Total pages in book: 113
Estimated words: 105825 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 529(@200wpm)___ 423(@250wpm)___ 353(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 105825 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 529(@200wpm)___ 423(@250wpm)___ 353(@300wpm)
My eyes narrowed. He was targeted for being smart, for being different, like his mom. And already, he’d started to hide how smart he was, hide himself, hoping no one would notice him. A life on the sidelines, in the corner…
I wasn’t going to let that happen. I couldn’t stop him worrying about his mom but this, this I could fix. “Stand up,” I told him.
“Why?”
“Because I’m gonna teach you how to fight.”
Cody stared at me, then looked down at his small form. “Have you seen me?! Taylor’s a head taller than me!”
“Well, you gotta use what you’ve got.”
“What have I got?”
“You’re quick. You can use that. Come on, up.” He stood up. “Now, this asshole comes at you from behind, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Well next time, what you’re gonna do is whip around and slug him right in the guts. Here, let me show you.”
For the next hour, I taught him how to punch, with all his weight behind it, and how to dodge and sidestep so he could get in the couple of good hits he needed. By the time we’d finished, our shadows stretched all the way to the edge of the roof and Cody was smiling.
“What about you?” he asked me suddenly. “What’s bothering you?”
I froze and tried to think of a lie. But he didn’t give me the chance.
“It’s my mom, isn’t it? You like her.”
Dammit. I rubbed my stubble. Then nodded.
Cody came closer. “My dad was shitty to her,” he told me. “If anyone does that to her again, I’ll kill them.”
I nodded soberly. “Cody?” I said, looking him right in the eye. “I’d never hurt your mom.”
Cody gave me a tight little nod and we went back downstairs. As Cody headed off to his room I stood at the bottom of the stairs, scowling, brooding. I knew I was getting attached and I knew that was a mistake.
And I knew that if I wanted to protect Lorna, like I’d told Cody I would, I had to man the fuck up and have the conversation I’d meant to have earlier.
I marched down another floor and found Lorna still in her office. “I know, I know,” she mumbled, staring at her screen. “I need to take a break but I’ve got all this—”
“It ain’t that,” I said, closing the door. “You do need to stop working so hard, but it ain’t that.”
She looked at me, worried. “What?”
I sat down, took a deep breath and laid it all out for her. How Callahan and I thought Miles was working with Van der Meer. The cash taken from his bank account. The way he’d always been somewhere else, when the attacks happened. The fact only a few people knew we’d be in Poland.
I thought it’d be bad. I wasn’t ready for how bad.
Lorna stared at with an expression I never wanted to see: she looked betrayed. “How could you believe that?” she asked. “How could you even think that?”
“Look, I know you don’t want to think it,” I said gently. “But try to take a step back. Think it through logically—”
“I don’t need to think it through. He’s my brother! He’d never hurt me.” She stared at me. “Callahan hacked his bank account and you’re okay with that?”
I was getting frustrated. “We’re just trying to protect you.”
She glared at me, those beautiful gray eyes like diamonds. “You don’t need to protect me from him!”
I could feel myself digging in. “I know you love him, but it’s a billion-dollar company. That much money can make people—”
She jumped to her feet. “No! Not him!”
“Lorna—”
“No!” She shook her head. “Just—JD please get out. Just get out, I can’t talk to you right now.”
Too late, I realized I’d gone too far. I fumbled for words but she just stared back at me, trying to keep her composure. Aw crap, I hadn’t realized how close to tears she was. I got up and backed out of her office, nearly knocking my chair over, and closed the door behind me. When I was two paces away, I heard the tears start and I stopped, pinching the bridge of my nose. Shit. What had I done?
I’d been stubborn, that’s what I’d done. I’d dug my boots in when I should have given. I should have been gentle, subtle, but I’d waded straight in there and now I’d hurt her. Jesus, she’d lost her mom, then her dad: Miles was the only family she had left and I’d just tried to tear them apart. Of course she was mad. And I had no idea how to fix it.
I marched up to the penthouse and into my room, then started pacing. It had been four years since I was even in a relationship and even with Jillian, I wasn’t exactly Mr. Sensitive. I’m not good at this stuff—
I stopped pacing.