Total pages in book: 103
Estimated words: 103356 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 517(@200wpm)___ 413(@250wpm)___ 345(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 103356 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 517(@200wpm)___ 413(@250wpm)___ 345(@300wpm)
“Yeah, well, I think we have more important things to worry about right now,” Lilac replied. “Like getting Sugar up and running before he comes back.”
“Where are we gonna fucking go?” Opal asked, pacing back and forth. “We can’t stay here, not if we have to meet with the fucking sheriff.”
“What?” Ryleigh asked.
Lilac filled her in on her conversation.
“So that’s it? We have to leave?” Fear and sadness filled Ryleigh’s face.
Opal and Lilac shared a look.
“No, we don’t have to leave. But we also can’t have the sheriff looking into us,” Lilac said. “I told Devon, the guy that owns Dirty Delights, that my brother was trying to force me to do something I didn’t want to, but that I wasn’t in immediate danger.”
Opal snorted. “Sort of true.”
“I’ll just convince the sheriff not to look into us.” Somehow. Fuck.
“But where will we stay if there’s no camp ground?” Ryleigh asked.
That part was more complicated. “We’ll move around. You guys can drop me off close to town when I have to work, and I’ll walk the rest of the way. Then you can go further out to park.”
“Or . . .” Ryleigh let her voice drop off as she chewed at her lower lip.
“Or what?” Opal asked.
“We go straight to the Malones. Ask for their help,” Ryleigh said.
Part of her desperately wanted to see Tanner again.
And an even bigger part of her was dreading it.
But that wasn’t even her biggest worry over going to the Malones. What if she’d gotten it wrong and they weren’t good people? What if they didn’t want to help? Hell. She couldn’t even blame them . . . they were in such a mess that no ordinary people would choose to help.
But if they turned them away . . . there was no other plan other than her shaky one. And to do that, she had to ensure that Ryleigh, Kye, and Opal were safe first.
And then there was Ryleigh . . . she was counting on them. She believed in them. What if they let her down?
“Are you . . . is that what you want to do?” Lilac asked.
Because it was up to Ryleigh.
“I don’t know. I don’t . . . I’m scared. If we go there and they reject us, then we’ve got nothing.” Ryleigh looked so terrified. Lilac hated it.
“We haven’t got nothing,” Opal said, wrapping her arm around Ryleigh. “We got the three of us. Who needs anyone else? Not me.”
“The A team,” Ryleigh said.
“Right,” Lilac said. “The three of us can handle anything.”
“I just think maybe we should . . . we should get the lay of the land first, you know?” Ryleigh bit her lip. “I mean, I know you said that Tanner and Raid were good guys, and I’m sure you’re right. But . . .”
“But that doesn’t mean the others are,” Lilac finished. “So, we try to find out what we can about them. Then we come up with a plan. First, Sugar. Second, we drive out of this park. Third, find somewhere to park until tomorrow night when I can go earn us some money.”
Even if she didn’t get the job, at least she’d get some tips tomorrow night. That should buy them some more food and time.
Optimism filled her.
They had this.
11
She didn’t fucking have this.
Lilac kicked Sugar’s tire.
Pain shot up her leg and she hopped around with a cry, holding her foot between her hands. “God damn it! Stupid! Useless!”
“Things aren’t going well then,” a male voice said.
Fuck.
How had she missed him driving up? Well, she did have the music up and was nearly in tears from breaking her toe.
Such an idiot.
“Um. No. It’s not. Sorry.” Turning, she looked up with a forced smile at the deputy, who didn’t look all that amused.
“Did you hurt yourself?”
“I’m fine.”
“What happened?” he asked.
“Nothing. I’m all good.”
Linc’s gaze narrowed. “I don’t like being lied to.”
Shit. What was with the men around here? They all seemed so dominant. Tanner had moments of being like this . . . commanding. She shouldn’t like it . . . not after the way she’d been raised. Being controlled was something she’d fled from.
Yet, not once had these guys tried to bully or threaten her.
“I just kicked the wheel in frustration,” she confessed.
“Don’t do that again.”
She swiped at her eyes as he turned to look at Sugar.
“The coolant didn’t work?”
“Um, no. Didn’t seem to.”
“Do you really know what you’re doing?” he asked.
“Not really. No.” What choice did she have but to tell him the truth?
“Another lie.” He folded his arms over his wide chest. “Stacking them up.”
“Sorry,” she said. “I just . . . I thought I could fix it, but she won’t start, and I don’t know what I’m going to do.” She rubbed her chest, feeling the panic well again.
“It’s all right, we’ll figure this out.”