Total pages in book: 73
Estimated words: 67675 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 338(@200wpm)___ 271(@250wpm)___ 226(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 67675 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 338(@200wpm)___ 271(@250wpm)___ 226(@300wpm)
“Shit tons of pictures,” Con added. “You know how wedding photographers are.”
“I know I’ll be in the pictures,” I said, irritated. Con and my other friends thought it was fucking hysterical I did my best to stay away from any sort of notoriety. Of all the towns to hide out in, they said. I wasn’t hiding out, but in my line of work, it didn’t make sense to draw attention to yourself. You had to blend in as well as you could so you could spot the danger before it spotted you.
“Speaking of my wedding, do you want to revise your RSVP?”
I grunted. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, do you want to bring Cami or Emma? Or both? You know they’re welcome. I just need to tell the wedding planner before she makes the seating arrangements and finalizes the catering.”
That caught me off guard. “How much time do I have to think about it?”
Con shrugged. “A few weeks.”
I thought about it as Lorenzo drove us to the house. I liked the idea of bringing Emma. I could introduce her to my LA family, the one that had always felt more like one than my blood relations. But if I brought her, I’d have to bring Cami.
Strangely, that wasn’t an immediate no. In fact, I was uncomfortably into the idea of seeing Cami get all dressed up. She curled her hair for special occasions, a wild sexy look, and wore heels that made her legs look even longer.
Con pulled out his phone and started tapping out a text. I glanced over his arm and saw Landon Campbell – two guests.
“I didn’t say I was done thinking about it, asshole.”
Con’s mouth turned up in an amused smirk. “You want them there. It was written all over your face.” He hit send and slid his phone back in his pocket. “You’re slipping.”
“I’m not slipping,” I glowered.
“Yeah, you are. Family life is making you soft.”
He was only joking, but it struck a nerve. Maybe a normal person could let family life soften them. Me, I had to stay as vigilant as ever until I was sure my family was safe.
Maybe that was why none of the places Lorenzo took us to passed my tests. They all looked too flimsy and fallible. How the hell did people feel safe with these single layers of protection? A broken pane of glass, a hand reached through to twist a doorknob, and anyone could get inside.
“Are there any ordinances against putting bars on the lower windows?” I asked Lorenzo at one property.
“Umm,” he frowned at Con as if he were the safer place to look. “You know, I don’t think I’ve ever been asked that question. I’ll have to look into it.”
Con nodded at him. “Appreciate it.” Then he sidled over to me and said quietly, “Why the hell are you trying to put bars on the windows, Landon?”
“Security,” I grunted.
Con glanced around at the high walls surrounding the place. Beyond it, there was an electrified fence. Lorenzo assured me it was the safest single-family home on the market.
I wasn’t impressed.
I wanted this house because we needed more space and because Cami wasn’t wrong about kids needing to grow up with access to the outdoors. My small terrace with its sad collection of plants wasn’t enough for Emma–it didn’t matter how many parks we took her to. But whatever house I bought had to pass my safety inspection. There was no fucking point in having more space and wildflowers if some lunatic could walk right through it all and hurt my family.
“How long do you think it takes to build a place?” I asked Con.
He scratched his chin, thinking back. “Depends. If you want Fort Knox, it’s going to take some time.”
I took another look around. Maybe I was being too hard on the place. I could get some cameras installed, some motion detectors. I could hire security patrols until the police caught the guy sending the threats. “What do you think?” I asked grudgingly, gesturing around.
Con took his time, considering it. Finally, he said, “I think Emma will like it. It’s not too big. Plenty of space for a garden.”
I trusted Con’s opinion. He had that love-of-nature shit in common with Cami and my daughter. He had plants everywhere with different watering schedules and stands that rotated them so they got an even amount of sun on all sides. He had to spend a small fortune just on paying people to keep his plants alive in his various homes.
Lorenzo looked shocked when I told him I wanted to put an offer in.
“I didn’t even think you liked it,” he blurted out.
“I don’t.”
“He loves it,” Con said with a smirk, nudging me. “Don’t you, pal?”
“It’s adequate.”
I estimated how much it would cost to bring the security up to snuff and subtracted it from my offer. Lorenzo acted dubious, but Con had me convinced the owner would accept.