Zari Davis flees Dallas after witnessing her fiancee cheating, with no clear plan on where she's going. After flipping her Volkswagon Beetle, she wakes up convinced that the cute guy that's been reading raunchy novels aloud while she slept is actual...
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P L A Y L I S T
Good Things Fall Apart - Jon Bellion
The next morning when Zari woke, she was alone in bed but heard Gabriel in the kitchen. Which meant, it had to be early. Glancing at the clock, she gasped. Five a.m. He'd be leaving soon. She jumped to her feet, ran to the bathroom to take care of business, then grabbed her cell phone from the bedside table. On his pillow lay a note. She picked it up, read, and laughed.
You're my favorite thing to do.
As she scurried down the hall, the back door opened, and Gabriel yelled.
"Rebel! What are you doing, boy?"
She rounded the corner to find Gabriel standing in the open doorway gazing into the backyard.
"What's going on?"
"Oh, hey. Sorry if I woke you. Hand me that flashlight."
She took it to him. "I woke on my own. What's wrong?"
Gabriel aimed the beam toward the tree. "I don't know. Rebel's digging. I better see what it is."
Before she could say anything, he was out the door. She peered into the darkness. Oh, God. Rebel was digging in the fish cemetery! "It's probably nothing! Just leave him alone. Come back in the house. It's almost time for you to leave for work. I'll take care of the hole later."
Gabriel didn't answer. Just squatted next to the dog and poked around in the dirt for a second. Then he rose to his full height and studied whatever he'd picked up.
Zari's heart sank. She'd been stupid to think she'd get away with murder. No one ever did. Sooner or later they got caught. Every time. Someone blabbed. A video came to light. Or the family dog dug up the body.
She backed away from the door and leaned on the counter for support.
Gabriel came inside and dangled the baggie in midair. "Look at this. Have any idea what it is?"
Was he baiting her? Trying to get a confession?
His voice startled her. "Whatever it was, it's mush now. But, it's in a baggie, so it has to be something. But how did it get under the tree? Buried."
She tried to speak, but her mouth had gone dry.
"Zari? Got any ideas?"
She slumped down onto a stool, crossed her hands over her chest, and began to rant. "I did it. I killed him. I didn't mean to. It was an accident. I swear it was."
She waved her hand in the air. "Thomas assured me this happened all the time. He said just replace it, and everything would be fine. I mean it wasn't like I killed Rebel. He'd be impossible to replace. I mean, you have a bond with him. I have a bond. He's a real pet. I know you shouldn't forgive me, but I really need you to. I'm glad you know the truth. The guilt has been a real burden."
