Zachary David Productions Read Free Page A

of beer and then swallowed. “Yeah, until I met Gage.”
    “Gage?”
    “My boyfriend.”
    Cammie frowned. Her friend lacked the spunk she’d had when they were the best of friends in high school. The mischief in her eyes had been replaced with a haunted darkness that made Cammie’s skin chill.
    “So Gage made you quit?”
    “No, he enjoyed the extra income. It was Zach. When he found out I was seeing Gage he fired me.”
    Cammie had known Zach for a while now and she couldn’t see him firing someone without cause.
    “Why?”
    “He and Gage are…well, they hate each other. The simple act of mentioning Gage’s name was all it took for him to go ballistic.”
    Cammie forced herself to still the rocking chair. “Why do they hate each other?”
    “I don’t know.” Priscilla pursed her lips tightly together.
    “You seem down… are you doing okay?” Cammie asked.
    Giving her an incredulous look, Priscilla replied, “You just ask a lot of questions and I’m tired.”
    “I was just wondering how someone could hate Zach.”
    “Cammie, you’re so naïve.”
    Cammie hated being called naïve more than she hated being referred to as curvy. “I am not,” she said and then felt her lip bulge to form a pout.
    “Gage is in the business of making and selling weed.” She shrugged. “Let’s just say Zach has a no-tolerance policy when it comes to recreational using or selling of illegal substances.”
    “Can you blame him?”
    “Please! It’s not like he’s a celibate priest. The man makes porn movies.”
    Priscilla stood and made a sweeping gesture with her hand that said the conversation was over. “Let me make up the couch for you.”
    Priscilla turned off the television when she left the room. Without it, sirens and hollering could be heard off in the distance. Recalling the bars on the house, Cammie wondered how safe the area was and thanked God she’d made it to the house without incident.
    She stood when Priscilla returned and helped her cover the couch with sheets. When they’d finished the task they stood toe-to-toe.
    Priscilla reached for a lock of Cammie’s dark hair, “You let it grow out.”
    Cammie smoothed her hair, “I didn’t like it short.”
    “It’s pretty. I was always jealous of your thick hair.”
    “But you’re a blonde.”
    Priscilla giggled, “That’s true.” She fluffed a pillow and dropped it at the would be head of the bed. “Gage will probably come in here when he gets home. I hope he doesn’t turn on the T.V., but he probably will.”
    “That’s fine.”
    After Priscilla left the room, Cammie removed her wet tennis shoes and sighed. It felt good to finally get under a warm pile of blankets.
    Sleep came intermittently. When she heard the front door open and shut, Cammie turned onto her side to face the back of the couch to tune out her surroundings.
    Just as Priscilla had warned, Gage turned on the television. Cammie pretended to sleep and she waited for a sound that would tell her that he’d settled into a chair, but that sound never came. Instead, a heavy hand on her shoulder pushed her body away from the couch. She pretended to sleep and finally the hand let her go. The sound of his body in motion and then settling into the leather recliner brought her relief.
    Cammie was so exhausted that even with Gage in the room, she eventually dozed.
    Deep sleep was a luxury she hadn’t experienced since her mother’s death. Tonight would be no different.
    She woke up and glanced at her watch, realizing it was close to eight o’clock. She pushed herself up and looked around the room.
    Gage sat in the recliner, watching her. Her stomach dropped. It was an instinctive reaction that she had no control over. Her gut said he wasn’t someone to trust.
    “Mornin’.”
    His voice was deep and full of volume.
    “Good morning.” In comparison, her voice sounded weak. She cleared her throat, preparing to speak. “Thank you for—”
    “You slept here last night?”
    “Yes,