Total pages in book: 68
Estimated words: 68538 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 343(@200wpm)___ 274(@250wpm)___ 228(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 68538 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 343(@200wpm)___ 274(@250wpm)___ 228(@300wpm)
I’d fully expected him earlier.
The man had no chill, and we’d pissed him off earlier at the coffee shop.
That, and he would be trying to finagle information out of me to take back to Dad in regard to my lawyer visit.
Luck wasn’t with him, today, though.
Sometimes I indulged my curiosity and opened the door for him.
Others, I left him hanging.
Today was a leave him hanging kind of day.
Heck, forever might be a leave him hanging kind of day after the meeting with my lawyer this morning.
Though she was hopeful that she could file for harassment charges and likely win, she was worried that by doing so, it’d just paint a bigger target on my back.
The lawyer was right, though.
My dad had a long reach.
I’d held on so far, but it was only a matter of time until I couldn’t anymore.
Maybe tomorrow I’d go look for a new area to work out of.
Luckily, I could open my bakery tomorrow.
Unluckily, I wouldn’t be opening because of the massacre currently happening inside of my uterus.
I’d have to give it a day and go back Tuesday.
Scott knocked for a second time, but I closed down the app and shut my eyes.
Maybe when I woke up everything would be better…
Two days later, the bakery was back open, and something strange had occurred to me.
But only after Pepper had mentioned it.
“You’re right,” I said. “I haven’t seen a single Carter all day.”
Pepper’s brows rose. “That’s weird, especially when I see at least one of them in here throughout the day.”
My stomach tightened, and my palms started to sweat.
Had something happened to one of them during that call two days ago?
I frowned as a customer came in.
A cop.
But not the one I wanted to see.
“Hello, Sergeant Assman.” I smiled at the young man. “How’s your baby doing?”
“Growing like a weed,” he admitted. “Throwing attitude. How are you?”
Well, my uterus isn’t trying to kill me today, only maim.
“I’m well,” I lied.
“Hey,” Pepper interrupted. “Why haven’t we seen any of the Carters in here today? Is everything okay?”
Assman turned his gaze to her. “Uh, they’re fine as far as I can tell. Just saw all of them today.”
I frowned.
And come to think of it…
“Hey, do you have Auden’s number?” I asked him.
His eyes came to me. “Uh, I’m sorry. Yes, I do. But I’m not giving that out.”
I held up a placating hand. “Could I get you to give him mine?”
Assman smiled. “Sure.”
After writing my name and number down on a bright pink business card, I waved him on with his baby’s sweet treat, and went back to work.
But the longer the day wore on, and there was still no sign of Auden, the more worried I became.
Afterclap: the last person who claps after everyone else has stopped.
AUDEN
“Stay away from my fucking sister,” Scott snarled, getting into my face.
I narrowed my eyes at him and had to resist the urge to push him away from me.
Boss.
He’s your boss, dummy.
I had to keep repeating that to myself over and over again before saying, “Please step back.”
Scott’s eyes narrowed, and it looked like he was about to push it, but then the door to the training room banged open and the men started filing in.
They all paused at the door, and Scott had no other recourse but to step away and give me the space I so desperately needed. Had he not given me that space, I might’ve reacted before I could get control of myself.
Let’s be honest here, I was one of the most hotheaded of the Carter brothers. I snapped fast and regretted it afterward.
And I would’ve regretted hitting Scott.
As in, I would’ve lost my job, and regretted it later once I’d calmed down enough to see that a brother being upset that his sister was dating a cop he didn’t like was probably a normal thing.
Everyone filed in, and I crossed my arms over my chest to keep from clenching my hands and letting Scott know just how much he’d gotten to me.
The asshole.
“What’s on the agenda today?” a fellow SWAT team member by the name of Boscoe asked. “Because last I heard, we already finished this month’s training.”
Boscoe was always saying what we felt. Whereas Atlas and I would’ve gotten in trouble if we’d said that, Boscoe didn’t.
It helped to be the grandson of a board member…
“We did, but we can never have too much,” Sheldon said, acting for all he was worth like he didn’t kiss Scott’s ass every chance he got.
Fuckin’ loser.
“Ass kisser,” someone coughed.
Sheldon’s eyes narrowed on the crowd at my back.
Since I was in the front, it was more than obvious it hadn’t come from me.
That didn’t stop Scott’s eyes from becoming calculating as he said, “We’re working on team building and trust.”
Someone snorted behind me.
Likely my brother.
“I’m not sure why you’re laughing,” Scott said as he moved his gaze from person to person. “We’re trying to make this team more cohesive. That starts by exercises just like this.”