they wanted.
          That was me . The thank-you gift. Now that I
thought about it, Monster’s leather jacket looked brand-spanking new. He couldn’t have been part of this group for very long.
          Just then my eyes
reached Grizz’s , and he was looking down at me. I
couldn’t read his expression. He wasn’t classically handsome, but he wasn’t
ugly either. He was rugged, hard. Even in the semidarkness I could see he had
compelling eyes. He was wearing a T-shirt that had the sleeves ripped off. He
was muscular and covered in tattoos. His hair looked dirty blonde or maybe
light brown, a little long and unkempt. I couldn’t guess his age. For someone
with such authority, he seemed like he should have been older than he looked.
But I couldn’t tell.
          The dim light and
my own fear caused all reason and clarity to leave my brain. I suddenly couldn’t
think or feel. I was numb.
          He didn’t smile.
He didn’t frown. He just continued to stare down at me with those eyes. Willow’s
voice broke the spell.
          “Stupid asshole
here thinks you’re gonna want this little