Free The Darkest Embrace by Megan Hart Page A

to anyone at all, knowing that thing was out there?” Jessie demanded.
    Freddy shook his head, looking away, and Jessie caught a glimpse of something sly on his face before his expression became contrite. “Needed the money.”
    “And so long as it was taking us, it would leave you alone,” Max said. He’d been quiet before this, but now his voice stabbed the air, harsh. “Right?”
    Freddy stammered, twisting his hands together, around and around. Grime had sunk deep into his knuckles, but it was better than blood, Jessie thought. He shook his head again.
    “No, no...”
    “Bullshit,” Max said evenly.
    Jessie looked at him and took his hand. Their fingers linked, squeezing. “Max?”
    “That thing,” Max spat, “was inside me. In my head. You think I wasn’t inside of it a little, too? I know what it wanted, and why you let us come here, knowing what would happen. If it took us, it would leave all of you alone.”
    Jessie’s gut twisted, and looking at Freddy’s guilty face, she knew what Max had said was true. “You son of a bitch!”
    “What are you gonna do?” Freddy cried, making a fist that didn’t look at all threatening. “You gonna go to the police? What will you tell ’em? Nobody will ever believe you!”
    “How long?” Max demanded, advancing on him. “How many years?”
    “Forever!” Freddy shouted. His voice softened and trembled. “It’s been around here forever.”
    “Why didn’t you just kill it?” Jessie asked. “I mean, it was strong and scary, but...it wasn’t invincible. Why wouldn’t you have hunted it down and killed it if it kept feeding off people?”
    Freddy said nothing, and finally, Max answered for him.
    “Because it was family,” he said quietly. “Right, Freddy?”
    Freddy got that sly look again, but just for a couple seconds before he completely broke down. “It didn’t take anyone for a long, long time. Years. It took Carrie when she was twenty, that was twenty years ago.... We thought maybe it was satisfied. We figured maybe it had had enough! But then she started showing up, hanging around and it was Carrie, but it wasn’t anymore. At first she was young, like she’d been. Young and pretty. But then she started getting old, her face was a mess. And we knew it would only be a matter of time. And I got kids!” he shouted. “I got kids.”
    “So you thought you’d sacrifice us?” Jessie spit away the sour taste. “Because it looked like your sister? It just looked like her, Freddy, don’t you get it? It wasn’t Carrie any more than it was Max!”
    “But it was still family, wasn’t it, Freddy? That thing belonged to you, and you all belonged to it. It had become part of all of you.” Freddy said nothing. Max made a rude, dismissive gesture. “We’re gone. C’mon, Jessie, let’s get out of here.”
    The cell still didn’t work and neither did the GPS, and the bridge wasn’t repaired, but Freddy had sketched them an accurate map of how to use alternate roads to get back to the main highway. They spent the time in silence until they reached asphalt, and then Max pulled to the side of the road and turned off the ignition.
    He turned to her. In an echo of that first day when they’d made out in the front seat after almost running off the road, Max and Jessie dived for each other. She clung to him, his hands in her hair, while she kissed the breath out of him.
    “I was so scared,” she said around the lump in her throat.
    “I wanted to make sure it couldn’t hurt you,” Max answered.
    They kissed again for what felt like a very long time, and even though there was need behind the embrace, it was more a comfort than anything else. When finally they broke apart to breathe, Jessie buried her face against him. She fought tears. Max held her close.
    “I would never let anything hurt you,” Max said. “I love you.”
    She already knew that, of course. She’d seen it in every look he ever gave her. But Jessie lifted her face to his and