Total pages in book: 31
Estimated words: 28259 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 141(@200wpm)___ 113(@250wpm)___ 94(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 28259 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 141(@200wpm)___ 113(@250wpm)___ 94(@300wpm)
That notion triggers a sense of guilt in me, forcing me to look at the doors of my neighboring apartments.
“No, let’s just do it your way.”
“Oh, I like the sound of that,” he grins. “Is that just for tonight or does that apply to everything else I have in mind for us?”
“I’ll do it your way whenever you want, Daddy.”
11
HENDRIX
There’s a feeling growing inside of me that I can’t ignore.
Havana has a hold over me that makes me want to do whatever it takes to make her happy, to make her feel safe. I can tell she doesn’t want to rock the boat. But, I won’t be able to see myself as a real man if I can’t get this asshole out of her life.
I give Havana the keys to my truck for her to grab food for us while my brothers and I begin to get her apartment boxed up. Her landlady, still a bit shaky about the plan, decides to leave us to it, heading back to her apartment on the first floor.
Hudson and Hayden start boxing up books and other items around the living room and in the kitchen. The more we put away in boxes, the more it feels like this is going to be a permanent change of address for Havana.
“One thing about Haven men,” Hayden says from the kitchen. “We will move mountains for our women…or in this case, furniture.”
Hudson laughs. “Ain’t that the truth? At least we have each other to help move the mountains. I got a question for ya, Jimi.”
I look at Hudson, River to me, and I’m Jimi to him—a reflection of our names at the peak of their popularity. Don’t know when the nicknames came, but they’re relics from our teenage years.
“Shoot,” I reply.
Hudson says, “I know this ain’t revenge or anything because I know you. You don’t care that much about Roy Jonas.”
I stop moving around the apartment, focusing on him. “You’re right, I don’t. I wasn’t exactly an angel when I got caught up with him. I’m just happy I had my family to help change the way my life was headed.”
Hudson waves his hand, brushing off my comment. “Yeah, yeah, family, but to my point, this little girl has you ready to put this guy in the ground and what I want to know is how far do you want us to let you go.”
I shrug. “It’s not something I’m thinking about. He stole her necklace so that might be worth a broken jaw, a hand at the very least. It depends on him. If he gets disrespectful, my temper and fists may match his energy. How about you guys don’t stop shit and let the cops roll in to do that?”
“So we should have the cops on standby?” Hayden asks with a grin.
I look at him. “Yes, because that’s what we promised Miss Lucille. But again, if Roy decides to be an asshole, we’ll see what happens.”
We get back to work setting up Havana’s apartment just as she arrives with a ton of food for us. She piles burgers and fries along with some beers on the counter. I look at her and tap the beers, “How’d you swing these, baby girl?”
She giggles, “One of the guys at the store is good friends with Brody who doesn’t know that Brody’s out of town, so I tell the guy at the store it’s for Brody and his buddies. He lets me grab two cases of good ole American lager and here you are. Don’t ask too many questions. Enjoy the beer. I’m not drinking it. Remember, I prefer sweet tea.”
Havana pushes onto her toes to give me a kiss, and I’m ready to do so much more, but my brothers are here.
Thankfully, my brothers notice, taking their food and leaving us alone in Havana’s apartment.
“Thank you, baby girl,” I tell her with a wicked grin. The space looks completely different from earlier. There aren’t any pictures hanging on the walls or books lining random shelves. Her furniture is on one side of the room to make it easier for us to carry out, and the only thing left to pack up is her bedroom.
“You guys move really fast,” she says, looking around. “This really feels like more than trying to trap a guy who likes to steal from unsuspecting tenants. Well, I won’t say that they don’t suspect him. He’s definitely someone where you judge the book by its cover.”
“It can be whatever you want it to be, baby girl. If you want us to put everything back where it was, we can do that. If you want to burn it all because Roy’s seen it and has been in this apartment, there’s a lake and a fire pit on Hudson’s property. We can torch the lot of it.”