Total pages in book: 72
Estimated words: 73043 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 365(@200wpm)___ 292(@250wpm)___ 243(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 73043 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 365(@200wpm)___ 292(@250wpm)___ 243(@300wpm)
“Oh, no thank you. I want to know why he’d do this to me,” she sneered.
I rolled my eyes and leaned one hip against the couch. “Then, by all means, make yourself at home.”
Elspeth did, but the moment her foot edged in the couch’s direction, my dogs started their low, menacing growl again.
My lips twitched.
Then the door opened behind Elspeth moments later, and Rafe’s large frame filled the door.
Oh, and he didn’t look happy.
Not. At. All.
He glared at Elspeth. “I said everything I was willing to say to you at the hotel. You have absolutely no reason to be here.”
Elspeth’s lips parted to say something, but Rafe cut her off. “Get. Out.”
Elspeth uncrossed her hands and put them on her hips. “I don’t think so. You owe me.”
“I don’t owe you a goddamn thing,” he replied. “You owe me an apology, and you also owe Janie one.”
Elspeth’s lips twitched as if in amusement. “I saved your life.”
“You didn’t save a goddamn thing,” he replied.
“Oh, well then, I guess I’ll just take that order back then,” Elspeth hissed.
“What order?”
That came from not Rafe, but from the even larger man behind him.
The man was huge.
I’d seen him before, of course.
His name was Parker. He’d said about eight words to me at most, and he made me supremely uncomfortable mostly because he was so intense.
Anything he said or did, I felt like I was being dissected and studied.
Like he was taking in everything and deeming me as unworthy.
Elspeth grabbed for her purse.
She walked out, and neither man said a word.
She got to her car, which was parked where Rafe usually parked his bike—in the fucking grass right up next to the house—and turned. “You’ll regret this.”
Rafe snorted. “Oh, I already do.”
At Rafe’s darkly murmured words, Elspeth got into the car.
But there was something in her eyes that made me feel like this was going to get really, really ugly.
Parker agreed with me.
I couldn’t figure out whether that was a good thing or not.
Chapter 19
The day a man makes me happier than chips and queso is the day I’ll get married.
-Janie, Age 11
Rafe
“Uhhhh,” Janie’s hesitant voice said into my ear. “Could you do us a favor?”
I looked at my watch. I had exactly an hour and a half before I needed to meet my sister for lunch. “It depends on whether it’ll take less than an hour.”
“It should,” came her instant reply. “It’s pretty easy.”
“Hit me,” I said, my eyes scanning what was flowing over my computer screen.
I was looking over communications between Layton and one of his associates. They were talking in code, but eventually, I’d be able to break whatever it was they were discussing. Then I’d take them down.
“My dad needs a ride from the hospital. Shiloh and I are in sort of a situation,” she said.
My heart started to race. “What kind of situation is it that it would keep both of you from picking your father up?”
“The kind where we’re currently ankle deep in spa waters,” she hesitated. “And my dad asked us to ask you. Apparently, you don’t treat him like an invalid.”
The doctors had decided to go ahead and remove James’ gallbladder. It was discovered that he had hundreds of gallstones, and it was a miracle he hadn’t had an attack before then.
“I guess I can. If he takes too long to get in my truck, I’ll force him to go to lunch with me.” I chuckled.
Janie snickered. “Your sister will be fine with that. She feels bad.”
“How do you know that?” I questioned.
I knew she and Raven had been in close contact since we’d made this official—Janie and I. Raven wanted to make a good impression at first, and now I think it was that Raven genuinely cared about Janie.
Though, neither one had actually told me that they were talking to each other. I was just observant.
“Uhhh,” Janie hesitated. “I gotta go. My dad needs to be picked up at one.”
I shook my head in laughter. Janie was trying to mend bridges. Raven was trying to work through her inner demons. Though, she still blamed me for leaving her. And probably always would.
And, since I still felt bad about not being able to fight for her, I took her shit and hung on.
Because, despite my angry words when I found out Raven didn’t tell me about Janie, I loved my sister. I loved her despite how she’d treated me for the last ten years.
Forty-five minutes later I was pulling into a spot that was as close as I could get to the hospital doors.
He wouldn’t appreciate me pulling around, but I could finagle a closer parking spot without it looking like I was catering to his weakness.
Minutes later I walked into his hospital room and nearly laughed.
“Don’t just stand there and watch me, fucker. Come and help me,” James ordered.