Total pages in book: 67
Estimated words: 62543 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 313(@200wpm)___ 250(@250wpm)___ 208(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 62543 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 313(@200wpm)___ 250(@250wpm)___ 208(@300wpm)
He’s just as tall as me, which would be intimidating to most. My arms are corded with muscle from years of hard work and manual labor. As are his, although I haven’t got the faintest idea what he does. I’ve never asked.
We’re both daunting men, the difference is that I try to hide it. I’m not looking for a fight or to scare anyone. I’m not sure Jay is either, but he can’t hide the darkness inside him or the terror of his past that eats away at him.
There’s a softness about my eyes and a gentleness in my rough voice. It’s enough to make people comfortable enough with me to get along just fine. There’s not a damn bit of that in Jay. There’s a hard edge in his eyes that never leaves. His shoulders turn in just slightly like he’s ready to fight at all times. He could maybe fool you with charm, since he’s got some of that in him, but the way his eyes pierce through you is enough to send a chill down your spine.
I’m usually not intimidated or frightened by anyone. I can stand on my own and take care of myself when I have to. But Jay has a side of him I’m pissed to admit frightens me. Not because of what he’d do to me, since I know I can take him. And not because I think he’d come for me. I toss the wrench down on the old wooden bench and start walking toward him, wiping my palms down on my jeans.
Jay’s not a threat to me; he’s not my enemy.
The fear is because I never know what Jay’s going to do. He’s fucked up in the head from his old man. Anger management doesn’t even begin to describe what he needs. He’s got problems I don’t know how to handle, and it doesn’t matter how much I try to help him. Some things you just can’t fix.
Nonetheless, Jay’s been there for me when I had no one. And I know why he’s the way he is. I don’t see him much, especially not since I picked up and moved to this tiny ass town, but if he needs me, I won’t turn my back on him.
Jay’s eyes light up and a smirk plays at his lips as he saunters down the wooden steps to the garage and gestures at the wrench. “You think that’d stop me?” he asks with playfulness in his voice.
I grin back at him, stopping to lean against the Chevy’s cargo bed in the middle of the large garage and shrugging my shoulders. A rough chuckle vibrates up my chest and I look back to my hands.
Jay’s boots smack on the floor as he comes to my side, bracing a hand on the back end of the truck and looking over his shoulder at the door.
“You bring someone with you?” I ask him.
He frowns a bit, shaking his head and looking down at the ground. He never comes with anyone. I may be a loner to some extent, but Jay is something different. I’m not sure if he prefers it that way, or if it’s because he just doesn’t trust himself.
“I got a favor to ask.” He stands beside me, shoving his hands into his jeans pockets and leaning back against the truck with me, mirroring my posture. He stares straight ahead and runs the back of his hand over his nose before saying, “You can’t tell anyone.” His voice is deadly low, and it makes my blood freeze in my veins.
I stare at him, waiting for more, but nothing comes. I clear my throat and try to relax against the hard metal.
I crack my neck to the side and nod my head. “You know I’m not going to say shit, Jay.”
He nods his head slightly, his brow furrowing as he continues to avoid my gaze. He swallows thickly and says, “I’m gonna do something... and I need your help.”
He finally looks at me, his eyes as cold as ice and narrowed. “There’s a woman.” My heart thuds once and my hands start to clench into fists, but I keep it from happening. Every bit of me is screaming to back out now, to tell him I don’t want to hear it.
But I know what he’s capable of, and I need to know who she is and what he’s planning.
“A woman?” I ask. A chill flows in waves down my arms as if a cold draft has come through. I ignore the churning in the pit of my stomach. He’d never hurt a woman. Never. I know him. There’s no fucking way he’d ever put his hand on a woman.
“She’s broken, John.” His voice is full of pain, and he breaks the gaze first. He talks to the ground as he adds, “She needs my help, but she’s not going to want it.”