pulled into the park that backed up to a small lake. A lot of people liked to hike the trail that circled the water, but hunting season just opened and the north trail was closed, the small lot empty. He parked the car in a haphazard angle to the locked gate, turned off the car, and found Aubrey’s cell phone in her purse. He pulled up her text messages, found Mom, and sent a text.
AUBREY: I’m sorry. I love you.
He made sure to punctuate just like she’d done in her other texts, then wiped the phone with his shirt and tossed it on the passenger seat.
He climbed out of the car, found a sweatshirt in the back seat, and used it to wipe down the steering wheel and car handle. He draped it over his shoulder, left the driver’s door open, popped the trunk, and warded off the attack he expected from Aubrey. She swung her hands wildly trying to hit and scratch him, but his long-sleeve dress shirt kept her from doing any real damage. He grabbed her by the shoulders and hauled her out. Her feet hit the dirt and she nearly fell, but caught herself and swung her hand again. The slap stung his cheek and left a tiny cut from her nail scraping his jaw.
He shook her hard enough to make her head bobble back and forth on her shoulders. “Knock it off.”
She kicked his shin and pushed against his chest to get free.
He slapped her across the face, splitting her lip.
For a second she stood stunned, then her eyes turned to fury. “I hate you!” She spit on him.
He grabbed her hair at the side of her head into his fist and held her still. “You bitch.” He wanted to slam his fist into her face, but that would fuck up his plan. She’d ruined enough things for him today. “Let’s go.”
He hooked his arm around her throat, used his free hand to wipe down the trunk lid, slammed it, and walked her to the open car door. He tossed the sweatshirt onto the passenger floorboard, then sidestepped the door and headed for the gate and the path that pedestrians used to bypass it. He forced her to keep in step with him, making sure she walked more than dragged her feet. He needed it to look like she’d willingly walked down the path, even if it looked like she was unsteady from the distress and anguish that she couldn’t live with anymore.
Or so everyone would think.
He stopped on the footbridge by the raging waterfall, which cascaded over boulders the size of cars, tumbling down thirty feet or more before flowing into the lake. Teens came up here to drink, fuck, and party.
They called it Lover’s Leap because several teens had committed suicide here.
And now one jealous, distraught ex-girlfriend who thought she lost him to another woman.
“Please, Clint, I’ll go away. You’ll never see me again.” She struggled to back away from the railing, using her feet to push him back. “I’ll tell her I lied. I’ll swear that I made it all up.”
“It’s too late, Aubrey.” He spun her around, cupped her face between his hands, and held her so tight her cheeks pressed in and squeezed her little nose. He stared down into her eyes, so filled with fear and a plea that didn’t even make him think twice. “You did this to yourself.”
She tried to shake her head, but couldn’t even budge his hold on her. “Please. I’ll be good. I’ll do whatever you say. Please!”
He wiped away the tears with his thumbs and frowned at her. “You make promises, but you don’t keep them. You act out. You make me punish you.”
He didn’t give her a chance to respond and hooked his hands under her arms. Short and thinner than he remembered—probably because of her fucked-up head and not taking care of herself—he easily lifted her skinny ass onto the railing. Before she could grab hold of him, he hooked his hand under her legs, spun her around, and pushed her right off the wide top board.
Just like that, she flew, arms out wide, legs spread. Her scream ended the second she hit the rocks. The raging water swept her down several more boulders until she disappeared under the force of the water and raging whitecaps flowing into the lake.
He stepped back and stared down at her black shoe. He used the toe of his to turn the flat toward the