Total pages in book: 74
Estimated words: 73398 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 367(@200wpm)___ 294(@250wpm)___ 245(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 73398 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 367(@200wpm)___ 294(@250wpm)___ 245(@300wpm)
***
When I arrived back at the yard, I wasn’t surprised to see Janie, Cora, Kayla, and June still there. Even though it was closing time over a half hour ago.
I nodded at June as I walked in the door. “Thank you for staying.”
She winked. “I got to pull a carburetor off of a car. But, this one’s dad helped me do it.”
She pointed to Cora, who was smiling.
I felt my heart soften.
“You mean he took it off for you, and you got to watch?” I teased.
That’s what she always did with me.
I’d taught her a few easy things, but honestly, I’d never hired her to pull out the parts that customers wanted. Plus, she was better utilized on the other side of the business—taking inventory on impounded cars—where she wasn’t required to do things that might cause her to actually get hurt.
“Your dad was here?” I asked, looking at Cora.
She nodded. “He came by to let me know that they had your ex-wife in custody. Though, that was hours ago…I expected you back sooner.”
She flushed, and it made me feel good that she was worried about me.
“I went on a ride,” I admitted.
“I love rides!” she informed me. “And yeah, my dad does that, too, when he’s got things on his mind. I can see how you would need one after a day like today.”
I had. I’d needed it very badly.
I’d also been thinking non-stop about what could’ve happened had Beatrice hired someone smarter, and not just some random dumbass off a Craigslist ad. Then there was the fact that I had to tell Frankie that her mother was likely going to see the inside of a jail cell for a while.
Although, I was fairly certain Frankie would classify that as good news.
To have her mother not able to call her any time she felt like, it might be a dream come true for Frankie.
“Well,” Janie stood and brushed off some crumbs that had fallen into her lap from something she’d enjoyed at an earlier point in the day. “I gotta go. Rafe’s been with the baby for the entire day, and I’m sure that he’s ready to have her momma home.” She looked to me. “If I were to apologize for leaving a child with her father all day, and ignoring his pleas to come home, what would you buy or do for him that would help with his anger?”
My brows rose. “Do you want the PC—politically correct—answer or the real answer?”
Janie’s eyes sparkled. “What would you say if I said I wanted the PC answer?”
“I’d say that there was something wrong with you, and maybe we should call the cops because you’ve been either drugged or silenced by a threat of some kind. Then I’d tell you to maybe get some pizza and beer,” I teased.
She giggled and reached for her keys. “Now, tell me that non-PC answer, because we all know that I’m not a nice girl all the time.”
That was the truth.
“I’d tell you to text and make sure he has the baby happy, fed, and content enough to be left to play in her crib alone for about twenty minutes. Then I’d tell you to drop down to your knees the moment you walk through the door and give him a blow job.” I didn’t hesitate to tell her like it was.
There was one thing that I’d missed out on all of these years with Beatrice—and that was a blow job.
Beatrice, apparently, was too good to give those.
But, I’d heard that they were nice.
One day, maybe I’d trust a woman enough to get that, but for now…the only woman that I wouldn’t mind having that close to me didn’t need to be there.
Speaking of that woman.
“Are you ready to go?” Cora asked with a smile.
I nodded. “Yeah.”
***
It was an hour after she’d fallen asleep, exhausted and dead to the world, that my brothers finally cornered me.
I knew they’d find their chance.
Well—I knew that Ale would share the news that I’d found another woman with the rest of my brothers.
After our first talk about the kidnapping the morning that I’d opened my door to them, I knew that they wouldn’t be able to stay long.
Ale and Jim were headed back to their bases early in the morning, while Absinthe and Bellini were headed out tonight.
I’d intended to have at least a couple of hours with them before they headed out, but apparently that wasn’t going to happen—thanks to my ex-wife’s antics.
With three of four brothers still active duty army, I hadn’t expected to see them at all. Yet, as I opened my door, there they were. I hadn’t realized that I’d needed them as badly as I did.
They’d been there for a day, only able to stay for a short time, but knowing that they’d dropped everything to come had been enough to allow me to acquire a semblance of calm.