Free Extreme Measures by Rachel Carrington

toward Arlin. "I'll go inside and pay. You stay out here." Long strides carried him toward the glass doors.
    "Hey!" Arlin called out. "Let me know if the cashier's a looker."
    Stuart’s legs jerked as he stepped over the metal threshold and into the air-conditioned interior of the store. He kept his head low to avoid the security cameras. The clerk behind the counter gave him the once over then went back to reading her book. He considered her for a moment then dismissed her. Too young. He needed a woman. How long had it been?
    Stuffing his hands into the pockets of the worn jeans that were too loose, he moseyed up to the counter, a slight smile on his face. “I need to fill up on pump three.”
    The girl snapped her gum, punched a few keys, and gave him the nod. “You gotta prepay.”
    Stuart dug a twenty out of his pocket. “Here you go.”
    She snorted, the ring in her nose bobbing. “Yeah, right. Like that’s gonna fill up that tank you got out there.” Her polished black fingernails returned to the keys. “You got twenty on pump three.”
    The edginess returned full force. He didn’t like the girl’s attitude or the way she looked at him like he was stupid for even handing her the twenty dollar bill. Blood rushed to his face as he mentally counted to ten. It hadn’t ever worked for him in prison.
    “You gonna go pump your gas or what?” The snap of the girl’s gum made him jump.
    “You should be nicer to your customers.” Stuart’s hand curled around the butt of the gun tucked into the waistband of his pants.
    She didn’t bother to look at him. “And you should go whine to someone else.”
    His temper spiked, and he didn’t even realize he’d killed her until the blood splattered across the neat row of cigarettes behind her head.
     

Chapter Six
     
    "Are you going to tell me about my aunt now?” Erin waited until Matt locked her apartment door before broaching the subject. She’d debated asking him, but hearing Felicia’s name had left such a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach she had to know.
    Matt jangled the keys in one hand, his jaw clenching then relaxing. “Are you sure you want to do this now?"
    Erin turned her attention to the busy streets of downtown Charleston. During this time of the morning, the city was coming to life with businesses opening for the day and horse-drawn carriages standing at the ready to ferry visitors to historical sites. Ordinarily, a walk to work was her favorite part of the day, but today, not even the beauty of the city could erase the ugly stain on her life.
    Her brows drew together. Matt wasn’t pushing her for a response, and honestly, she wasn’t so sure how to respond. Did she really want to find out her aunt had been brutally murdered or that Stuart had been the one to kill her?
    Whatever answer Matt gave her wouldn’t change what already was. Stuart was a murderer. What was one more body to him? The thought made her knees weak. She closed her eyes briefly, drew in a deep breath, and managed a mumbled affirmative response.
    "Felicia was found dead in her house yesterday morning from a blow to the head."
    Erin winced. Knowing the truth and hearing it spoken out loud were two vastly different things. "You never did mince words, did you?"
    "I’ve never sugarcoated things. You know that.” His gaze shifted to her face. "For what it's worth, I'm sorry."
    She summoned up the strength to nod. "Aunt Felicia and I weren't close. We shared the perfunctory holiday cards every year, but that's about it. Ever since that big family rift several years back, Stuart and I rarely saw her. Just occasionally over summer holidays, but Mom really hated her."
    Tears pricked the backs of her eyelids. Her mother had never spoken ill of anyone, but she’d made her dislike of her sister-in-law blatantly obvious, and over the years, the family had stopped asking questions. Erin had always meant to ask Felicia what had happened. Now, she’d never get that chance.
    She