Total pages in book: 70
Estimated words: 70106 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 351(@200wpm)___ 280(@250wpm)___ 234(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 70106 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 351(@200wpm)___ 280(@250wpm)___ 234(@300wpm)
“Do you have one of those too?” our boyfriend viciously chomps. “Maybe an entire pit crew you’re fuckin’ every other tow trip?”
“Kid,” Nolan snips at the same time he folds his arms across his chest, “enough.”
“I have had enough.” Kipp grouchily scrambles to his bare feet. “I’m gonna go take a fucking shower.”
“You’re gonna wait until Garcia is finished.”
“And if I don’t?”
“You will.”
“And. If. I. Don’t?”
“There’s no if, Kipp.” Watching the two men in my life exchange ire-filled glares with each other rather than me is oddly a relief. “Sit. Down.”
“I’ll. Stand.”
“Just to be a defiant little shit?”
“Just to prove I don’t do everything a controlling old man tells me to.”
“Oof,” Garcia grimaces and leans to one side to find my stare around Kipp’s fit frame. “They always like this?”
“Often.”
The two of them shoot me daggers in tandem that I meet with an innocent shrug. “What? You are!” Bending my knees to tuck them against my chest is accompanied by a crooked grin. “It’s part of your dynamic. And part of the reason I adore you both.” There’s no reluctance for each of them to let their shoulders slump, an action that wordlessly informs me the situation has been momentarily defused. “Alright, Garcia. What about me?”
“Yeah,” Nolan echoes in a lower tone, “what about Rabbit?”
“I’ve got a poker buddy,” an unexpected glint appears just briefly in his gaze, “that’s an uh…a P.I. I’ll see what he can dig up on those you’ve mentioned as well as the associates that have been sent to do McAdams’s footwork.”
The Kid folds his arms across his chest to mirror Nolan’s position. “Cost?”
“I’ll eat it.” He shrugs. “Zero always takes care of me. I’m one of his best clients.”
“His name’s Zero?” scoffs Kipp.
“Fiorenzo is his name. Zero’s the nickname I gave him.”
The Kid’s eyebrows lift in a taunting fashion. “You jus’ hand those out like a meter maid without shit else to do?”
“You must be really fucking tired,” Garcia nonchalantly brushes off, which seems to simply irk Kipp more. “Like I was saying,” he locks eyes with me again, “we’ll see what Zero can find out – discreetly – and I’ll have him pull any and all complaints you previously made regarding McAdams’s behavior…including the ones that magically vanished from the system or never quite made it in at all.”
Shock slides into my expression on a small gasp. “He can do that?”
“My guy can do a lot.” The word choice receives a curious and challenging glance from Mutt that he openly pretends not to see. “I’ll have him be extra discreet during his searching just in case it sets off flags for McAdams or anyone in his camp.”
“Keeping Rabbit safe is our main priority,” Nolan forcefully announces. “Understood?”
“Absolutely.”
“Thank you,” I warmly say at a softer volume.
He shoots me a wink of acknowledgement that pushes The Kid to huff, “Maybe we walk you out now?” His head tips towards one of the only non-cabinet doors left on its hinges in the apartment. “Let you and your money sucker get home for the day?”
“You think my Audi drains me dry?” Garcia casually asks as he stands.
“I know they have higher repair costs – on average – than most other luxury vehicles,” Kipp snidely informs.
“That’s probably true for most people that drive them.” Our attorney slyly retrieves his keys from his pocket. “However, between free parts and free labor, I would like to argue that I’m an exception.” His smirk becomes almost wolfish. “To most things.” Without another word to the youngest person in the room, he calls to the oldest, “Walk?”
“Yup.” Both men take a step to follow Garcia, yet Nolan swiftly stops that from happening by firmly demanding, “Wait here.”
“But-”
“Wasn’t asking, Kipp.”
The cold clipped tone causes his entire frame to stiffen and glare to follow the other men out of the apartment. Once the door closes, he whips his head in my direction, “Why the fuck wouldn’t he let me walk out with them?!” His shoulders push back. Tighten. “What’s he fuckin’ hidin’ from me?! What’s he gonna fuckin’ do?! What’s he not want me to fuckin’ see?!”
“Or…” repositioning my figure to sit crossed leg is attached to my rebuttal, “maybe…it’s not about you?” I tuck my hands in my lap. “Maybe he’s worried that I’m still a high flight risk that shouldn’t be left unsupervised?”
A small cringe precedes his whisper, “Right…”
Offering him a sweet smile successfully separates his shoulders from his ears, and I inwardly sigh in gratitude.
At least I’ve momentarily calmed his rattled nerves.
Poor Kid might be wound up the tightest of us all.
From what I’ve learned during our time together…Kipp isn’t used to dealing with stress outside of the shop.
Damn sure not those that would come in a relationship.
Then again…I’m not sure any of us have many wins in that column.
It takes Nolan longer than our partner likes to return, a fact he vocalizes the instant the door is shut with him inside. “Your engine sure is runnin’ fucking slow for how much gas I put in it this morning.”