Ashby Holler Read Free

ground before the shot could echo down the holler. Sasha reached for Vinny, and he pulled away.
    “You okay?” she asked.
    Vinny waved for her to go, his eyes low.
    “Not so great having all that crap between your legs now, is it?” Sasha said with a grin. She trudged through tall brush, toward the whimper beneath a patch of ivy.
    “You shot me!” Rolo screeched, flopping onto his back. His chest heaved as he blubbered and wiggled in the dirt. “My leg! Shit, man.”
    Sasha looked back at Vinny, who cupped his balls as he limped closer. The sun had slipped below the mountain’s peak, leaving only thin rays to light the trees around them. This was taking too long. She had shit to do with someone far more attractive than the loser on the ground at her feet.
    “If I give you a bump, will you jump in the cellar all by yourself?” Sasha asked, only half-joking.
    Rolo stopped squirming, the howls ceasing to flow. His shifty eyes calmed, flying to her. “Yeah. Two bumps, big ones.”
    It might be hard to believe a man would jump to his death for a few lines of cocaine if Sasha hadn’t seen people do worse for much less. Rolo’s pleading eyes stared up at Sasha, and she almost unloaded her gun in his face. Instead, she dug through her pockets.
    “Ellen probably heard that shot,” Vinny said, stepping beside her. “What’s up?”
    “Hold this.” Sasha handed Vinny the gun and pulled a small vial from her coat. Rolo hopped up the moment he saw it, slithering forward. She poured a line of white powder on his palm, looking away as he snorted it up his nose.
    “The other one,” Rolo said through gasps, wiping his blood-smeared nose and licking his fingers.
    “Fucking gross.” Sasha bumped him another fix, cringing. “Your face could be an after-school special.”
    Vinny chuckled, grabbing Rolo by the arm. “Come on, narc.”
    They walked Rolo back toward the truck, stopping next to a metal storm door in the ground. Sasha fished a set of keys from her pants and unfastened the padlock. Hinges squealed as the door opened, and the stench of death wafting into the crisp air sent shivers down her spine.
    Rolo cowered, staggering back. “Right, so—”
    With a kick to the ass, Vinny sent Rolo plunging into the dark hole. After a second of yelps, a thud echoed from far below.
    Sasha peered down, glimpsing only shadows. The seconds of silence provided a hint of relief. She hoped he’d died instantly. A broken neck was better than a slow death.
    “Ahh, shit. Man,” Rolo said, his voice sounding so far away. “Sasha, throw down the blow. Come on, please.”
    She tightened her grip on the vial. Stupid. That’s what she was for feeling sorry for that piece of shit. “Kill yourself with the bones down there, ‘cause we ain’t coming back. Asshole.”
    Vinny closed the door on the screams that bellowed from deep within the mine’s shaft, and Sasha locked it tight.
    “I think you should be my girl,” Vinny said.
    Sasha waited for the butt of his joke, but he held a straight face.
    “What head did he kick you in, ‘cause…?”
    “I mean.” Vinny stepped closer, tucking the gun into her waistband. “If we pretend, it would throw your mom off your pussy stink.”
    She giggled, walking toward her truck. “That’s a super romantic offer, but I’m gonna have to pass. You need to be more chill. You’re the one who’s gonna get me busted.”
    Vinny followed Sasha to the truck, not saying a word the whole ride back. After parking beside the garage, she cut off the engine and turned to face him. His eyes were locked on her, a strange mix of icy warmth in his stare.
    “Candy’s gonna get you caught,” he said in a bit of a huff. “With her bright red hair running up and down your stairs all hours.” He took her hand inside both of his, holding snug. “ You need to be more chill. I won’t watch them stomp you again. It’ll go down bad.”
    “Nah, you’re right.” Sasha pulled her hand away, patting Vinny on