Total pages in book: 50
Estimated words: 45548 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 228(@200wpm)___ 182(@250wpm)___ 152(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 45548 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 228(@200wpm)___ 182(@250wpm)___ 152(@300wpm)
“Hi, I’m your new neighbor. Just thought I’d come over and introduce myself.” His face broke into a smile as he held out his hand. “Welcome to the neighborhood, come on in. We were just about to sit down to dinner but I’m sure my lady made more than enough to share.”
This was too fucking easy. Where the fuck does this guy think he is? For sure we were in the middle of bumfuck nowhere, but still. Didn’t he own a television set? You’d think with that welcome I’d take pity on him and put the brakes on. He seemed so damn nice. Not a chance.
“The name’s Todd, Todd Rogers.” I took a risk putting my name out there to him like that, but there was no recognition in his tone when he answered.
“Bryan Gopher.” You have got to be fucking kidding me. I’d never got the last name before and now I know why. I followed him into the kitchen where she damn near had a heart attack when she turned from the stove and saw me trailing him.
“Honey, this is our new neighbor, Todd. Todd this is my fiancée Mallory.” Her eyes spoke volumes. I could fuck her shit up right here and now but where was the fun in that? I lifted my hand and took her trembling one.
“Hello Mallory it’s nice to meet you. I hope you don’t mind me dropping in on you like this. I had no idea it was dinner time.” Lying ass, these two could hit every early bird special between here and the border as early as they eat.
She stumbled over the introductions and hurried back to the stove. She dropped the spoon in her haste and her boy teased her about her clumsiness. I gave him a look but had to remind myself that in the last couple days of spying I hadn’t seen him touch her in anger. I’ve been around enough closet abusers to know that that smarmy pseudo joking tone usually hid an asshole behind closed doors. I’ll keep my eyes on him.
She made an excuse and went back to what she was doing while Bryan got us some glasses and opened the wine to let it breathe. “This is perfect, we’re having spaghetti for dinner.” He sniffed the cork and I wanted to clock him. What the fuck was she doing with this crotch lint?
He started up a conversation about the neighborhood and the best places to do who the fuck knows since I wasn’t listening. I gave him an abridged version of my life erasing the last five years at least. So for all Bryan knows I just made it back from deployment. Mallory was as jumpy as a beaver trapped in a dynamited dam before she took her place at the table.
7
She’d made spaghetti, meat sauce and garlic bread. Hmm, smelt good, I wouldn’t have put any money on the fact that she could cook but I guess looks can be deceiving. The little girl that had approached me that first night looked more like the partying type who called for take-out.
Speaking of which, she looked and acted more like the way she did the last time I saw her when the confusing fear had been in her eyes. I shrugged it off and pretended to listen to Bryan while he droned on about some shit or the other.
I did five solid in the pen and never once felt the urge to stab another inmate with a fork, him I could happily garrote. It takes all kinds. I pretended not to look at her while she pretended not to take peeks at me and meanwhile her man was clueless.
The more time I spent there listening to him the less guilt I felt about the fact that before the week was out I was going to be balls deep in his woman. Then again it might turn out to be more of a pleasure than a punishment on her part. No way this asshole was packing. No wonder she looked ready for the fucking shroud. What the fuck had she done to herself? Penance.
Dinner was over and Bryan invited his new friend to have another glass of wine out on the back porch while his lady cleaned up. “My mama would skin me alive if I didn’t repay your lovely fiancée by helping her out after such a delightful meal.” The asshole looked at me like I was speaking a foreign language as I rose to take my dish to the sink.
“You don’t have to do that, I’ve got it. You guys go on outside.” Trying to get rid of me are you? “That’s okay, it’s no bother. Say Bri, I seem to have misplaced my key wrench and I have some stuff to hang over there…”