Free What the Outlaw Craves by Samantha Leal Page A

was hiding, although she couldn’t imagine what it might be. It had something to do with those eyes though. As the afternoon passed by and they finished the bottle he lay on his back as she cuddled against him. They watched the clouds drift overhead, just as she had done when she was younger. The lake was deserted, even though it was the weekend. They were the only two there. Birds sung in the trees above them and the sun glistened on the water. Laurie felt warm inside and was a little tipsy from the champagne. She didn’t want the day to end but she looked out and knew that dusk was coming. She felt safe with Aiden but she still didn’t want to be out in the wilderness after dark, not after the events of the previous evening.
    “I’ll pack everything up,” Aiden smiled as he kissed her once more. He stood and started to collect their things and Laurie looked back at the log cabin where she had spent her childhood.
    “I’m just going to take a closer look,” she called to him as she walked towards the forest. She could hear him behind her as he waded into the water and started to load things into the boat.
    The darkness of the forest came suddenly as she got close to the cabin. The trees blocked out what was left of the sunlight and for the first time that day she felt a chill. She wrapped her arms around herself and was about to turn and make her way back to Aiden when she had the uneasy feeling that someone was watching her. The hairs stood up on the back of her neck and she squinted to try and see in the bushes and trees ahead. She was sure she could see something moving. Her heart started to pound. She was surely just being paranoid. She looked back over her shoulder but she had gone too far into the forest and Aiden was out of sight. She couldn’t see him and he couldn’t see her. She swallowed and looked back into the trees behind the cabin and her heart almost stopped as she realized with complete horror that she wasn’t alone.
    Ahead of her, taking long slow steps in her direction, Brad emerged from the trees. His face was still and angry and he held a gun in his hand. She knew instantly he had somehow tracked her here. It could have been by a million clues. This couldn’t be happening, she thought. He didn’t say a word as he lifted the gun towards her. Laurie let out a blood curdling scream as he pulled the trigger.

 
    8.
     
    The bullet powered into the ground at her feet and he shot again. Laurie jumped back in terror. The dirt sprayed around her in a cloud and she fell back onto the forest floor shielding her face.
    “I knew you were fucking around behind my back,” Brad spat as he laughed and moved quickly towards her. “I’d been saying it for months and all you did was lie.” He raised the gun and pointed it at her chest again. “And now you have the nerve to run out on me in the middle of the night. Did you honestly think that I wouldn’t find you?” He laughed like a maniac and in his eyes there was something more than sinister. He wasn’t messing around.
    “You followed me?” she said.
    “I didn’t have to follow you Laurie,” he shook his head in disbelief, “You used to talk about this place incessantly, and sure enough your albums, you know the ones with all the summer postcards in them? Yeah, those. The address was right there. I knew where you would come. I just had to be a little patient. Truth be told I did start to think maybe you weren’t coming after all. But here you are. You see, you’re not that clever, did you really think I was just going to let you leave?” His eyes were wild.
    She closed her eyes as she heard footsteps behind her. Aiden. Her heart was pounding so hard in her chest she thought it was going to burst out of her ribcage.
    “Oh here he is,” Brad laughed, “The man who stole her heart.”
    “Whatever you’re thinking, you’re wrong,” Aiden said calmly. “She hasn’t been cheating on you. We just met.”
    “I don’t need your fucking