Total pages in book: 67
Estimated words: 63390 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 317(@200wpm)___ 254(@250wpm)___ 211(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 63390 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 317(@200wpm)___ 254(@250wpm)___ 211(@300wpm)
“Lucy, do not play me for a fool.”
“Drink or no info, Atlas. It’s as easy as that.”
“Where is your husband, Lucy?”
She shrugs. “Working.”
Benji and I were once exceptionally good friends. Until he fell in love with Lucy. That was when he lost all his senses, and all he can see is her. He has tunnel vision now and can’t see what kind of person she is. Lucy doesn’t love Benji, she loves what he gives her. And it’s whatever she wants.
“Shouldn’t you be spending time with him?”
She pushes her bags to me again. “Drinks, and I will give you the info on my sister you are seeking.”
I take her damn bags, and she slides up next to me, locking her arm in mine as we start walking.
“This will be fun. Instead of me sucking up to your clients, I always hoped it would be you buying me drinks instead.” She sighs as we walk into the bar. I hold the door open for her as she steps in front of me, entering first. I watch as Lucy prances like she is God’s gift to all men and sits on a couch. She pats the spot next to her, but I take the seat opposite. Sitting next to her is never going to happen.
“Do you even care? Not once have you asked me if she is okay.” I lean forward, my elbows on my knees.
“The fact you are here tells me she’s fine.” Lucy smiles and waves down a waiter, ordering two drinks for herself, and she looks at me. I shake my head as he leaves to get her order. “Tell me, Atlas, what is it about her?”
“She is everything you aren’t,” I tell her honestly.
Lucy’s mouth opens and closes, her eyes narrow as she leans forward. “I’m more. Better than her. Always have been,” she tells me.
“You aren’t. But typical of you to think you are.”
“Fuck you!”
“Oh, so that’s your sore spot. Why?” I ask her out of curiosity.
“She gets whatever she wants. Even the things she doesn’t want, she gets.”
“From what I’ve seen, Lucy, your sister hardly asks for anything, and works damn hard for what she has.” My anger has spiked at her words.
“You are blind to her, most men are. It’s why I have fun stealing them away from her.” She smirks.
“You’re married, Lucy.”
“So it seems,” she says, looking down to the ring on her hand.
“Tell me, Lucy, do you love him?”
Her eyes gloss over as she smiles. “A little. But not as much as I love you.”
“You don’t know me enough to love me, Lucy. Now, tell me about what happened to your sister.”
She throws her hair over her shoulder as the waiter puts her drinks down. I pay for them, and he leaves, then she picks one up, drinking it and looking at me over the rim of her glass.
“She was mouthing off at me.” She shrugs. “Pulled me away from Benji and started screaming.”
“Why was she screaming?”
“Why do you want all the details?” she questions.
“Tell me, Lucy.”
“Okay, okay. Then Benji came over, and as he pulled her off me, Thea had the nerve to whack him between the legs and knock him to the ground. He couldn’t even get it up that night, thanks to her,” she whines.
“How did she end up with bruised ribs, Lucy?”
Lucy waves her hand. “Benji was not impressed with what she did, so he knocked her down and kicked her.”
My feet are moving before anyone can stop me. I can hear Lucy saying something behind me, but I don’t give two fucks. I drive straight to Benji’s house, knowing that’s where he works from, and when I don’t find him there, my fists start slamming into walls and trashing his desk.
He laid hands on her.
He hurt her badly.
He will pay.
Calling him, my hand stops punching shit when he answers, “Atlas.”
“You laid hands on Theadora?”
“She deserved it. She had her hands on my wife,” he replies.
“Your wife is an evil bitch, and you fucking beat an innocent woman who did nothing but look out for her sinister fucking sister.”
“She fucking punched me in the balls. She deserved the beating she got. She’s lucky that was all I gave her.”
“You better hope I don’t see you soon, Benji, because I’m going to do to you what you did to her, plus more.”
“Atlas, we are basically brothers.”
“I don’t give two fucks. You drove over the line in the sand.” I hang up, and when I leave, I leave a trail of lighter fluid on the floor, and when I walk out, I let the match drop.
I let myself into Theadora’s house when I arrive back. She’s curled up on the couch watching a movie. I sit next to her, pulling the table closer so we can eat.
“You don’t have to stay if you don’t want to. Tina comes and visits, and she brings me food every day.”