Total pages in book: 69
Estimated words: 66580 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 333(@200wpm)___ 266(@250wpm)___ 222(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 66580 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 333(@200wpm)___ 266(@250wpm)___ 222(@300wpm)
“Hi!” I said as he took me in.
“What happened?” he asked. “I heard part of it. What the fuck’s going on?”
“Nothing,” I said quickly. “Callie just had a bad dream.”
“Bullshit.” He stepped in, closing the door behind him. “You were freaking out and you’ve been crying.”
I reached to touch my cheeks, startled to realize he was right. They were wet. I shifted nervously, and the bag of crystals in my panties poked uncomfortably. That’s when the full horror of the situation hit. There was a baggie of meth tucked up against my crotch.
Could meth go through plastic?
I had no fucking idea. I’d known plenty of meth heads—hard not to, growing up like I had—but I couldn’t remember ever hearing anything specifically about whether it could seep out of a baggie and into your coochie. I needed to get the drugs hidden somewhere else. Immediately.
“Sit down,” I said, pointing to the couch almost desperately. “I’ll get you a drink.”
Turning away from Shade, I walked into the little kitchen, trying not to waddle. Then I opened the fridge door, using it as cover to reach down and dig out the baggie. I stuffed it quickly into the vegetable drawer and then grabbed two beers.
I turned around to find him standing right behind me. Shit. How long had he been there? Had he seen anything?
“Here you go,” I said, offering him a beer with what I had to assume wasn’t the world’s most convincing smile. “Let’s go sit on the couch.”
He didn’t move for a minute, studying me thoughtfully. Shit. He must’ve seen something.
You don’t know that, Wonder Woman said calmly. It’s like playing poker—you’re bluffing. Don’t crack.
“Don’t you want to sit down?” I asked, hoping I didn’t sound desperate. Shade reached out, taking the beer. For an instant I thought he’d call me on it, but then he stepped back, holding out his arm, inviting me to go first. We’d just reached the living room when I heard the sound of a car pulling up.
“That’s Hannah and Heath,” I said quickly. “Um, she’s not really going to like the fact that you’re here. You should go before she gets pissed.”
“Answer one question,” Shade said quietly. “This thing you’re lying to me about—are you in danger?”
“No,” I said firmly, shaking my head. “Callie just had a bad dream.”
“She said something about her dad and keeping secrets. You freaked the fuck out and dropped the phone. That doesn’t sound like a bad dream to me.”
The front door opened and Hannah stepped through, followed by her deputy. There was instant tension in the air as Heath took in the situation—obviously not a big fan of the Reapers.
The feeling was mutual, and the two men stared each other down, two alpha dogs just poised to attack. I shared a look with Hannah, willing her to play along, even though I knew she was probably pissed to find a man here. We had a strict no-sleepovers policy. I was supposed to be babysitting the kids, not fucking around with some biker.
“Did you have a good time?” I asked brightly, hoping any residual puffiness from the crying was gone.
“Great time,” Heath said, his voice a lazy drawl. He wrapped an arm around Hannah possessively. “We appreciate you watching the girls.”
“They were fantastic,” I said, my voice unnaturally perky. “And Shade was just heading out, weren’t you?”
I turned to him, begging with my eyes. Leave. Just leave. Don’t drag Heath Andrews into this.
“Sure,” he said, standing. He walked over and pulled me into his arms for a long, slow kiss that probably looked sexy as hell. I felt the coiled tension in his arms, though, and when his tongue plunged deep into my mouth it was more threat than caress. Hannah coughed behind us and I could practically feel the anger coming off her in waves.
Shade ended the kiss, dropping his mouth to my ear.
“I’m not dropping this,” he whispered. “You need to tell me what happened here.”
“There’s nothing to tell,” I whispered back. “Just go. Leave me alone.”
He pulled away, raising a finger and running it along the side of my cheek, down my neck and into my cleavage. The gesture might’ve been flirtatious, but his eyes were cold as ice.
Then Shade turned and sauntered toward the door. When he reached Heath, the deputy didn’t step out of his way immediately. They shared another unreadable look before Heath moved closer to Hannah, wrapping an arm around her neck in a clear message of possession. Shade nodded toward the deputy then went outside, closing the door quietly behind him.
The room fell silent. My stomach churned. I took a deep breath, praying I wouldn’t puke or something.
“Did the girls do okay?” Hannah asked awkwardly. Heath studied me without speaking, his face thoughtful. Suspicious? I couldn’t tell.
You’re probably being paranoid, Wonder Woman whispered. Play it through. You can do this.