Hunter's Edge

Chapter Three

Apologies I didn't get this posted sooner.  I had to pick a kid up from school for the weekend, then ended up dog sick.  Fun times.

Age 19, May

"Your parents are going to wonder where you are," Angel said softly. She had her legs drawn up to her chest and her arms linked around them. She rested her chin on her knees and focused on the flickering firelight.

Kel shrugged. "I doubt they'll wonder too much." Yeah, they would. He knew that. He might be nearly nineteen years old and finishing up his freshman year in college, but in the eyes of his parents, he was still a kid. They might wonder, they would probably worry, but Kel wasn't in any hurry to leave just to suit his folks.

Especially not right now.

Something was bothering Angel but she wouldn't tell him what it was. He could feel it, an ugly, nasty weight on his chest and until she opened up and talked to him, he wasn't leaving. They'd driven to Tennessee to do some hiking and before they'd left, Kel had told his parents he'd probably be back pretty late.

Angel hadn't said much of anything to her mom, but it wouldn't matter. On that front, nothing much had changed in all the years Kel had known Angel and her mother—Ann still didn't concern herself with her daughter. As far as Ann was concerned, Angel was kept clothed, fed and sheltered. That was the extent of her parenting worries.

Unless Angel was gone long enough that it interfered with Ann's life, the woman would never notice. When she came looking for Angel to run some errands, to make some phone calls, then maybe Ann might notice Angel wasn't there.

That was it.

Ever since her dad had died, things at Angel's house had gotten worse and he knew she was literally counting down the days until she graduated from high school. She'd turn eighteen in July and on her eighteenth birthday, she was getting one whopping sum of money. Paul Pierson had a very large life insurance policy and Angel would receive the largest part of it. A certain amount of money had been set aside to pay off any final expenses and pay off the house so Ann wouldn't need to worry about that.

But the rest of the money was set aside for Angel. It came with some restrictions, things like she'd get so much on her birthday, so much for college, and the rest of it upon her college graduation.

And it was a lot of money. Enough money that she could pretty much pick her college and it was all but paid for. Enough that she wouldn't have to work a part-time job, that she didn't have to worry her mother wouldn't help her out. Paul might have been a pushover, but he'd known his wife and he hadn't wanted Angel to suffer should something happen to him.

Propped on his elbow, Kel stared into the fire and wondered if Angel was going to spill or if he was going to have to drag it out of her. The fire crackled and popped and a shower of sparks went flying into the air as one of the flaming logs split into two parts.

"Mom's getting married."

He glanced up at Angel and then looked back into the fire. "That's what you've been worrying about?"

She made a face at him. "I'm not worried—exactly." Shifting around, she moved her shoulders in a restless shrug. "Dad's been gone four years now. And it's not like she ever really loved him. Hell, the day we buried him, she acted like it didn't matter he was gone. She went and redid the whole damn house less than a month after he died. Now she's getting married and I'm expected..." Her voice trailed off and she shook her head. "Forget it."

"Expected to what?" Kel asked, narrowing his eyes. He didn't like that look on her face, the grim cast to her gaze.

"You're going to get mad."