Total pages in book: 77
Estimated words: 75062 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 375(@200wpm)___ 300(@250wpm)___ 250(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75062 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 375(@200wpm)___ 300(@250wpm)___ 250(@300wpm)
I headed back to the hotel to share the food with August, finding myself a little irritated that it was all pretty damn good, then looking into the owners of the coffee place to see if they were related to Colin in any way.
“Seems like one of those raging feminist witch chicks,” August said, looking over my shoulder.
He wasn’t wrong.
The coffee shop seemed even more out of place than Rizzo’s for the neighborhood it was in.
Everything was bright and clean inside with gemstones on chains on the window, creating little rainbows inside. The tables were covered in artwork. The coffee selection seemed vast, as were the different milk and sweetener selections.
In the picture of the owner, she was wearing a shirt with a snake in the shape of a uterus with the words Don’t tread on me beneath.
So, yeah, he wasn’t wrong.
But that also meant it was very unlikely she had anything to do with someone like Colin.
“You want me to drop in, don’t you?” August asked.
“I can’t be in the neighborhood again so soon.”
“What do you want me to do?”
“Get a feel for the owner. I just want to make sure she isn’t in Colin’s pocket. You need to dress down, though. I stuck out like a sore thumb today.”
With that, we went our separate ways. Him, to the coffee shop. Me, to update Nino and Luca on the development.
I changed out of my suit, feeling almost uncomfortable in plain jeans and a tee as I drove back toward the neighborhood to meet up with August after buying a toss phone.
“So, what’s the verdict?” I asked as August slid into the passenger seat of my car.
To that, his eyes cut in my direction, looking both exhausted and frustrated.
I couldn’t help the chuckle that moved through me at that. “That good, huh?”
“She’s a pill,” he said, slamming his head back on the rest. “A horse pill, in fact,” he declared.
“Did you get anything out of her?”
“Oh, her political and ideological stances on every hot-button issue facing modern society,” August said.
“About Colin,” I clarified, though a part of me would have paid to see August have a strong, independent woman put him in his place.
“Oh, well, on that she was clear as fucking day. She hates him and everything he stands for. She even hates his family on principle. Including his mother. Who she called the Neighborhood Karen on Steroids. Apparently, she slips notes under the doors of all the shops with lists of things she wants them to fix or take down.”
“You’re shitting me. Does Rizzo own the buildings?”
“That’s the thing, no. She’s just an asshole. Took issue with Traveler’s pride sticker in the window.”
“Traveler,” I snorted, shaking my head.
“I can’t judge,” August said, shrugging. “I’m named after a month of the year.”
“You’re named after a saint,” I reminded him.
“No one else who first meets me makes that connection. Anyway, yeah, she hates the whole crew and seems to actively work to piss them off.”
“That’s dangerous.”
“You’d think so,” August said, nodding.
“But no?”
“Nah. Her old man is the police chief. Corrupt, sure, but daddy loves his little girl, and wouldn’t let any of the crews touch her. So she gets to start shit with them, and they can’t do dick about it.”
“Sounds like a good ally to have.”
“Yeah, if you can stand talking to her.”
“Sounds like you’re smitten,” I teased.
“Not a fucking chance,” he said.
“Do you think she even lets Colin’s people in?” I asked, wondering how alone Cammie might be when she took her break.
“Not if she knows its them. She kicked out one of them when I was there.”
So, I might be able to get a few moments alone with her. Maybe not that day, but eventually.
Did I need to drag this out any longer? Probably not. But I wanted to be on the same page with Cammie. This was her idea, after all.
“Alright. Thanks,” I said, reaching into the backseat to grab the bag with the phone in it, working on setting it up.
“Need anything else from me today?”
“Not that I can think of. Why?”
“I’m gonna head back home for the night.”
“Alright. I will call you if anything pops up.”
“Sounds good. Fair warning, don’t ask Traveler why she named one of the cookies the Queen Mother.”
With that, he was gone, leaving me to finish my task, then head into the coffee shop ahead of Cammie, not wanting it to look like I was following her.
The inside was exactly how it looked from its social media presence, but the owner itself was even prettier than her pictures.
Green-haired, almost black-eyed, with a nose piercing, dramatic makeup, and a killer body.
She might not have been August’s usual type, but I would bet good money that after arguing with her for a few minutes, he was ready to bend her over the counter and have a mutually satisfying hate-fuck.