Dead Running Read Online Free PDF Page B

around my bite.
    Tasha laughed and stared at me with wide, unblinking eyes. “This better?”
    “Yes.” I bent across the table, dousing my loose-fitting shirt with a salsa spill. “Dangit, Tash. This isn’t a joke. This marathon is going to be a good thing for me. I’m finally excited to do something with my life and you laugh, degrade me, act like it’s all for a man.” I leaned back in my seat to sulk, grabbed my cloth napkin, and rubbed at the spot on my chest.
    “Okay, you’ve found your destiny and it’s not for a man.” She broke a chip in half and popped it in her mouth. “Give me another good reason why you’d run a marathon?”
    I pushed my salad around with my fork. “I want to do something my parents could be proud of.”
    “Oh.” Tasha took a deep breath and fiddled with her own fork.
    I shifted in the hard wooden seat and looked around for the waitress, speeding my eyes past the spot where those gross men hovered. One of the men Tasha had been ogling at the next table snagged my eye and tried to hold it. I tossed him an embarrassed smile before turning back to my friend.
    “I’ve been working that angle for fifteen minutes,” Tasha said, shifting her eyes towards the men. “You and the dark one would make a perfect couple. You know, the kind of couples who look like brother and sister. Why’d you turn away?”
    My eyes flitted to the olive-skinned man. He was several notches above cute, but unlike Tasha, I didn’t need to drool over every man who glanced my direction. Damon and Dr. Tattoo were enough to think about right now. “I’m not picking up a guy at Sabor.”
    “Why not?” She turned and gave the man and his friend each an invitation with a glance.
    The waitress came with our bill, saving me from an answer. I threw some cash on the ticket and grabbed my purse.
    Tasha laid a hand on my arm, restraining me. “Cassie, are you okay, you know, after . . .”
    I stared at her. My rayon shirt felt like it was squeezing me. I pulled at my collar. “After what?” This morning’s grisly discovery was imprinted inside my eyelids. But how did she know? How did she always know?
    “Nana called me.” She carefully folded her napkin. “She wanted me to make sure you were okay,” She cleared her throat, still studying her napkin, “About the body.”
    I swallowed hard to keep my salad where it should be. Sweat rose on my back and neck. Would the image of that deformed corpse ever dim?
    “You should get some counseling,” Tasha said. “There’s this guy I used to date who specializes in trauma. He’s a fabulous psychiatrist.” She grinned. “But unfortunately for him, a lousy kisser.”
      “If you’ve already tried him out, I’d better not sign up for his services,” I managed to say in a semi-light tone. Clutching my purse, I stood and rushed for the door. I burst into the summer night air and ran into a solid wall of flesh.
    Large hands steadied me. “You okay, young lady?”
    I looked up at the Nasty Muscle Man who had been studying me at the restaurant and suddenly it clicked. He was the scary guy who I’d tripped on at the race this morning. My heart thumped faster. I jerked from his grip. “Yes, um, excuse me.”
    Tasha exited the restaurant, gave the hulking man an imperious glare, and grabbed my arm. “Come on, Cassie.” She marched me away. “Let’s get you home.”
    I shuddered and glanced over my shoulder. The large man hadn’t moved. He stared at me. He wasn’t smiling.

The Preparation
     

    I crept down the stairs, cringing at each and every step. There was no way to avoid the groans of this old house. Hopefully I hadn’t awakened Nana. She hated early mornings.
    Hurrying across the chipped linoleum with running shoes in hand, I touched the back door before I smelled her. Banana bread with a heavy shot of vanilla. I wondered how many loaves Nana must’ve baked in her life to actually smell like banana bread. Not that I’d complain. Love banana bread.