damn rocks anyway. She plucked open the knot and shook the shirt. The rocks fell, thumping against branches, swishing through pine needles. She stuffed the empty rag into the front of her shorts so she wouldn’t lose it, then started her long climb down to the forest floor.
When Kim dropped from the final limb, she had no clear memory of the descent.
She found herself walking through the woods. Her hands felt heavy. She looked at them, and saw that each held a rock. She didn’t remember picking them up. But she kept them.
Until she heard the soft, windy sound of rushing water. Then she tossed them down and ran.
Soon she was kneeling in a stream, cupping cold water to her mouth, splashing her face with it, sprawling out so she was submerged, the icy current sliding over her body. She came up for air. She cupped more water to her mouth, swallowed, sighed.
Kim didn’t think she had ever felt so wonderful in her life.
Until she was suddenly grabbed by her hair and jerked to her knees.
His hands clutched her breasts, tugging her up and backward against him. She squirmed and kicked as he hauled her to the bank. There, he threw himself down, slamming her against the ground.
He writhed on top of her. His hands squeezed and twisted her breasts. He grunted as he sucked the side of her neck.
Reaching up behind herself, she caught hold of his ear. She yanked it. Heard tearing cartilage, felt a blast of breath against her neck as he cried out. His hands flew out from under her. He pounded the sides of her head.
Stunned by the blows, Kim was only vaguely aware of his weight leaving her body. She thought she should try to scurry up and run, but couldn’t move. As if the punches had knocked the power out of her.
She felt her shorts being tugged down. She wanted to stop
Rough hands rubbed the backs of her legs, her rump. She felt the press of a whiskered face. Lips. A tongue. The man grunted like a beast.
Then he grabbed her ankles, pulled and crossed her legs, flipping her over.
Kim stared up at the man.
He pulled a knife from his belt. Its blade gleamed in the moonlight. He clamped the knife between his teeth and started to unbutton his shirt.
She stared at him.
She tried to comprehend.
He was skinny, wearing jeans and a plaid shirt. His hair was a wild bush.
He pulled his shirt open.
A roar pounded Kim’s ears. The man’s head jerked as if he’d been kicked in the temple. A dark spray erupted from the other side. He stood above her for a second, still holding his shirt open, the knife still gripped in his teeth. Then he fell straight backward.
Kim’s ears rang from the sound of the shot. She didn’t hear anyone approach.
But then a man in baggy pants and black T-shirt was standing near her feet. He pointed a rifle down at the other man, and put three more rounds into him.
He slung the rifle onto his back. He crouched, picked up the body, and draped it over his shoulder. Turning to Kim, he said, ‘Get dressed. I’ll give you a lift back to town.’
‘No way,’ she muttered.
‘It’s up to you.’
He strode into the trees, carrying the body.
‘Wait,’ Kim called, struggling to sit up.
He halted. He turned around.
‘That’s right.’
‘Who are you?’
‘A hired hand.’
‘Why did you
‘Needed bait,’ he said. ‘You were it, bitch. I figured he’d sniff you out, sooner or later. He did, and I took him down. Simple as that.’
‘How did you find me?’ Kim asked.
‘Find you? I never lost you. Climbing the tree was a pretty good gimmick, I’ll give you credit for that. Glad you dumped the rocks, though. Great timing. That’s what brought him out of cover.’
‘Why didn’t you shoot him right then?’
‘Didn’t feel like it. Coming?’
‘Fuck you.’
He left.
Kim followed the stream. Early the next morning, she came upon a two-lane road. She walked alongside it. Finally, she heard the approach of a car. Just before it came into view around a bend, she lifted the torn front of her T-shirt to cover herself.
The car, a green Jeep, stopped beside her. A park ranger leaped out and hurried over to her. ‘My God, what happened to you?’
She shook her head. ‘Can you take me to the police?’
‘Certainly.’ His eyes traveled down Kim in a way that reminded her of Bradley in the laundromat. She wondered how Bradley was doing. She wondered if she wanted to see him again. ‘You look like you’ve had a rough time of it,’ the ranger said.
‘Yeah.’ Swaying forward, she took a quick lurching step to keep herself from falling. The ranger gripped her arm and held her steady.
‘Are you all right?’ he asked.
‘I’ll live,’ Kim said. Her lips twitched into something that felt almost like a smile. She said it again. ‘I’ll live.’ It sounded very good.
Slit
The library would be closing in five minutes. Charles knew that the last of the students had already left. He was alone with Lynn.
He saw no point in heading off into the stacks to shelve books, so he lingered beside the circulation desk, arranging volumes in the cart and sneaking glances at her.
She sat on a high stool behind the desk. Her empty loafers were on the floor. Her feet, in white socks, curled over a wooden rung of the stool. Charles could see one smooth calf, the crease behind her knee, and a few inches of bare thigh. Her legs were parted as far as the straight, denim skirt would allow. The skirt’s hem looked so tight against the side of her thigh that Charles wondered if it might leave a red mark on her skin.
She was leaning forward, elbows resting on the desktop, hands on cheeks, head down as she looked through
He squatted down and placed some books on the lower shelf of the cart. This angle allowed him to see Lynn’s right breast. It was there beyond the underside of her arm, a sweet mound cupped by the tight blouse, its front hovering just above the edge of the desk.
It would look so much better without the bra. The seams, the pattern, the stiffness. All in the way.
