Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 77992 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 390(@200wpm)___ 312(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77992 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 390(@200wpm)___ 312(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
“Jordy…”
“I just,” he grits out, rubbing his palms over his buzzed head. “I get so fucking angry sometimes.” He drags his hands over his face, his fingers spread wide, and peeks his dark eyes at me, before letting his hands fall at his side. “You’re family. He’s a threat to my family.”
“Hollis isn’t a threat,” I tell him. “Sure, he’s stirring shit up when it comes to me and Roux, but it’s not like that. He doesn’t intentionally mean to harm us.” I take a step closer to him and grip his shoulder. “He’s just the tip of the iceberg. What’s going on?”
He cracks his neck and walks away from me to continue his pacing. “Just some shit with Juno.”
His brother Juno who owns the garage can be a mega dick. At one time, he used to whip up on Jordy. Then, Jordy bulked up so he could return the ass kicking. Ever since, Juno has left him alone. They get along enough for Jordy to work there with him. Their parents are older and oblivious to their sons’ troubles. His mom doesn’t speak English and thinks her boys do no wrong. Their father is a workaholic who works long hours at the tire factory.
“Is he being an asshole again?”
“Juno’s always being an asshole. This is…” He lets out a heavy sigh. “He’s mixed up with some people.”
“What kind of people?”
“Fucking gangstas.”
“Juno? Since when?”
“Since he’s been struggling at the shop. Did some jobs for a guy named Renaldo. Mostly just chopping some stolen cars.”
I frown, rubbing the tension from the back of my neck. “You can’t get involved in that shit, man.”
He scowls at me. “I already am, Roan. I’ve been helping him because what choice do I have? But it’s never ending. Renaldo pays him good for this crap, so the jobs keep coming. But so do his asshole friends.”
“Are they giving you trouble?”
“Nothing I can’t handle.”
“Do we need to kick anyone’s asses?”
Jordy snorts. “And risk you losing Roux? Fuck no, man. Why do you think I’ve left you out of it? You have enough to deal with just trying to keep food in her mouth. And now with you two staying here, it’s too much. I’m not getting you involved.”
“I can help,” I mutter, though we both know I can’t.
“I don’t want you to.” He levels me with a firm glare. “You take care of Roux. She’s the most important thing to me. To us. I’d do whatever the fuck I had to in order to make sure she’s far away from this crap. She needs you. I’ve got this.”
But he doesn’t.
He’s barely hanging on by a thread here.
“What if you just quit working there?” I ask. “Maybe we could find a job together someplace else. The tire factory with your dad maybe? I need to figure out a way to pay Mike back for all this.”
Jordy’s anger melts away and he just stares at me. Like a father would his son who doesn’t understand the complicated ways of the world. “I can’t untangle myself. But you haven’t been to the shop in ages. Just stay away, okay? Keep doing what you have to do for Roux.”
“I don’t like this,” I growl, irritated that he’s going to take on this burden himself. “It’s fucked up.” It’s driving him to places I never thought Jordy was capable of. Like pushing some kid into a frozen river, hoping he would die.
A shiver runs down my spine as I remember how fucking cold that river was.
“I don’t like it either,” Jordy mumbles. “But I’ll figure it out. It’s what we do. We’re Hoodlums. We don’t let life fuck us. We get on our feet and fuck life.”
I pull him to me and hug him. “Don’t push me away. If you need help, you know where to find me. I have Mike and the station. He has connections. If we need to get the police—”
“Don’t. Don’t ever say that.” His voice is fierce and hard. “They’ll fucking kill you. Just don’t.”
And as much as I hate to, I know I’ll never mention it again.
“I can’t keep Roux safe if I’m worrying about you,” I tell him. “Take care of yourself. We need you.”
“Like I said,” he growls. “I’ve got this. Now let’s go pick up Little Hoodlum and grab lunch. I’m fucking starving.”
Conversation officially over.
But no matter what he says, I know he doesn’t have it. He’s barely holding it together. Just another goddamn thing to stress out over.
“Who the hell is Kayden?” I demand, tossing my sister’s notebook onto her bed.
She pushes her glasses up her nose and rolls her eyes. “A boy.”
“No boys. Ever.”
“Why not?” she demands, her brows furling angrily.
“I don’t know. Because you’re thirteen.”
“Almost fourteen.”
“Big fucking whoop. Fourteen is still too young for boys.”
“You’re not my dad.” She grabs her notebook and shoves it into her backpack, tears welling in her honey-brown eyes that match mine.