Total pages in book: 114
Estimated words: 112736 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 564(@200wpm)___ 451(@250wpm)___ 376(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 112736 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 564(@200wpm)___ 451(@250wpm)___ 376(@300wpm)
“What the fuck, Coy!” Gremlin shouts at me as he stands up from the bench he’s been sitting on.
Thank fuck, he’s finally got clothes on.
“Figured if you were gonna be in a cell… I might as well keep ya company,” I say and shrug my shoulders.
Striding over to me, he looks at my swollen eye then starts prodding my busted lip.
Pushing his fingers away from me, I turn to the face the bars and look out them.
Fuck, this is a first for me, never been on this side of the bars. Guess I had to break my cherry sometime.
I’ve lost everything else in the world the that matters, why not my freedom too?
“Christ alive, Coy, they fucking tore into you. I’ll fuckin’ kill ‘em,” Gremlin snarls.
He must see what I suspect is blood on the back of my shirt. Fucking pig hit me on the back of my head before he threw me in the police car.
Waving my hand at him, I shake my head. “Don’t, brother. Just…”
Words aren’t my thing right now.
She’s gone and I’m fucking behind bars.
“Do you understand how this fucking looks, you dumb fuck?” Gremlin roars into my ear. “How this shit’s gonna look to your father?!”
Turning to face him now, I want to say something, but what can I say?
“Thanks for trying to get me in to see her,” I finally say before breathing out, “We were too fucking late. But thanks, man.”
He tried to get me in there. He honestly tried to help me see the girl I love.
But we were too fucking late.
“I know, man, but we got people who can track her down. We’ll figure this out. But you fuckin’ going to jail before you even get the patch… Fuck!” he shouts again at me and digs his fingers through his hair. “I was supposed to keep your ass in line.”
Looking at his face, I ask, “What the fuck do you mean track her down?! She’s in the fucking morgue man! She’s gone! It ain’t like we got bloodhounds who can track someone’s scent to heaven or somethin’!”
He stares back at me, wide-eyed. “What the fuck do you mean? Morgue?! Her parents had some fucking private contractors come move her to a private hospital. Paid a shit ton of money, too. I was talkin’ to the local PD about it on the way here.”
“She’s alive?” I ask, and my voice actually fucking squeaks.
“Yeah, what the fuck were you thinkin’?” he asks, and I can see he’s still real fucking pissed at me.
“Shit,” I sigh with a breath of relief, but my heart is still fucking broken from her being taken. “The nurse made it sound like she died.”
She’s alive, but where is she?
Chapter Four
Allie
Present
Somewhere in Florida
The headlights of Robert’s black Lincoln Continental cut through the darkness looming in front us, illuminating the thick trees and foliage hugging the road. Hands clenched in my lap, my eyes find the rearview mirror and I check for the thousandth time tonight to make sure we’re not being followed.
The one-lane road we’re on stretches and curves behind us, dark and empty. I can’t remember the last time I saw another car, but I can’t relax.
I keep expecting one to pop out at any second.
It feels like death himself is on our heels, and if he catches us…
We’ll be as dead as my parents.
“We’re almost there,” Robert says quietly beside me.
I nod my head, but keep my eyes glued to the mirror. Now that we’re close to our destination, I’m afraid that if I look away for even one second, my worst fear will come to life.
I have to remain strong and vigilant.
For myself, but most importantly for Levi.
Robert has taken so many backroads and done so many double-backs though, I don’t even know what road we’re on anymore, or where we are. Two hours have passed since we left Miami. I assume we’re headed north and not south, but with how cautious Robert is being, who knows.
Levi glances up from his iPad and catches my gaze in the mirror. Face lit up by the device clutched in his little hands, he gives me a smile. And like they always do when my son smiles at me, my lips stretch to smile back.
Immediately my face throbs and aches with pain, and holding the smile until Levi looks back down at his iPad is pure torture.
Once I’m sure he’s no longer focused on me, I let my face relax, but even that hurts.
My heart hurts even more though to see my little boy sitting quietly in the backseat. Levi hasn’t said a word since we left. He hasn’t complained, hasn’t asked what we’re doing or where we’re going. Hasn’t squirmed or asked if we’re there yet.
Hasn’t been acting like a normal four-year-old boy.
No, he’s just been staring down at his iPad, silent.