Read Talking Dirty for Free Online

my voice doesn’t reflect it. Link picks up on it immediately.
    “Everything okay?”
    That. That right there. The concerned look in his eyes. I hate it. I despise it. I loathe it with everything inside of me.
    “No,” I utter. “Nothing’s okay.” I shake my head slowly as I try to gather my thoughts. “I hate living like this.”
    “Like what?” He moves closer. I back away. He pauses, his head cocked to the side, confused.
    “I’m scared. All the time. I don’t want to be like this. I want to do it.”
    “Do what?” he asks. “I’m not following.”
    Of course he’s not. How can he fo llow when I don’t understand myself? Emotions are evil bastards. They twist you up, confuse you, knock you down, lift you high, and then drop you on your ass.
    “Does you r offer still stand?” I whisper.
    His brows draw toget her as he attempts to understand my erratic thoughts.
    I lick my lips, trying to find the words. My hands fist at my sides.
    “I want to do it. It’s the only way I’ll ever be free. I want to kill Garrett.”
    Link stares at me as my words finally make sense. He closes his eyes and shakes his head almost as if it pains him.
    “Rocky,” he rasps, his eyes still shut tightly as if he can’t bear to look at me. “You just had the class. It probably brought up some buried feelings—”
    “Are you saying no?”
    He looks at me now, scrutinizing every feature on my face. His eyes are the only part of his body that’s moving. He’s completely immobile. I don’t think he’s even breathing.
    “Are you saying no?” I repeat, my voice cracking.
    “I think you need to think about this.”
    I laugh bitterly. “I can’t believe this. You were the one that came to me. You offered. Now you stand here acting like I’m being unreasonable.”
    He rubs at his forehead forcefully. “It’s a life,” he states, his voice gentle and calm. It makes me irrationally angry. “I don’t think it will hurt to think about it with a clear head.”
    “Why would you do that?” I murmur. “Why would you offer to help me and then turn me down when I accept?”
    “I didn’t know what I was offering before. I didn’t know the weight of taking a life. I didn’t comprehend how hard it would be to live with.”
    I shake my head in frustration. This is the only way I’ll ever find freedom. I feel like I’m coming to terms with it. He can’t make me feel like this. He can’t take it away. “But what? You know now?”
    He doesn’t answer and my stomach churns.
    Oh, my God .
    “Do you know now, Link?” I swallow tightly. How should I feel right now? What is an appropriate reaction? Should I be scared? Sickened? Because all I can muster is envy.
    “Tell me,” I breathe.
    He nods, one short jerk of his head. “I murdered one of the men that killed Livie.”

 
    Eleven
    Link
     
    I said it. I never thought I’d actually say it aloud. But I told her.
    I can lie and pretend I did it to warn her. To save her from the burden killing a man brings. I could come up with a hundred different reasons. Excuses.
    But I can’t lie to myself.
    I wanted her to know. I wanted to share it with her.
    And then I couldn’t get away from her fast enough. I drove her home and tore out of there as soon as she stepped inside her door.
    Now I’m white-knuckling my steering wheel as I contemplate what I’m going to do about Morrison. This is my third trip to his house. But this time, I get out of the car under the cover of darkness.
    I can’t keep putting off the inevitable.
    I round the garage in search of a window and peer inside. The space is empty. It doesn’t tell me much other than nobody else is here. At least right now.
    I continue around the back of the house, looking for any opening in the blinds. At the third window, I come to a dead stop. Morrison is sitting at a desk, staring at a computer screen. His cat sits perched on the edge of the desk. It looks right at me, tail twitching from side to side.
    I step