Authors: John Avery
THREE DAYS to DIE (20 page)
When she turned back, Michael surprised her by gently brushing the hair back from her face with the backs of his fingertips. She hesitated – but she didn't resist. She hadn't really thought of him in that way before, but it felt natural and she liked it.
Michael helped her with her jacket then gazed deeply into her large eyes with a look that said,
I can only imagine what you've been through, Ashley ... and I'm very sorry
. She returned his gaze and smiled to herself, a soothing warmth swelling in her heart.
He took her hand, and then, delicately, in a voice as gentle as a kiss, he said, "Could I drive you somewhere?"
Her eyes remained locked on his, but her head turned ever so slightly downward and to the side. "Thank you, Michael," she replied, moistening her perfect lips and drawing them back into a provocative smile. "Anywhere ..."
Chapter 54
Not the Cats Again
"Shouldn't we be leaving or something?" Willy said, checking the street.
Michael started then remembered where he was. He held Ashley's hand a moment longer, smiling at her. "You're right, Willy," he said. "We should go."
He glanced at the two bikes on the sidewalk, then at his sports car. "Sorry guys," he said. "We'll have to leave the bikes."
Aaron and Willy looked at each other and frowned.
"But as soon as we get a chance ..." he said, pausing for effect, "... we're going shopping for new ones."
"Awesome!" the boys said together, exchanging a delighted look, their frowns flipped to grins.
Aaron turned and gave Willy a hug.
"What was that for?" Willy said, cocking his head.
"Oh, nothing ... I just felt it," Aaron replied. "Oh, and whenever you're ready to go get a burger, you let me know."
Willy grinned from ear to ear. His best friend was back.
---
Ashley put both arms around the boys and kissed them on the tops of their heads. "I'll be back in a second," she said.
She retrieved the gun from the Nova's glove box then kicked it under the curb and down the storm drain. Then she hopped back over with the others.
---
Michael touched the OPEN zone on his wristwatch and the DBS sizzled to life with an impressive show of British technology.
Willy grinned bigger than he had in years. He was proud of his homeland and wished he could hop in and drive the impressive machine. But, for him, just standing next to this incredible work of art was an experience to be cherished. "I
love
this car," he said, practically drooling down the door.
Michael helped Aaron slide into the shotgun seat, while Ashley and Willy happily squeezed into the back from the driver's side.
Aaron looked south, toward the waterfront. The distant horizon still glowed as the fires consuming the Alton Brothers Fish Cannery burned themselves out. He shuddered when for a moment the horrors of the last three days swept over him like the cold shadow of Death.
He thought of Needles and Beeks and smiled sadly. They had saved his life. And in their own unique ways, they, together with Willy, had unearthed in him an inner strength he might never have discovered on his own.
He turned and looked at his mother, then at Michael, and a deep feeling of contentment settled over him, a contentment he hadn't known for many years. Who could have imagined that three horrific days would become a miraculous new beginning.
---
Michael settled in behind the wheel and closed the door with a solid whump. He inserted the sapphire-crystal key and pressed the starter button.
"Hey, Mom ..." Aaron said, over his shoulder. "Did Michael tell you about the old lady he saw pushing a wheelbarrow full of cats down the street?"
"No ... I don't think so," she replied, amused by the question.
"Sounds like a good premise for your first novel," Michael said.
Aaron smiled at him thoughtfully then said to himself:
And so it shall be!
"Anyway," he continued, "they were all different colored house cats, and it was raining and they were all wet, and, and –"
"What a load of crap," Willy said.
"– and there was this one cat, and he was the biggest cat in the whole world ..."
Michael hit the throttle and everyone laughed along with Aaron as together they sped off into the night.
In the distance, sirens ...
------
About the Author
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John Avery
lives with his wife, Julie, and their horses, dogs, and chickens, on a small ranch in the mountains outside San Diego – where he is currently hard at work on the next Aaron Quinn adventure.
John thanks you for reading Three Days to Die, and he sincerely hopes you enjoyed it.
John loves to hear from his readers. If you’d like to contact him, you may drop him an email at:
[email protected]
You can also visit him online here:
@johnaverybooks
A Note to Readers
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The continued success of the Aaron Quinn Thriller Series depends upon you, dear reader. You alone determine Aaron’s future!
Did you enjoy THREE DAYS to DIE?
Would you like to see more stories featuring Aaron, Ashley, Michael, and Willy?
Do you look forward to seeing how Aaron will react to trouble as a full-grown man?
If so, please take a minute right now and leave a quick 5 star review on each of these Amazon websites. It’s easy! Really! Simply click on the links below, then look for the ‘Create your own review’ button and you are in!
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THREE DAYS to DIE is published by Apticon Books in ebook format, and (for those who prefer a more traditional reading experience), in beautiful, glossy trade paperback. If your friends don’t have ebook readers, they can download the free Kindle Reader from Amazon and read this, and countless other ebooks on their preferred device, such as the iPad and iPhone.
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