The Outliers (The Outskirts Duet #2)

I leaned against Finn and laughed as Miller went off and tangent after tangent. While he gave his lesson Josh, Critter, Wilfredo, and even my mother had arrived with coolers and other supplies in hand. When my mother grew tired Critter led her to the back room where he’d set up a cot for her to rest on.

“And the very last lesson plan I have for you today folks is…” Miller clicked the remote and a bird and a bee appeared on the screen. “The birds and the bees. Now when a man and woman love each other very much they,” he made a sign with his hands. His index finger poking in and out of a hole he created with his other hand. I laughed when I finally got what he was indicating. I laughed so hard my sides started to hurt. “They do that. And then, the man’s baby seed lassoes the woman’s baby egg-thing and BOOM. That’s how babies are made and if you’re really really lucky and you find the right person?” Miller grinned at Josh. “They’ll even make you a sandwich after.”

“Boooooo!” Josh and Wilfredo shouted, throwing candy wrappers at Miller who ducked and dodged the assault.

“Detention for you both!” Miller shouted.

Critter, who was seated at a table nearby was rolling his eyes but he was smiling. “Did you skip that day in school, son?”

Miller shrugged. “Actually, I received an attendance award in high school.”

“That wasn’t an attendance award,” Finn laughed. “That was a warning to your parents that if you skipped any more school you’d be expelled because you’d missed more classes than any other student.”

“And? What part of that doesn’t scream attendance award?” Miller grabbed a beer and Josh rolled her eyes.

“You just wait until your boobs are fat and your belly is all round with my baby.” He murmured pulling her in for a kiss.

“My luck I’d just be puking my guts out and feeling like shit for nine months,” Josh said, pushing him away.

“I bet you’d look hot doing all that puking.” Miller wagged his eyebrows.

“You’re gross,” Josh chided, but she didn’t push him away this time when he went in and kissed her on the tip of her nose.

“Speaking of feeling ill,” I said, holding my stomach as the smell of whatever candy Josh had just unwrapped was about to cause my lunch to come back up. I read that an occasional sickness was common but this was a lot more than occasional. It looked

“Are you okay?” Finn asked, growing concern written on his face. “This little one giving you a hard time?”

“I’m fine. Just a little he or she probably has really long legs like his father.”

“I wish I could knock someone up,” Wilfredo said on a sigh, leaning in so far into one of the coolers that his head disappeared.

“Uh, you can knock someone up. You’re a dude. Presumably a dude with a dick,” Miller argued

“Yeah, but unless gay sex suddenly requires the pill then it’s never gonna happen. At least not in the biblical sense. Because although these creatures are phenomenal and fierce and I want to be them.” He pointed to us, rolling his index finger in a small circle and grimacing. “What they got going on below the belt scares the ever-loving shit out of me.”

Miller stared at Josh and slowly nodded. “You and me both, man.” He shook his head. “You and me both.”

“Thank you for all of this,” I said, placing a kiss to Finn’s lips.

“Thank you,” Finn said. My heart fluttered.

“For what? I didn’t do anything.” I chuckled.

Finn placed his hand on my belly. “You’re doing everything.”

“What do you mean you only packed three cases of beer. It’s a hurricane! I don’t think I can ever forgive you!” Miller yelled at Wilfredo who remained calm produced a bottle of vodka from his backpack.

“Shots?” Wilfredo asked, shaking the bottle.

Miller snatched it from his hands. “Forgiven.”

“Don’t forget I owe you an ass kicking for knocking on my daughter,” Critter said, narrowing his eyes at Finn.

“Oh, I didn’t forget,” Finn said. “I’d expect nothing less.”

Critter nodded. “Good. We’re on the same page then.”

Sometimes, I didn’t know whether they were joking or not. But I thought it best to stay out of it, and let them do whatever it is they needed to do to prove how manly they are to one another.

“I’m going to go check on my mother,” I said. Finn helped me to a standing position.

“I think I might want to try my chances with the hurricane,” Josh muttered as I went by.

I slowly opened the door to the back storage area and went inside, shutting it behind me so that Miller’s loud voice wouldn’t wake my mother if she was sleeping. I tiptoed toward the cot only to find it empty.

I quickly scanned the rest of the room and I didn’t see her. Something felt off, like there was a shift in the air I couldn’t explain. It felt thicker. Heavier.

“Mother?” I looked into the dark corner where I was keeping some books that needed to be shipped off to have the spines repaired. I saw movement. “There you are,” I exhaled in relief. “You scared me. What are you doing back there? All the newer books are on the shelves in the main room. Anything in particular that you’re looking for?” I knelt to tie my shoelace which I’d just notice had come undone when I heard footsteps.

Heavy footsteps.

Not my mother’s footsteps.

“Yes. YOU,” answered a deep throaty male voice.

I froze for a moment then realized if I was going to escape this time I was going to have to act fast. I made a leap toward the door but I wasn’t quick enough. A large hand came around my chest and another covered my nose and mouth to muffle my scream before it even had a chance to leave my lips.

“Shhhh, I have your whore of a mother, and it’s up to you whether she remains alive or not.” Richard whispered bitterly into my ear. He smelled just as I remembered. Like whiskey and arrogance. “I locked all of the doors of this building from the outside. If you so much as try and draw attention to yourself, even one little squeak of a noise and I’ll set this entire place ablaze with every single of those heathens trapped inside.” He showed me a metal lighter, flicking it open and setting the flame to high so I could see he was serious about carrying through with his threat.

I felt helpless. Panicked.

My heart was beating rapidly and all I could think about was protecting Finn and my baby.

There was nothing I could do but comply. And as he dragged me out into the night I thought he tripped over something but I was wrong. He’d kicked over something. That something was a gas can.

With a flick of his wrist, he sent the lighter and the tiny flame cascading into the gas can causing it to immediately erupt in a fire ball which was anything but tiny.

I tried to get to them. To move my limbs but they wouldn’t cooperate. I was breathing erratically, taking in more and more of whatever he had pressed into his palm covering my nose and mouth.

I felt nauseated. The sound of Richard callous laugh surrounded me as he dragged me further and further away from the library. The storm hadn’t yet brought the rain but the wind spread the flames quickly and just as my vision started to blur I managed to make out the last sight I ever wanted to see.

The roof of the library caved in…and collapsed.





Chapter 24





Finn