Musky stew grease still coated Rayanna's tongue. And her host's line of questioning didn't help the swill of bad tastes filling her mouth. She grimaced, unable to swallow away traces of bile. "Guilty of what?" She rose a few inches, but didn't make it to her feet. Reeve kicked the…
Greasy strings of flesh clung to the utensil as Rayanna rested it against the edge of the pie tin. She inched the pungent stew across her lap, toward her knees. Raising her chin, she inhaled welcome pine smoke odors. "What's the story about these wolvish creatures?" As she eased her shoulders…
The water dragged at Rayanna's clothing as she trudged across the stream's flow. A dripping cocoon of clingy hair and cloth, she emerged with soggy, weighted steps and slogged across the rocky bank. She tugged her blouse at various spots to peel it from her skin. Wrung from the fabric, mineral-scented…
Darkness swallowed her a few mere steps off the path's edge. Near blindness crippled her gait to a stumbling run through varied shades of black. Brambles clawed at Rayanna's face and sleeves as she plunged deeper into the forest's matted hide. She raised her linked forearms to shield her face. Straining…
Earthy odors clung to the damp forest air. In the darkness, even the smell of decayed wood reeked of sinister motives. Moss carpeted most of her winding path and devoured saplings at its edges. Hints of musk wafted along with the irony scent of blood to assault her senses, and Rayanna…
Throbs pounded Rayanna's temples, confirming pain as the rudest awakening. She blinked away sticky drizzle, which flowed up her cheeks--the wrong direction. Pressure dug into her hips and shoulder. Her aching arms hung past her ears. Her wrists clinked as she drew them closer. With a brush of her hair against…
Rayanna's joints ached as she slid into the back seat of the patrol car. She opened her mouth to protest, but had nothing to say in her defense. How could I forget whether or not I had killed someone? After shutting her inside, the officer fetched gloves from the front cab. He…
The officer's flashlight beam stung into Rayanna's eyes. She squinted and shielded her eyes with her forearm until he turned it to highlight the blood-tinged hole in the windshield. "Know where you were headed?" He swept the beam over the SUV. "No, sir. I don't remember." She gazed into the thick…
Fierce throbs coursed through Rayana's forehead as she pried her cheek from the dashboard. Thin, warm trickles wove through her brows and oozed along her nose. She patted the vinyl dash to find a glass-free spot and pushed herself away from the smashed windshield. Back and limb muscles burned in protest. Her bruised…
“'Am I only a God nearby,' declares the Lord, 'and not a God far away? Who can hide in secret places so that I cannot see them?'” - Jeremiah 23:23-24 Padlocked journals. Receipts tucked into a sock drawer. Deleted files. Disguised flasks. Shredded evidence. What happens in Sin City . .…