Chapter 22 Teasers

Here's a couple of teasers for Chapter 22. The chapter is with the beta team now, and I'll post on either Monday or Tuesday. Chapter 23 may be delayed slightly as I work on pulling all the pieces together. Without further ado...

















Breathing a sigh of relief, I sped away.

The road was wide open, and the patrol cars I had been chasing were nowhere to be found. Dejected, I drove on. I felt so exhausted and emotionally numb. It wasn’t because I didn’t care. Hell, I was so keyed up over everything that had happened with Bella, that I just couldn’t process anything else. With every day that had passed, I had run through the circuit of emotions – anger, fear, indifference, sadness, and guilt. The guilt alone was threatening to bring me down.

I felt guilty for yelling at her, for saying all those horrible things to her that night. I felt guilty for not giving her the benefit of the doubt and a chance to explain. I felt guilty for telling her it was over. But most of all, I felt guilty for not telling her everything Charlie had told me. She had a right to know, and I felt sick at the realization that I had withheld it from her.

Completely lost in my own head, I didn’t realize I had gotten so close to the national park. I looked to my left and saw nothing but trees. The forest was thick with underbrush and evergreen branches low, brushing the forest floor. I pulled off the side of the road and let the car idle.