Dance In The Rain

~43~ Hairbrush

Julianne's POV

They go into our room and I finally look back at Tate.

"Why are you so mad at me?"

He looks up from his phone and glares at me. "Shut up, Julianne."

"No, I'm serious. This didn't concern you at all, so why the hell are you mad? You literally snuck out a few weeks ago!"

"Because I just am! Leave me alone," he hisses as he goes back to his phone.

"No," I say so darkly that he looks back up at me. "You always do this. Especially back in Cali. You get pissed and shut down, and then I'm left wondering what the hell I did and it would destroy me. You're gonna tell me why the hell you're mad!"

He blows out a breath, and when the first sound of Kenna's spanking starts, he tilts his head in that direction. "Do you ever think about me? Ever?" He hisses

"What?"

"Did you ever stop to think what would happen to me and Holden if your lifeless body was on the ground for someone to find? Because Julianne, I've found two of them and they still haunt my dreams."

"I thought you couldn't see the second one."

"Doesn't mean I can't be affected by it. It doesn't mean as much when you don't know them. But we knew Chippy, Jules. Why the hell would you be so stupid?"

"So you're allowed to go walking on your own but I'm not?"

"I'm a dude!"

"Thanks, I got confused for a minute."

"I just mean..Every single murder has been a lady."

"...For now. That doesn't mean it will stay that way."

He looks at me for a long minute until a cry from Kenna drifts our direction.

"I really thought hearing her get her ass busted would bring me some satisfaction." Tate mutters

"It doesn't?"

"I don't like hearing girls cry, okay? I don't want to see them dead, hurt, or cry. Naked is the only way I wanna see them, and Kenna had better always stay fully clothed or Imma beg the killer to let me be the first dude victim."

"You're an idiot," I chuckle, and his face finally lightens.

"Can you just be a rule follower again? At least with that? It's scary as hell that he's still not found."

"At least he didn't murder anyone last night," I mutter, and Tate clears his throat.

"What?"

"He did....."

"Stop it," I gasp as there's a pause in the spanking.

Huh. That didn't last long, maybe he's going easy on us

He gets on Facebook and shows me the article.

"Dang!" I gasp as I read about a tourist being found in the woods by the festival.

"Yeah. I guess people are totally freaking out now and Dateline is getting involved. Holden might be able to meet Andrea Canning after all. I guess this has been the slowest season in like 60 years and the locals are worried about businesses staying open."

I start to say something when a weird sound fills the air, and we both stop and turn.

"What the hell is that?" Tate asks.

"I have no idea"

~*~

They all come out about ten minutes later and Kenna's tear-stained face goes into the corner immediately.