Total pages in book: 73
Estimated words: 70940 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 355(@200wpm)___ 284(@250wpm)___ 236(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 70940 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 355(@200wpm)___ 284(@250wpm)___ 236(@300wpm)
He has his back to me walking away, but he pauses and looks over his shoulder at the sound of his name.
“Thanks,” I say, softly.
He nods. “Anytime.”
Somehow, I know he means it.
Anytime.
He’ll be there for me.
Anytime.
I just know it.
5
NOW - BRIELLA
“You haven’t seen her for a few weeks?” I ask Cohen, sitting on his sofa drinking a cup of tea.
I’d love a beer, but my doc said no alcohol. Nothing that can trigger anything.
So tea it is.
Boring much?
“No,” Cohen says, leaning back in the chair and taking a sip of his very nice, very cold beer. “Last time I saw her was at the bar in town. I was tryin’ to talk to her, but she was all over the place. Spacey. Avoidant. Know she was livin’ with a few people in that apartment you were at, but I don’t know if she’s still there. She was hangin’ around with some shady people. People who have been somewhat of a problem for us.”
I exhale. “I wish I knew all of this.”
“To be fair,” he points out, “nobody even knew where you were except Magnolia. Not like we could warn you.”
“Yeah, I know. I’m not blaming you, or anyone else. I just want to sort her out so I can ...”
“Can what? Go back home and leave without contact like before?”
I look to him, and I know my eyes soften when I carefully say his name.
“Don’t, you don’t have to explain yourself to me. Don’t know what went down between you and Flick, but I know it left him fucked.”
Flick.
I feel a tug at my heartstrings. When I was younger, I decided I didn’t like Alarick. It was too much of a mouthful, so I started calling him Flick. It stuck, and everyone knew him as that. I just didn’t know he still kept it. I always figured once I left, and after everything that went down between us, the last thing he’d want was to be called Flick.
A name the girl who left and broke everything gave him.
“I never meant to hurt him, but things were out of control and Mom died, and I just couldn’t cope. He and I, we were in a bad place and it was making everything so much harder.”
“Fair enough, but you could’ve at least left him a number to call you on. Not just disappeared without a trace.”
“Did he ever look for me, Cohen? Because I’m fairly certain he didn’t. I’m certain that he let me disappear without a trace,” I whisper, my voice hurt. “I wasn’t the only one let down.”
Cohen nods. “Look, it’s none of my business. I’ll help you with Magnolia, but when it comes to Flick, I’ll be stayin’ out of it.”
“I respect that,” I say, giving him a weak smile. “So, you said Magnolia was running with some shady people. How shady are we talking here?”
“They’ve been a problem in this town for a while now, and we’ve been doin’ our best to sort it out, but Magnolia and her friends have been spending a good deal of time with them. I am certain Magnolia was chasin’ after the top dog there for a while, I don’t know, but she is definitely hanging with the wrong crowd.”
I exhale. “Then the sooner I find her and get her out of it, the better. I haven’t heard from her, though, and I’ve been unable to get through to her. I don’t know where to find her, or even to start looking.”
“We’ll start at that house, go from there. Someone will know where she is. She’s probably just hangin’ out somewhere, we just have to find out where.”
I nod, glancing down at my tea. “Well, thanks for helping me out, I appreciate it.”
I look back up at him and just as I do, the front door opens and Alarick walks through. His stride is determined and a little angry. He barges in like he owns the place, but the moment he sees me, he comes to a complete halt and his anger turns to outright rage. “What the fuck?”
Cohen is already standing. “Calm down, Flick. She had nowhere else to stay.”
“She shouldn’t fuckin’ be here.”
“It’s my place, my call,” Cohen throws back at him, his voice stern. “You got an issue with her, I don’t.”
Alarick’s face tightens and his eyes slowly move toward me. I hold his gaze, glaring at him because damn him. Damn him for acting like I wasn’t here when I went into his studio today and damn him for acting now like I don’t exist at all. I don’t deserve to be treated like this. If he has a problem with me, then he needs to say it, otherwise he needs to stay the hell away from me. It’s a fairly simple choice.
I have enough to worry about.
“Oh, you’re going to look at me now?” I mutter, crossing my arms.