Total pages in book: 68
Estimated words: 67468 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 337(@200wpm)___ 270(@250wpm)___ 225(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 67468 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 337(@200wpm)___ 270(@250wpm)___ 225(@300wpm)
“I can do that,” Aodhan offered. “I’m in between jobs right now. I don’t mind cooling my jets at The Marina and fishing.”
“I can also switch out my piloting jobs to where I’m taking them out of the smaller marina for now,” I said. “I won’t be there a lot, but I can be there more than I have been.”
Enough to settle the raging need inside me to make sure that she was safe.
With Aodhan there for now, that would be enough.
And Aodhan was a big, smart motherfucker.
Coran, the creepy little bastard, wouldn’t be able to do that again to her.
“Y’all are all going on the fact that Coran did it,” Silvain said. “There’s no evidence or proof.”
“No,” Silvy said. “But you’ve never seen Coran while he’s working at the docks. He fits the description, and honestly, really is creepy when it comes to Alice. I’ve observed him watching her for an hour before. Like, literally never took his eyes off of her. If it’s not him, I would be one hundred percent surprised.”
“Fuck,” Silvain said, looking stricken at the thought he’d brought this upon his daughter himself. “I hired him because I thought he would be a good fit.”
Well, he fuckin’ wasn’t.
“Fire him,” Silvy suggested. “And you were trying to help her out. She’s not going to fault you for that.”
No, she wouldn’t.
“What about Jaycee?” I asked. “Would she be affected by this? Do you think Coran would go after her?”
Everyone froze, then Silvy was pulling out his phone.
He called who I assumed was Jaycee, who answered in two rings.
“I’ll have you know,” she said through the speaker of his phone. “That working at The Pizzeria sucks really bad. I broke a nail, the sauce is permanently staining my fingers, and Daddy won’t let me have my nails done because he says it’s ‘unsanitary.’”
Jaycee wasn’t a bad person.
She was just selfish and self-absorbed.
She really had no clue half the time.
“And,” Jaycee cried, “that weirdo Coran, who gets paid better than I do, has been here twice already looking for Alice. I told him multiple freakin’ times that she doesn’t work here anymore, because I do, yet he’s come and looked for her two more times since then. What, is he hard of hearing?”
All of us froze.
“I called the cops. Though only a constable showed up. But before they could do anything about it, Coran’s dad got there, told him to get his ‘stupid ass’ in the car, and then they were gone. I doubt he comes back today.” Jaycee sighed. “I really need a pedicure, too. Do you think Daddy will pay for that since I have to be on my feet all day?”
There was a charged moment of silence as everyone in the room took a deep breath and then released it.
Jaycee was a complete dumbass, but that didn’t mean that anyone wished her harm.
“I know this is a different concept for you,” Silvy said as he contained his emotions. “But work’s good for you, sister. One day, you’ll look back at all the hard work you’ve done, and realize that it was all for something.”
“Well, I doubt it. But I’m here, because I don’t want Daddy to stop paying for my allowance.” Jaycee sighed. “Bye.”
Then she hung up.
I could do nothing but shake my head.
A grown-ass woman with an allowance.
Jesus Christ.
After Silvy slid his phone into his pocket, Karen sidled up to him and bumped him in the side with her shoulder before saying, “I think that’s a pretty big red flag right there. Why would Coran be looking for Alice unless there was a reason?”
“Probably because he’s a fuckin’ psychopath,” Wake grumbled under his breath.
“Agreed,” I concurred. “But I’m telling you. It still makes zero sense. Like, he’s a kid. He’s worked at The Marina for all of three months. He’s had very little dealings with Alice. From what I understand, she goes out of her way not to encourage him. Why Alice?”
“Why indeed,” Sunny said as he twirled a pen between his fingers. “But I’ll make another visit out there. This one when I know that Oberon is in town while I do it. That way, maybe his son will slip up.”
“That kid doesn’t act like he’s in college, either,” I offered. “In fact, he acts like he’s more of a child than most children I’ve been around. Hell, Aodhan’s son is more mature than Coran.”
“Agreed,” Aodhan said. “And with Bowie’s buddies always hanging around lately, I’ve been around a lot of them. Coran strikes me as extremely sheltered and naïve.”
A shuffle at the door had me glancing behind me to see Alice there wearing nothing but a sweatshirt. My sweatshirt.
The one that Kobe had given her at the party a few weeks ago.
The one that I’d never gotten back, but secretly hoped that she wore every night to sleep in.