The word ‘tree’ appears 5 times in this book. Three times in the second paragraph I’m sharing today. Twice in one sentence… I feel an edit coming on.
From Inside the Grey House:
As she walked, Natalia let her pace slow; let her expression melt from one of hurried worry to that of pleasantly calm. She let a smile shape her lips and let her steps take her two blocks to the new bar. In the dark, the neon sign on the front showed the odd name of Liquid Green. Natalia walked past the bar, listened to the loud sounds as they seeped out the door and continued down the street. She couldn’t go in. Kim would know her immediately and wouldn’t pick a victim. Natalia looked at her watch. It was too early for anyone to be drunk enough to be a target. She walked back to the park and slipped into the bushes unnoticed. She was wearing dark jeans and a black shirt. Her clothing would be good enough to hide her in the darkness.
Once she was well enough in the bushes that no casual observer would notice her, she climbed a tree and settled into its branches to watch the bar. She was almost right across the street and could see the people coming and going. She could also look around well enough to spot any hiding spaces. There were none except for the trees and no one else was in the trees. Finding a comfortable spot, Natalia took one last look at her watch. It was close to midnight. She would probably have to wait an hour before Kim made an appearance.
Cat Stark 