Total pages in book: 70
Estimated words: 70695 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 353(@200wpm)___ 283(@250wpm)___ 236(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 70695 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 353(@200wpm)___ 283(@250wpm)___ 236(@300wpm)
Before she could say a word to my statement, my phone rang, making me curse.
It was my work tone and a sudden feeling in the pit of my stomach told me that I wasn’t going to like what the call was about.
Taking it from my pocket, I headed out to the garage before I answered it.
“Hello?” I answered.
“It’s me,” Yao said into my ear. “Royal’s place was burned to the ground last night. They found a body in there. Along with one of our badges pinned to the dead man’s chest.”
I closed my eyes and pinched the bridge of my nose.
“Any idea on who the dead body was?” I asked.
“Forensics aren’t back yet,” he said. “Probably won’t hear back until Monday or Tuesday. Just wanted to let you know before you heard it another way.” He paused. “Also, The Judge said that he’s had some activity outside his house. He and his family are taking an extended vacation to their home on the Jersey Shore after hearing about what happened to Royal’s place.”
I swallowed a growl.
Him and his family my ass.
“Okay,” I said. “This was Marcus.”
I knew that without a doubt.
“We know,” Yao said. “Just got to prove it.”
When I hung up the phone, it was just in time for Lock to arrive on the Harley he was interested in buying.
He took one look at my face and went alert.
“What’s up?” he asked the moment that the bike shut off.
I heard the garage door close behind me and saw my father walking toward us, a donut in one hand and his coffee in the other.
I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose.
“Royal’s place was torched last night. A dead body was found in it, but it was too fucked up to get an ID on it. But it had one of the PD’s badges pinned to the man’s chest,” I answered.
Lock frowned. “As in the man was a cop, or that Marcus knew that you were a cop and was trying to send you a message?”
I stretched my neck. “That’s the million-dollar question. He said they’d have forensics back on Monday or Tuesday.”
“He know where you live?” Dad asked, still munching on his donut.
That was the difference between a cop and everybody else. Talking about dead people didn’t kill your appetite like it would everybody else.
“Not that I know of,” I admitted. “It’s fairly new, and as far as he knows, I still live in the apartment above my shop.”
“Well if that place isn’t torched, then maybe this is still only Royal related,” Lock suggested, leaning into the handlebars.
I shrugged. “The place could be decimated, and we wouldn’t know. Things don’t get reported on Eleventh Street like they do everywhere else.”
Lock winced. “True enough.”
I groaned. “I’ll go check tomorrow when I get home.”
Lock waved me off. “Give me the keys and I’ll check. I’m buying this and heading home soon. My dad is throwing a party for my sister’s graduation today.”
“On Father’s Day?” I asked.
Lock shrugged. “We’re celebrating both, maybe. I don’t know. All I know is that I’m responsible for picking up a cake from some chick.”
My lips twitched.
“Have fun with that,” I said.
Lock pulled out his wallet, and unfolded quite a few hundred dollar bills, then handed them to my father.
“I gotta get my shit,” Lock said as he dismounted. “Nice bike, though, Loki. I’m glad you’re selling it.”
My father looked at the bike.
“It’s time for something that doesn’t require me to wrestle it to keep it on the road,” Dad said as he looked fondly at the bike. “I’ll miss it like hell, though.”
“I’ll take care of it,” Lock said, slapping Dad on the back. “Be back.”
Lock left and Dad turned to me.
“You need help when you get home, call me,” he ordered roughly. “Don’t try to be a hero.”
My lips twitched. “I’m not going to put Royal in any danger by doing the lone wolf thing, Dad.”
He gave me a thumb up, then gestured to the bike. “You were conceived on that bike.”
I covered my ears. “Fuck off.”
Chapter 17
Coffee is the answer. But then again, so is whiskey. In fact, if you combine the two, you become immortal.
-Coffee Cup
Royal
“Have you ever been to the lake before?” Justice asked as he pulled out about fifty life vests from his father’s boat.
“Ummm,” I hesitated. “Yes.”
Once.
And I hadn’t gotten in.
Not that he needed to know that.
It wasn’t that I was scared of the lake, exactly. It was more that I was cautious of it. Aware that I may not be the biggest thing in the lake.
“Good,” he said. “Have you ever been on a tube before?”
I pulled my bag from the back of his father’s truck and placed it into the boat, reaching high over my head to accomplish the feat.
Loki, who was standing beside me going through the life vests with his son, took my bag from me and placed it on the seat next to where Justice was practically disappearing into the hull of the boat.