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)
She smiles at me. “Sit, have a coffee, it seems we have a great deal of catching up to do.”
I shrug, happy to oblige, and sit. We get chatting about our lives and how they’ve gone in the past five years. I tell her about a man I was seeing for three of those five years, but I broke up with him a couple of months ago. He didn’t take it well, but it was for the best, especially since I’ve got Rupert now. Nobody needs to be hung up on me while I’m dealing with that.
“So you’re single and ready to mingle?” she wiggles her brows. “You know there are a good deal of hot guys around this town. Especially in that club of Alarick’s ...”
I chuckle. “I don’t think so. Those men ... they’re like my brothers. Sort of. Uncles maybe?” I laugh. “I don’t know. I’m staying with Cohen at the moment. Until I can find Magnolia.”
“Ohhh, Cohen. Isn’t he lovely?”
“He’s not too bad.”
“You’re lucky. I’d love to just bathe right in the middle of all those boys.”
I laugh. “Well, they did pick the best-looking men I’m sure.”
“And their names?” she points out.
“Right?” I laugh. “What’s with their names.”
“It’s like they picked the gods from all over the world and brought them here to join the club. Mykel, Samson, Kendrick ... I mean come on. Can anyone get hotter names? Then you have Cohen and Alarick.”
“Well, they sure know how to set themselves up.”
“Anyway,” she says as she slaps a twenty on the table and stands. “Let’s go and see if we can find your sister.”
“Sounds good to me.”
We leave the café and Karen offers to drive to save me trying to follow her. I agree and we get in her car. It’s small and red, but it’s super clean and nice. Just like her, really. She’s such a nice girl. She was, even when I was younger and she would be over visiting Alarick. She’d always defend me to Sissy and she’d always come and talk to me or hang out with me.
We drive out of town and turn down a few streets until we arrive at a butcher. Karen parks and we both climb out. I scrunch my nose up as we walk toward the large building. I hate how these places smell. We walk into the large, well-laid-out show where two people are working behind the counter. Fresh trays of different meat are in display cabinets, and it’s a pretty nice shop. I make note to come back and buy some stuff for Cohen.
“How can we help?” a young man asks, smiling at us over the display cabinets.
“Actually, I’m looking for Magnolia,” I tell him. “I’m her sister and I’ve been unable to find her. I was hoping she would be here.”
He frowns. “Mag hasn’t been in for over a week. We’ve tried to call her, but she won’t answer. I went around to her place to check on her, but some guy answered and told me she doesn’t live there anymore. I’m not too sure where she is, sorry.”
Dammit.
I smile at him, and ask, “That’s okay. Do you happen to know the name of her boyfriend? I’m trying to find him in hopes of finding her.”
He ponders it for a moment, but the girl beside him jumps in and says, “Brock. His name is Brock.”
I look to her, and she stares at me, her eyes scanning over me. “You’re her sister?”
“Yes. Do you know where Brock lives or works?”
She shakes her head. “I don’t know.”
“Right, well, if she shows up here, I’d appreciate if you could give me a call.”
I borrow a pen and paper and write down my number, and then Karen and I leave.
“Well, that gets us no closer to her.” I sigh when we’re in the car.
“I’ll call my friend; we’ll see if we can find Brock. We’ll find her, don’t worry.”
I hope she’s right.
Because it’s starting to feel like something could be very very wrong.
I don’t like it.
At all.
6
THEN – BRIELLA
“Ew, why would you want to do that?” I ask Alarick, sitting on the end of his bed as he dresses for his eighteenth birthday party tonight.
He’s got some really pretty girls coming, and he told me he’ll be hooking up with at least two of them.
“Why wouldn’t I?” he asks. “I’m a man, and I like girls.”
“Can’t you just pick one? What about Karen? She’s so nice.”
“I like Karen, but she’s too nice. I need someone a little wild.”
I scrunch my nose up. “You hang around the club guys too much. You’re just like them.”
He laughs, buttoning up his shirt. “Well, it will be mine one day. I might as well start getting used to it.”
“You’re not going to hang around with all those girls that are always there, are you? They’re yucky and they are always with different men.”