Dont Ask Why – Steph Nelson

Leslie asks, leaning to peek inside the house. I watch him—the way his eyes dart and how he seems to avoid eye contact—and I can’t help but wonder what his chart looks like. Immediately, I think of Scorpio. Scorpio gets a bad rap because of its shadow side—paranoia, jealousy, and manipulation—and they can be volatile, too.

But they’re also insanely intuitive, resilient, and magnetic. Scorpio has a way of dominating a chart whenever it’s present, even if it’s not a person’s sun sign. I adore Scorpios. They tend to know what they want and how to not give a fuck, and we can all use a little more of that in our lives. As for Leslie, I have this inkling he’s something else. “Still sleeping,” Rawson says, answering his question. Leslie squints like he’s trying to determine whether Rawson is lying. “Did your other friend turn up?”

My heart hammers. “No,” Rawson says. “She probably twisted an ankle or something and can’t find her way back. You know how women are.” Wait. Rawson is supposed to bring credibility to our concern, not play into what we believe Leslie already thinks: that we’re overreacting.

I stiffen. “Hm,” Leslie says, and shoves his hands into the pockets of his khaki cargo pants. It suddenly occurs to me that if he’s involved with Courtney’s disappearance, he would know we’re bluffing. “Sorry to hear that. I’ve been looking and haven’t found anything either. Maybe she took a kayak to the mainland,” Leslie says. There’s a glint in his eye like he’s holding back a smirk. He’s playing with us, and Rawson is fumbling this. My breathing has become shallow, so I take a deep inhale.

I have to make this better. When Rawson clears his throat like he’s about to speak, I jump in. “There’s still two kayaks on the shore, just like when we got here. So, no, she didn’t take a kayak.” He smiles, and it makes me feel like I have spiders skittering up my spine. It’s horribly insincere and slightly amused. “You’ve seen the whole island? And you know there are only two?” “Of course not,” Rawson says in a flustered tone.

“It’s just unlikely she went searching for a third kayak when there are two on the beach.” Courtney didn’t take a kayak. That’s totally beside the point, and we’re standing out here arguing about it while Paige and Reese are waiting for us to get Leslie inside. But how do we do that? I bite the inside of my cheek.

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. Any reference to historical events, real people, real places, or real companies are used fictitiously. Names, characters, and places are products of the author’s imagination. Published 2026 by Ticking Clock Press ISBN: 979-8-9896154-3-8 OceanofPDF.com For Heidi Hildebrand May your Leo fire always burn bright OceanofPDF.com Content advisory: This novel contains depictions of depression, anxiety and panic attacks, suicidal ideation, violence, kidnapping, terminal illness, drug use, and coarse language.

Please read with care. OceanofPDF.com Swim faster, I think. Just a little farther and you can hide in the mangroves. My lungs burn. I gasp for hot and sticky breaths, my heartbeat a steady count as I swim parallel to the beach. Stroke-stroke-breath. Stroke-stroke-breath. Thirty yards or so and I’m there. Thank god for the blanket of darkness the new moon provides.

I can’t see him, and I pray that means he can’t see me. I thought I’d be safe on this island. That he couldn’t find me. “He won’t stop until he’s behind bars.” My sister’s words float into my mind like an accusation. She said this only yesterday while we were tanning on the beach, but I didn’t believe her. I couldn’t help but feel a sense of safety here on the island.

Which is why I walked the beach solo with a margarita in hand late tonight, like countless nights prior. Why didn’t I pay attention to how far from the house I’d strayed? I’d wandered almost to the mangroves when I heard movement coming from the stand of palmettos behind me. He was fast, on me instantly. I scrabbled in my shorts pockets for the pepper spray I’ve started carrying all the time, and when I sprayed it into his eyes, he released his crushing grip on my arm.

I had a single moment to decide: sprint back along the beach toward the house, or swim the Gulf of Mexico. It’s two miles to the nearest shore. If I stayed on the beach, he’d catch me, but a two-mile swim was out of the question at night. A third option emerged: that secret spot in the mangroves. I glance back. Did he follow me into the water?

I don’t see him, but it’s dark, so I’m not sure. Don’t slow down. Don’t think about that. Just swim.

This is a short excerpt from the opening of “” by Unknown, quoted for review and introduction purposes. All rights belong to the copyright holders.

Book Information

• Unique ID: f29d83954bf279e9
• File Extension: .pdf
• File Size: 4,150,923 bytes (3.959 MB)
• Title: –
• Author: Unknown
• ISBN: 9798989615438
• Pages: 256
• Language: English (en)

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• Estimated Reading Time: 342.61 minutes
• Total Words: 68,522
• Total Characters: 364,341
• Average Words per Page: 267.66
• Average Characters per Page: 1423.21

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