Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 77394 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 387(@200wpm)___ 310(@250wpm)___ 258(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77394 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 387(@200wpm)___ 310(@250wpm)___ 258(@300wpm)
“Old man?” I scoffed.
“Am I wrong?” Her eyes skirted over me as she leaned against the counter and asked, “How old are you?”
“If you can’t tell, I won’t share either.”
“Okay, fine. Let’s just say it’s a guy drink.”
“That it is.” I picked up the bottle of gin as I told her, “Let’s try something a little more girlie.”
I was about to start mixing a new concoction when I noticed Jenna’s smile had faded. “Can I ask you something?”
“You can ask. Won’t promise that I’ll answer.”
“Why did you kill them? Jimmy and ... Steven?”
I wasn’t exactly surprised that she’d asked about her brother. I knew she had to wonder what had gone on with us, but I wasn’t in a position to answer her. She must’ve noticed my resistance and added, “I know he and those guys he ran with did bad things. I know they were running drugs and hurting people, and I know they must’ve done something terrible to you and your friends. I was just wondering what that was.”
“How do you know what they were doing?”
“Because they made me do some of the runs.” She grimaced as she admitted, “I didn’t want to do it. I knew there was a chance I could get caught or killed, but I had no choice. I was at my brother’s mercy.”
“I get it.”
“So, what was it? What did they do to you?”
“It’s club business, Jenna. And I don’t discuss club business.”
“Yeah, Skid said you’d say that.”
“You talked to him about it?”
“I tried, but he said the same thing you did.”
“Because it’s true.”
“But it’s not just club business. It’s my business, too. I was there,” she pushed. “I saw it. I know what happened. I’m just asking why it happened.”
I was torn. I’d always been a firm believer that you don’t discuss club business outside of the club, but she was right. She was there. She’d seen everything, and it was her brother. She knew the kind of crap he was into, so I ignored my better judgment and told her, “Your brother and his friend raped and killed a girl. My president’s son went after them for what they’d done, and they killed him, too.”
“Oh, Grim. I’m so sorry.” Her voice trembled. “I had no idea.”
“You’ve got nothing to be sorry about.” Anguish marked her face as she listened to me say, “You didn’t kill him.”
“I don’t know what to say.”
“He was a good kid. He didn’t deserve that shit.”
“I’m so sorry.”
My throat tightened. “It was my fault. I let it happen.”
“You let what happen?”
“I... It doesn’t matter.”
I picked up the drink from the counter and tilted it back, drinking what was left in the glass. As I put the glass down, I glanced over at Jenna and found her staring back at me. She studied me for a moment, then said, “I don’t know if this will mean as much to you as it did me, but my grandmother used to say that death can’t take everything from us. It can’t take our memories, and if you had good memories about them, there’s a pretty good chance that they had good ones about you, too.”
“Your grandmother sounds like a smart lady.”
“She was. I miss her.” Her tone turned somber as she added, “She was the only person who really seemed to love me without wanting something in return.”
“Mind if I ask you something?”
“Sure.”
“What’s going on with Luna’s dad? Why isn’t he helping you two?”
Even though I already knew the answer, I wanted to see if there was more to the story. I didn’t want to admit it, but I was curious to see if she was still in love with the guy. “He would if he could, but he died a few months before she was born.”
“I hate to hear that.”
“The whole thing was crazy. He joined the military because he thought it would help us get out of the city, but it ended up costing him everything. We weren’t married, so I couldn’t get any of his benefits.”
“What about Luna?”
“There was no way to prove that she was his, and I didn’t have the money or the know-how to contest their ruling.”
“Damn. That’s rough.”
“Yeah, well, it was a long time ago.” Her dark eyes met mine, and a warmth settled over me as she said, “And while we aren’t any better off, we’re still here and trying.”
“That’s right. You are.” This girl was something. Without even trying, she’d gotten under my skin, and that was something I didn’t need. Not now. Not when everything had gone to shit. I needed to put some distance between us, so I glanced up at the clock and said, “It’s late. We should call it a night.”
“Oh, okay.”
“We’ll pick up from here later.”
Disappointment marked her face as she muttered, “That would be good. Thanks.”