Total pages in book: 111
Estimated words: 105665 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 528(@200wpm)___ 423(@250wpm)___ 352(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 105665 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 528(@200wpm)___ 423(@250wpm)___ 352(@300wpm)
He shook his head. “Just one car. Of all the makes and models of cars being tossed around in the conversation, the one that stuck—the one that triggered a memory—was a black Dodge Charger. Ian drove a black Dodge Charger. I bet it was the car that killed the Russells.”
Like her friend, the ultimate bearer of bad news, his revelation hovered over her, dismal and brooding. “Okay.” She shifted her gaze to the lingering crew drifting past them in random directions.
“Okay—”
“I’ll handle it,” she bit out the words and immediately cringed.
“He’s no fairy tale. You know that, right?”
Jersey nodded.
“I bet he’s never killed anyone beyond them. I bet he funnels money into some heartbreakingly worthy causes. Clearly, he plucks homeless people off the street and gives them jobs. It wouldn’t surprise me to find out he visits young cancer patients or grants end-of-life wishes to them. I don’t think he was born a murderer. But you can’t undo certain wrongs, and this is one that will never be undone. You have to remember that. You have to remember that when he’s nice to you. When he touches you. When he makes you feel special. When he gives you pleasure.”
She swallowed hard, clenching her jaw and balling her hands.
“Jersey …”
Her head jerked when his finger lifted her chin, forcing her to meet his gaze.
“He might even fall for you, promise you the world.”
“I’m going to show you the world, Jersey.”
“But he destroyed your world. He killed it. He can’t undo death. He can’t make something from nothing. He left you with nothing. And you can’t let him try to fill that void with things. Ian has all the things. And they’re bright and shiny, soft and comfy, physically rewarding like soft beds, warm meals, and intimacy.”
“I know what I’m doing.”
Chris studied her. “Do you?”
Jersey’s eyes narrowed into slits.
“Have you let him inside of you? Did you let yourself enjoy it?”
She held his gaze, letting it slide over her like a stone honing a blade. “I fear you mistake my lack of education for weakness—gullibility. If he killed them, it wasn’t intentional. He’s not a killer, and neither are you. I think you might take a bullet for me, but I don’t think you’d actually take a life for me.”
“I’ve got this.” Dani strode up next to Jersey and started pushing the cart of containers. “Max said to meet her at the back entrance.” Her words evaporated in the distance.
Jersey nodded once, keeping her attention on Chris as her hardened expression softened into her greatest asset—control. “You see … I’ve taken a life. Courageously. Brutally. With a steady hand and a numb conscience. And I was only fourteen. I don’t fear death or value life anymore. Not my own. Not Ian’s. And not yours. So when you and your ex-BFF use me as a tool to make sense of your own miserable lives, just remember … I lost my soul before I ever knew I had one. And that makes me everyone’s worst fucking nightmare.”
Before Chris could respond or even blink, she brushed past him and out the back entrance to Max in the front seat of the SUV and Shane holding open the back door.
“Nice of you to finally join us,” Max mumbled on a yawn.
The familiar clean-guy fragrance filled the vehicle, and Ian’s mop of dark hair looked damp, shower-damp, not sticky with sweat.
“Bryson’s family home isn’t too far from here. We’re going there to hang out for a bit.”
“A party?” Jersey questioned with a dull edge of irritation.
Ian’s lips twisted as he studied her or maybe her response. “An intimate gathering. Food. Drinks. Conversation.” He grinned. “You can skip the conversation. We’ll just keep you fed and hydrated.”
“Asshole.”
Shane chuckled from the driver’s seat.
“You’re an asshole too.” Her middle finger shot up so Shane could see it in his mirror.
“I want to go back to the hotel. If you refrain from calling me an asshole too, I’ll let you come with me,” Max offered.
“You’re my favorite person at the moment, Max.”
“We’re all going to Bryson’s for a little bit.” Ian shook his head while turning his attention to his window and the fading lights of Madison as they wormed their way out of the city.
“I don’t like this.” Max shot Ian a nervous scowl as he opened her door.
Jersey glanced up at Shane. He didn’t look overly enthused either.
“We stay an hour.” Ian shut her door and followed Shane’s lead through the smattering of people smoking various things and cluttering the front yard of the sprawling single-level home seemingly in the middle of nowhere.
Several high or intoxicated women stopped Ian along the way to snap a quick photo while Max grumbled a few just greats.
“What’s the deal?” Jersey asked, leaning close to Max as they followed Shane and Ian.
“The deal is Bryson has a history of small gatherings turning into disasters. Fires. Drugs. Prostitutes. Arrests … you name it.”