Total pages in book: 115
Estimated words: 110671 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 553(@200wpm)___ 443(@250wpm)___ 369(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 110671 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 553(@200wpm)___ 443(@250wpm)___ 369(@300wpm)
“We’ll hurry.” Darius pressed a kiss to Gray’s forehead. “You okay?”
Gray managed a small nod against the seat cushion.
“Christ.” Darius blew out a breath and straightened up. “You got my chest in a vise, knucklehead.”
Sorry.
Eleven
When Gray woke up, it was dark. His cheek was half stuck to the leather of a tan-colored backrest. He blinked and saw a moonlit landscape out the window. Barren hills that were yellow and brown in the sun were pale blue now.
He winced. The seats were pretty low, and his neck was sore.
Were they in Monterey yet?
He remembered feeling mortified when Darius had helped him out of the Jeep they’d borrowed and into the old one Darius had just bought. The Bakersfield guys, or three of them, had been outside the garage, with the man in the suit, Austin, watching in concern. Gray also remembered that other guy, Cam, lifting his brows in surprise when Darius had wanted to pay with his debit card. Most people probably didn’t walk around with that much money ready to be spent, but most guys hadn’t just been hired to bring back a kidnapped person, and Darius hadn’t gotten around to transferring his payment to a savings account.
When all was said and done, Darius had driven Gray and Jayden out of Bakersfield in a new, very old car that he was ridiculously in love with already.
Gray, not so much. He grimaced and rubbed his neck as he straightened in his seat.
He scrubbed at his face, willing the sluggishness to fade.
“Hey.” Darius reached over and squeezed his leg. “You can sleep more. It’s only midnight.”
Gray frowned and looked over his shoulder. Jayden was asleep.
Facing forward again, Gray took in the pale interior and inhaled the new car smell…for this ancient car. Christ, the gearshift was behind the wheel, leaving the floor empty between them. There was only a soft-looking carpet.
Thing was, Gray had grown up with old cars. Mom still drove her decrepit green Beetle with a big smile on her face. Gage loved old cars too, and this spacious monstrosity certainly fit Darius’s old-school personality. Maybe Gray was just being a bitch.
“Did we pass Monterey?” he asked.
“A while back.” Darius nodded. “Passed San Francisco too.”
Whoa. “Where are we?”
Darius hummed. “Santa Rosa’s about half an hour inland. I thought I’d stop to get gas and some snacks soon, then make it to Mendocino within the next couple hours.”
“Oh.” Everything dawned on Gray, and he chewed on the inside of his cheek.
It was time to end this road trip. Darius was taking them home along the shortest route. Maybe it wasn’t the quickest if they were planning to follow the scenic highway along the coast, but there would be no more detours. They were on their way to Camassia now.
It dropped a rock of nerves into Gray’s stomach, even though he knew it was the right move. They’d stalled long enough. He had stalled long enough.
“You miss the woods,” Gray murmured.
Darius smiled faintly. “I do. More than that, I miss getting shit done.” He paused. “We gotta kick it up a notch with your training as soon as we get back.”
That caused warning bells to go off. “Have you heard from Willow?”
“Not today, but it shouldn’t be long now,” Darius replied. “She’ll find him soon.”
If “him” was in reference to Jackie or his buyer, it didn’t matter. Willow was getting closer, and that shot determination straight into Gray’s gut. They were going to rescue Jackie, one way or another.
Gray wouldn’t rest easy until they had.
Northern California was nowhere near as warm as Bakersfield.
While Gray had bought them some crappy food and snacks, Darius had gotten gas and parked off to the side where there was a cluster of picnic tables at the edge of a small forest.
“I miss home-cooked meals.” Gray sat down at a table and handed over two hot dogs to Darius. In a plastic bag, he had sodas, chips, and water.
“Me too.” Darius took a bite of his hot dog, which Gray had made sure was drenched in mostly mustard. It was how he liked it.
Gray glanced over his shoulder to make sure Jayden hadn’t woken up. He was too cute, hugging a pillow to himself, a blanket thrown around him, and his mouth open.
“You’re gazing lovingly at my car, aren’t you?” Darius joked.
Gray chuckled and zipped up his hoodie. “Don’t you have a car already?”
Darius shook his head and uncapped a bottle of water. “I have a heavy-duty truck. Perfect for building a cabin in the middle of the woods, less perfect when you gotta park it at the marina before work.”
After everything they’d been through, it was difficult reconciling the fact that Darius was a restaurant owner. He ran a fish camp in the marina in Downtown, a hot spot for tourists and those who could afford the rent.