Total pages in book: 137
Estimated words: 127213 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 636(@200wpm)___ 509(@250wpm)___ 424(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 127213 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 636(@200wpm)___ 509(@250wpm)___ 424(@300wpm)
After the dip in the lake, Ezra had gotten a rash that made him panic so much, Frank had to take him to the pharmacy, but it was fine, all part of the experience. Any time with him was time well spent, and it wasn’t as though Frank could fuck him round the clock, even if he wanted to.
“No? You won’t be knocking on my door to ask for Ros’s help with an engagement ring design?” Shane sniggered, and when Frank opened his mouth, stunned, he waved his hand, adding. “I bet he could also do fancy handcuffs.”
“Ha. Ha. Very funny. I knew I shouldn’t tell you shit. It’s just a thing. Gets me out of this crazy place every now and then.” There was no future for him and Ezra, so Frank took each month as it came and only planned ahead when necessary. It was better to manage your expectations if you didn’t want to get disappointed. Ezra would have ran for the hills if he knew what kind of job Frank did to afford his time.
Shane showed him his palms before resting one on Frank’s shoulder. “Fine, leave me in the dark. But glad you’re not letting that thing dry out,” he said and stared at Frank’s zipper before walking off to climb the scrap pile again.
Frank rolled his eyes and threw a punctured football at Shane’s ass. “You’re such a dick!”
“Frank! Frank!” Jag yelled from afar, and by the sound of it, he was running.
Frank wasn’t alarmed though, because in case of serious danger, Jag had a special set of whistles. And a grandpa phone for communicating at a distance. It only contained a few contacts but did the job.
“What is it?” Frank asked, leaning against the truck as Jag emerged from behind an old, wrecked school bus and dashed forward in a set of clothes made of thin fabric, which flowed around him as if he were some kind of desert warrior.
“I got treasure! Good treasure!”
Frank swallowed. That meant gold or precious stones. Jag’s job, other than guarding the perimeter and looking out for intruders, was scavenging for precious items around the junkyard. It had been a learning curve for him to understand what it meant, but he’d gotten there in the end, and Jag no longer brought Frank glitter-covered toys or broken sunglasses.
He faced Jag, immediately focused on the perspective of cash he might get from... whatever was coming his way.
Shane was all too eager to find out and craned his neck from the top of the electronics pile. “What is it, Frankie?”
Jag presented Frank with a chunky watch. “It’s got that name you told me to look out for. R-O-L-E-X,” he spelled it out with pride. His boyfriend had been teaching him to read for a while now, and while progress was slow, it was definitely there.
Frank’s blood ran faster when he held the piece. It was in surprisingly good condition, and if he gave it a good polish, it would look as if it were straight from the shop. At the back of his mind, he was already calculating how much this piece could earn, but then his phone buzzed, reminding him what day it was. His thoughts strayed to imagining the elegant yet chunky piece on Ezra’s tanned wrist. Something he’d wear every day and think of Frank whenever he checked the time.
He’d never asked Ezra about it, but was pretty sure the necklace with the word Sugar was a gift from another man. It shouldn’t bother Frank. He knew where they stood, their arrangement was clear… but it still irked him a little to know that Ezra wasn’t his.
“Good job!” Frank said and patted Jag’s shoulder. “I’ll check if it works, but if it does, it’ll fetch a good price.”
Jag smiled. “If it does, get the good cheese. The one Dane likes so much.”
Frank had to admit Jag’s dedication to his ‘mate was pretty adorable. “Yep, the one from the deli in town.”
He did also give Dane a fair amount of cash for the items Jag found all over the junkyard, but if he chose not to sell the Rolex, he’d need to calculate the percentage in a different way than usual.
Jag beamed at him and rubbed his hands. “Dane loves cheese. Make sure to get a lot.” He didn’t wait around after that and ran off as if he couldn’t contain his excitement.
“Dane loves cheese,” Shane mocked good-naturedly when Jag was out of earshot, and Frank couldn’t fight the laughter.
“Give him a break, he’s in love, okay?”
Frank hated that when he looked down at the Rolex all he could think of was, Ezra loves luxurious shit. So yeah, he’d keep the watch for Ezra.
In the past months, Paul had been trying to tempt him back for a job or two, but as much as Frank needed the money, he didn’t want to get back into that risky line of business filled with grudges, revenge, and bloodshed. He could see that for Paul, a lack of partner was a disadvantage. He often claimed to be doing well as a lone wolf, and laughed that Frank had been unnecessary ballast, but they both knew that Paul could use the kind of muscle Frank was packing. Paul might be a skilled killer and a good shot, but having someone to trust on the job was invaluable.