Total pages in book: 76
Estimated words: 76609 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 383(@200wpm)___ 306(@250wpm)___ 255(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 76609 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 383(@200wpm)___ 306(@250wpm)___ 255(@300wpm)
Downy snorted, Raphael’s eyes came to me, but no emotion whatsoever showed on his face.
“He’s not a cop exactly,” Downy hedged. “And I didn’t want you to know about him. He’s not exactly an upstanding citizen that I want you getting all neighborly with.”
“Hmm,” I said, giving my nod to Drew, who dropped his gun. “Must be why he’s got a gun pointed at Drew’s head. Got it. See you soon, bro.”
Then I hung up, ignoring the curse that came from Downy’s end of the line.
“Put them down!” Officer Meek, my ex’s lover, screamed.
Her weapon was pointed at Drew, though, not Raphael.
The other officer had his gun out, but not pointed anywhere.
He was obviously the smart one of the partnership.
“Drew, he says he’s with the FBI. Put it away,” I said softly.
“You first,” Drew said to Raphael.
“Same time,” Raphael challenged.
They nodded and both dropped the weapons at the exact same time, but neither one of them was letting their guard down.
“On the ground!” Officer Meek spat.
Raphael turned his glare to the woman.
“Lady,” he growled. “I’m getting on the ground over my dead body. I suggest you back the fuck off and stop pointing that gun with two children less than a foot away from me.”
“He’s with the FBI,” I said louder this time so Officer Meek, the whoring adulteress, could hear me.
She ignored me, walking forward so that she now had Raphael in her line of site.
“Show me your hands,” she ordered.
Then something happened, so quick that I couldn’t even assimilate the move before Officer Meek was down on the ground, her arm behind her back.
“That’s why you never come too close to a trained individual. You don’t want to give them the opportunity to get their hands on you,” Raphael chastised.
It would be inappropriate to laugh, correct?
I did anyway, though.
Discreetly.
I mean, the bitch deserved it.
“Excuse me,” the other officer that was now on the scene interrupted. “But there’s a man in here crying about his head being blown off. Do you think I should call that in?”
I blinked, surprised.
Firstly, because the man with his head blown off was still alive. Secondly, because the police officer was asking us if he should call it in.
“Of course you should call it in, dim wit,” I muttered under my breath. “Yes, I think that’s for the best,” I said more loudly.
The officer nodded.
“Got it,” he picked up the mic on his shoulder and called it in.
“What in the hell are they teaching at your police academy?” Raphael asked, letting Officer Meek, the cheater, go.
She ripped her arm back and stood hastily, backing up several paces.
She no longer had her gun, though.
Raphael had somehow gotten that without me seeing it.
And I wanted to hug him.
Drew might not like that too much, though.
Especially with the way he kept glancing down at my yoga pants and tank top, eyes hot, and not in a good way.
I was momentarily surprised that I didn’t need a jacket, and in fact, wasn’t even cold.
Then I shook my head.
That was Good ‘ol East Texas weather for you, though.
Hot one day, snowing the next.
“Listen,” I started. “I…”
That was when my brother showed up, his face mutinous as he stepped out of his city-issued SUV.
He took a quick cursory glance around, then pointed at the house.
“Aspen, go inside,” he ordered quietly.
This was one of those times that I knew not to argue.
I could tell by the look on my brother’s face, as well as the way he was practically vibrating with anger, that it wouldn’t be in my best interest to argue. Not to mention he’d used my real name.
So, like a good little girl, I went inside.
But I watched from the front window.
The child in Attie’s arms was taken away from her by the paramedics that showed up, a striking red head and a blonde that looked super cute in their uniforms.
They took the child to their ambulance and shut the doors, leaving moments later with a police escort.
The man in the car was the next to be transferred, this one by two large men, both out of shape and not caring in the least that the man was screaming.
I was fairly sure they sedated him before they’d even gotten him into the back of the ambulance. Mostly because one second I could hear him screaming, and the next I couldn’t.
Mostly, though, my eyes stayed on Drew.
He looked…odd.
That was the only way I could explain it.
His eyes were wild, and his body was strung so tight that I was sure he was going to snap at any moment.
And when he said something to his daughter, and she started to argue, he said a few short words to her that had her freezing. Then nodding and complying with whatever he’d said to her.
She walked stiffly to the truck Drew had bought for her, and with a police escort, she was gone, too.