Spring Break Romance by Cassie Parker (bts book recommendations .txt) 📕

problem- my days and nights are pretty much the same. School, homework and studying, supper, free read, laptop, and then bed. He's seen most of that.
"Not much goes on during my day. I pretty much do the same thing day in and day out." I tell him the truth.
"Tell me about your parents then. You don't seem to open about that idea."
I am reluctant but I decide that it wouldn't hurt to give him my llife's story but first, "What did my brother tell you about our dad?"
"Uh, that he got into an accident. That's about all."
"That's not the entire story." I sit on my bed and he follows suit. " Well our family was pretty tight knit when my dad was alive. We would have family nights where cells and computers would be shut off. We'd watch family movies or play board games, sometimes card games. He taught me how to cook, fix cars, and play sports. My mom doesn't like doing any of that. Oh, and he taught me how to shoot a gun and throw knives which took a while. One day when he came home he wasn't in his happy mode."
Mathias interrupts. "Happy mode?"
"Even though we were older we'd yell 'daddy's home' and then we'd jump on him."
"OH."
"Anyway. When he came home he wasn't up for the happy go lucky kind of thing. He wanted to talk with mom. I eaves dropped on them and learned that dad had been gambeling and bet too much. There was no way that he could come up with the money. But if he didn't come up with the money they'd send someone to kill him. Mom told him not to worry but they both did. They had reason to be worried."
"What happened?"
"Do you want to hear the sob story or not?"
"Yes. " I give him a look that asked him if he was sure. He holds his hands up in defeat. "No more interruptions." I nod then go on.
"One day while I was home sick my dad heard a knock on the door. He checked the peep hole in the front door and ran to where I was. I was scared because I had heard what him and my mom were talking about. He told me to go hide in the closet under the dry cleaning. The dry cleaning was a huge pile so I would be concealed. Right after I was hidden the door was smashed open and the guy came in. He had a gun in his right hand and a knife in his left. He was left handed. I cold tell by how he held the weapons."
I pause to take a breath and Mathias doesn't interrupt like he promised. "He went at my dad who dodged the first few blows but when the knife sliced him across the chest in a slant wise direction he fell to his knees. The guy just kept slashing. He told my dad that he shouldn't gamble what he didn't have. This guy was about Mike's age except he seemed a little older. When he got tired of slashing and hearing my dad's gurgling noises he got annoyed. He asked my dad wasn't yelling or shrieking in pain. My dad spit blood on his shoes."
I close my eyes for a brief second remembering everything clear as day. "The man kicked him and I heard a crack. It was my dad's nose. I didn't move. I was so scared that I might be killed too. When my dad was on his knees and his back and his head were on the floor the man shot my dad in the head. I finally got up and he heard me. I grabbed a knife that had been in the closet and without thinking I threw it at the guy. It hit square in the stomach. He gave me a look of pure surprise and ran off."
I chance a look at Mathias who is staring at the T.V. I go on. "After that my mom became a workaholic and Mike took over in protecting me."
"Do you remember what he looked like." He looks like he's thinking hard.
"UM yeah. It's kind of hard to forget that kind of thing. UH... shaggy blonde hair with dark brown highlights. He was a little broader than you are in the shoulders and was tan. I don't know his eye color but by the footprints he left he wore a size twelve shoe." Then it hit me. "Oh My Freaking Cow!"
"What are you thinking?"
"Nothing." I jump in Mathias's lap and he falls back onto the pillows. He's lying down and I'm sitting on his stomach. My hands are around his neck and his around my waist. "It wasn't me thinking it. It was you." I kiss him square on the lips and he pulls me under him. I get out from under him and nearly fall off the bed. "You know I shouldn't be excited but I am."
"So I take it you think you know who killed your father?" He asked me seriously. My smile fades as I remember my dad's death when I was fifteen.
"I know who it is. It should have been obvious when he walked through my door. I probably didn't notice because his hair is lighter and so is his skin. And in the pull he has a scar on his stomach and the reason I didn't register all of this is because I didn't want to think about dad's death." Then it hits me. "How am I going to prove it?"
"I don't know Gloria. Did they have any evidence?"
"Yeah but they had no one to compare it to."
"Now they do. You just have to make a reasonable case. " He looked doubtful.
"I'm going to go talk to Mike." I walk downstairs and I hear Mike in the kitchen.
I walk into the kitchen to see Mark with a rope in his hand and Mike being strangled with that rope. I scream and I run towards Mike.
"Stop where you are or I will kill him."
"You already are." I try not to crack the words but he's my brother and I can't help it.
"No. I'm going to knock him out. NOW STAY PUT!" I stop where I am and I hear foot steps in the stairs. "TAKE A STEP BACK AND SIT DOWN ON THE FLOOR! KEEP AWAY FROM THE KNIVES!" I do as I am told and Mike falls to the ground knocked out. I try not to look at him because if I do I might start screaming. I hear the steps stop near the door and I'm glad. If Mathias was caught and hurt I'd lose it. "Now do not scream." I fight the urge to tell him that that is kind of hard because he's in my house and he's the one who killed my father.
He puts the rope around my neck and then everything goes blank. Before I pass out completely I hear footsteps and a grunt of pain.
Sixth Day of Spring Break

I still can't see anything but I can hear it. I hear Mathias whispering in my ear. "He doesn't know that I am here but he's looking. I have to get you out of here Gloria." He unties the blind fold that was covering my eyes and he cuts the ropes off of my hands and ankles. I don't talk because my throat hurts more than it ever has and it wouldn't do any goos. My wrists are bloody from the ropes but I don't feel the cuts or rope burns. I lean on Mathias and he leads me into the living room.
"I knew you'd save your little lover." Mark is standing in front of the door with the same knife that he used to kill my dad.
"Of course I would. I'm not a cold blooded murderer." He hadn't bothered to escape. With me leaning on him it wouldn't have done him any good. I stop leaning on him and fall into a heap on the floor. Mark laughs and Mathias tries to help me up. I push him away and I crawl to the kitchen. I lean against the cabinets below the sink and catch my breath. I slowly stand up and dots cover my eyes. I ignore them.
"Why are you doing this? You already killed my dad." Mike is no where to be seen. I don't know if that is a good or a bad thing.
"You saw me and you threw that damned knife at me. Now I have to finish you guys off then go get he fucking evidence; my blood and the knife I pulled out of my damned stomach."
I run to the counter and open the knife drawer. Mark laughs. "I moved the knives. Do you really think that I'd be that stupid?" Yes. I glare at him which makes him laugh even more. While he's laughing I open the secret department in the drawer and pull out my gun. Mathias walks over to me steadily and takes the gun from my death grip. He walks back over to his old spot in front of Mike.
"Drop all your weapons." Mark does it. He doesn't want to have another wound like the one from my knife, or so I think.
"Now raise your hands in the air." Something in my voice makes me imagine a cop and thinking about it...that might be his profession.
Mathias pulls out his phone. "I need back up at Case 72's house. We have out killer and he'll have some other charges brought forward." Yep, he's a cop. What else am I going to find out?

Two Hours Later

This cop guy has been asking me the same questions over and over again about Mark. "Yes I have seen him before. Yes I saw him kill my father and yes he choked me out." Mike was found under his bed knocked out though no one is sure how he got there since he was left in the kitchen by Mark. I think he woke up freaked and went to hide but was so freaked out he passed out. The cop seems satisfied and shakes my hand. I walk over to Mathias