Total pages in book: 160
Estimated words: 155798 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 779(@200wpm)___ 623(@250wpm)___ 519(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 155798 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 779(@200wpm)___ 623(@250wpm)___ 519(@300wpm)
Me: Was the house okay? Why didn’t you just call first?
Lo: House was fine except there was a girl there.
Me: A girl? What girl?
Lo: Or a woman. I couldn’t get a good look at her, but neither of your vehicles was in the garage so I reversed out of there. I wasn’t sure what to think or do.
Me: Brett’s with me. That’s Callie. She sometimes spends time at his house.
Lo: That’s a relief, but also that’s weird. She’s gorgeous. And what are you still doing in California?
I groaned, eyeing the mini-fridge. It was stocked full of alcohol, and well…if there was any time that called for booze? It was now. Brett wouldn’t mind the extra charges and if he did, I’d cover them.
Grabbing a full bottle of wine, I searched for the opener and poured a healthy glass before I curled my feet underneath me. Then I hit call.
Lo answered a second later, “If you’re calling me, this isn’t good. What is going on?”
I settled in. “I fucked up.”
59
BRETT
The vehicle was gassed up, and I was walking out of a grocery store. Besides water, I grabbed a few other items, but also a couple deli sandwiches. Billie liked to take apart her sandwich. She’d lay the turkey to one side, remove the lettuce, the tomato. Then she’d apply a generous amount of mustard before relining everything exactly how she liked it to be, and the top of the sandwich was left off. It was too much bread, but then she’d also cut off half of the bottom and lay that on top. After that, she’d cut the sandwich in half before taking one of those halves to start eating.
It was a whole show and the first time I saw it, I was amused but also amazed. Now I couldn’t wait to watch her do it all over again. There were a few packets of mustard in the bag as well.
Right when I got to the rental, my phone started ringing.
Getting in, putting everything to the side, I shut the door and took the call. “What’s going on?”
My brother’s voice came over the phone, sounding stressed. “Are you here yet?”
My alarm bells went off. “What happened?”
“Stevie divulged more. This shit, Brett—this shit doesn’t stop. She sent some texts to Shannon and now Shannon is calling us, threatening us. She’s threatening Stevie. This is a mess, but Brett,” his voice dropped off, strangled at the end. “This shit, what Stevie is telling us? It’s all so fucked.”
I grew cold because there was only one place my mind went, and it couldn’t be. Not my goddaughter. “What’s she saying,” my voice was just as rough as Will’s.
His tone went so low. “You don’t want to kno—”
“Will, tell me.”
He was quiet for a long time, a real long time. “Will,” I said again, clearer. “I have to know.”
He sighed before cursing. “Fine. Yeah. I—there was an incident with Shannon’s boyfriend.”
“What incident? Did he touch he—”
“No! God, no. I should’ve said that right away.”
“What happened then?”
He still hesitated.
“If you don’t fucking tell me—”
“He’s a drug dealer.”
I got quiet.
“He’d been forcing Stevie to sell drugs for him at her school. She just told us and she’s terrified she’s going to get arrested.”
I closed my eyes. Will had said Stevie was starting to talk about what living with Shannon was like. I never thought this.
“How long had it been going on for?”
“She said two years.”
Jesus.
“Did anything happen with Shannon’s other boyfriends?” I didn’t recognize my own voice. “How many other boyfriends did she have?”
Goddammit. I wanted to kill this guy.
“We don’t know, but we’re now worried about what else might’ve happened. Shannon dates real losers. We’re preparing for the worst. We called in a counselor. Someone we know from school. She’s good, and she’s coming over to help us through all this.”
“I’m coming over.”
“I—” he hesitated. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“Will,” I warned. “Don’t even think about keeping me away from my niece.”
“It’s not that. It’s that this is a really pivotal moment right now. If you come in or if you bring Billie, I’m worried too many people will be here. Stevie might close up again.”
I understood what he was saying, but I was railing inside. I wanted to hurt someone. I needed to hurt someone, preferably whoever hurt Stevie. God help that guy because I was going to find him, and then God help me because I’d need His help to stay out of prison.
“Listen, I wanted to let you know what’s going on. We filed for a temporary order of protection against Shannon on behalf of Stevie. With Shannon’s recent threats against her, we had enough that we felt we needed to do the restraining order. Harmony was on the phone with the lawyer as he submitted it, and the police should be delivering it today. I know you’re here and you came to handle Shannon, but our lawyer and the police are saying we should steer clear. We need to let the courts handle everything. I think that’s the right course of action.”