Total pages in book: 70
Estimated words: 69823 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 349(@200wpm)___ 279(@250wpm)___ 233(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 69823 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 349(@200wpm)___ 279(@250wpm)___ 233(@300wpm)
Casey, upon hearing that Titus was here, whipped around and immediately started to squeal.
She and Annabelle were best friends, even though they lived some distance apart from each other.
The moment that Annabelle heard Casey, she whipped around. Then the two were running at each other as if they’d not seen each other in months. Not just days.
Which was why it was surprising. Titus had just been here last weekend.
“Excuse me,” I said as I walked away from the men who were not staring at the two girls as if they were interesting. “I’ll be right back.”
Blaise hurried right along, stopping short when she saw the look on Titus’s face.
“Titus,” I said as I offered him my hand. “What’s wrong?”
His eyes flicked to the girls, the men, then back to me.
“Got some news today on Ames,” he murmured softly. “She kicked the bucket.”
I had to say, that wasn’t something that truly bothered me.
“Yeah?” I asked. “How?”
“She apparently found herself in the wrong place at the wrong time.” He paused. “I have to go make funeral arrangements.”
“Funeral arrangements?” Blaise asked. “Why you?”
“Brees asked me to.” He grinned wider then. “So that’s exactly what I will do.”
Thelma, the co-orchestrator of the child kidnapping ring had passed away due to ‘blunt force trauma’ to the head a couple of years after being sentenced to two life sentences.
Her husband hadn’t fared much better, but he’d at least made it four years before someone had knocked him off.
Ames was the sole woman that had lived, though not a very good life, until today.
“Why did he call you?” Blaise shook her head. “Did he honestly think that you would want to do it?”
Brees was a… pain in the ass.
Though, he was a pitiful pain in the ass.
He could barely get around without help, so he spent the majority of his time inside his own four walls, away from the rest of the town.
Needless to say, I wasn’t too unhappy about him being miserable.
In fact, it made me quite fucking happy, if I did say so myself.
“Because he can’t afford to do it.” Titus grinned. “I’m working on the obituary right now.”
“I’m almost afraid to read it,” Blaise snickered. “Please let me help.”
Titus winked at her. “Sure will.”
“And the funeral?” I asked. “Where will you be having that?”
That’s when he started to grin. “The city dump.”
• • •
I was still laughing at his words an hour later as my wife curled into my side.
“That’s just great,” Blaise whispered. “Do you think they’ll allow him to have it there?”
“I do,” I confirmed. “He’s Titus King. He’s won the Super Bowl five times, and he’s the hometown hero. If anyone could get away with it, he can. And it’s not like Ames was a great person or anything. They’ll do it.”
• • •
Three days later I read the obituary for Linda Ames with my wife in my lap, crying tears of laughter.
My children were looking at us like we were loons.
I, on the other hand, finally felt right in this world.
I had my wife at my side.
My children happy and safe under my roof, and not a single care in the world.
I was happy.
I’d go through every single hardship all over again as long as it led me right back where I was today.
• • •