Free You've Got Tail by Renee George Page A

head with such force, I didn’t doubt her ability to do damage.
    My calves were getting sore, so I leaned forward to adjust and chipped the tiniest piece of bark from the tree.
    â€œWhat was that?” Sheila snarled. “Who’s there?”
    A sinking feeling started in my chest and ended just below my belly button. Surely she couldn’t have heard the bark chip fall from thirty feet away?
    Before I could think of my next move, the crazy bitch was in front of me, yanking me off the ground and pinning me against the trunk. Her brown eyes looked nearly black in the dark, and she had a maniacal quality I usually liked to avoid in people.
    Sheila held me with her forearm against my chest and with her free hand she pinched my cheeks together, giving me fish lips.
    Unflattering, but effective. I debated for half a second on whether to fight back or try to diffuse the situation. Since I’m a lousy fighter, I went for the latter.
    â€œYou’re really strong for a woman.” (Not easy to say with fish lips, let me tell you.)
    â€œWhat. The. Fuck. Are you. Doing. Out. Here?” She pinched hard with each punctuated word. My poor cheeks were going to be sore for a week.
    â€œI wawws woiwing uhn…” (You try talking with fish lips.)
    She cocked her head sideways. “What?”
    I pointed to her fingers then gently pried them from my face.
    â€œThere.” I rubbed my cheeks. “I said, I was on a stroll with my dog. Hot night and all. AC’s broke. Needed some air. Stopped to tie my shoe. That’s it. Honest.” Well, not completely honest, but close enough, really. And where was the damn dog? Dumb creature got me into this situation then bolted at the nearest sign of trouble. So much for man’s best friend.
    Sheila rubbed her hand through thick, shiny brown hair. Then she gazed down at my shoes. I thanked all that was right with the world (which didn’t feel like much, by the way) that I’d worn my tennis shoes and not my sandals.
    She grunted, digging her fingernails into my arm. “Take my advice, little girl. Next time you feel like walking at night, take a stroll around your living room. You never know what might be out in the dark just waiting to eat you.” She snapped her teeth. Really effective.
    Feeling good and warned, I scraped my back against the tree trying to get some running room. “Uh…Thanks for the advice.”
    Before she let me go, an image of her and Judah seriously making out flashed in my head. “Jeezus.”
    â€œWhat?”
    She’d finally unlatched herself from me and I didn’t want to give her an excuse to “bring a whole can of whoop ass” down on me, so I said, “Nothing.”
    But come on! This chick definitely liked to keep it in the family. Babel and Judah. And what about Judah? First I’d seen him kissing Ruth, now Sheila. What a man-whore. I mean, I liked Ruth, but she was a married woman with a gazillion kids. And Sheila, well, she obviously got around. Curiosity got the better of sense, and I decided to risk an ass kicking.
    â€œI didn’t mean to interrupt you and…”
    She glared. I could swear her eyes flashed with some unholy light. “None ya.”
    â€œI just mean, it sounded pretty serious.”
    Her brow narrowed and she pursed her lips. “What exactly did you hear, Sunny Haddock?”
    Uh-oh. Crazy knew my name. “Not much. It just sounded like you were breaking up with someone.” Which it had. “But I couldn’t hear a whole lot.” Which I hadn’t. “But I don’t mean to pry.” Which I really did.
    There was something innately fascinating about Sheila. Sort of like a ten-car pile-up on the freeway. It’s hard not to slow down and take a good long look no matter how disturbing you might think it is.
    She turned on her heel and walked off into the night with the parting words of, “Go home, Sunny