Total pages in book: 124
Estimated words: 126840 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 634(@200wpm)___ 507(@250wpm)___ 423(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 126840 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 634(@200wpm)___ 507(@250wpm)___ 423(@300wpm)
I thought about the fact that our justice system was fucked, so if they used the money they stole from women to get themselves a good attorney, it was unlikely they’d pay. And if they did, they’d get out in no time at all, just like The Tinder Swindler, and go their merry way setting up shop again.
But Bree would never get her things back. She was going to question herself and her read on people, maybe for the rest of her life. She was never going to forget that she not only slept with the enemy, she let him in her house to take her precious things and defended him to her friends. And that was never going to sit comfortably.
After thinking all this, I went back to eating my hamburger.
“From the minute I laid eyes on you, I knew you were the shit,” Core said softly.
That felt really nice.
I smiled through chewing.
“You should know, Nails surfaced,” he told me.
My eyebrows shot up as I swiped my mouth with my napkin. “Whoa. Really? Where?”
“She’s back in Phoenix. And it seems she didn’t make a deal with the bad guys down there.”
“Did she come up here?”
“Yeah. Made contact with her dad. He wasn’t fired up his biker bunny daughter showed. She didn’t stay long. We got this from a source close to her down in Phoenix. We’ve had no contact with him, so we don’t know why she came up, but we can guess.”
“What’s your guess?”
“She was bragging around Phoenix she had an in with this crew. We know now she was talking smack, but we didn’t when Rush set Resurrection on your family. Told you, they’re bad news. She’s also bad news. They weren’t feeling an association with her in reality or in rumor. They sent someone to shut her up. She left town because, how they’d shut her up, she wouldn’t like. Since she’s back, she probably got word to them she’ll quit running her mouth.”
“Sounds like Eleanor,” I muttered, dunking another fry.
“What’s her story?” Core asked.
I dropped the fry in my mouth, chewed and shrugged.
Then I answered, “I don’t know her very well. It won’t surprise you she didn’t come to a lot of family gatherings, then, after I got older and could decide where I wanted to be, I didn’t either. But stories of her antics are a favorite pastime for that side. Her dad is the baby of the family. He had three kids. She was the middle. What he knew of how to raise kids, he did with his own and spoiled the baby. Apple of his eye. Golden girl. Eleanor acted out to get attention, at least that’s what Mom says. When this attention wasn’t enough attention, she went off the rails, and please do not feel me guilty by association, I hope you know my immediate family is biker friendly.”
His eyes twinkled.
I liked it.
He confirmed verbally too.
“I know that, sweetheart.”
I nodded. “But my dad’s family, they’re not. When she started hanging with that crowd, it didn’t go well for her. I don’t know if she’s officially disowned, but it doesn’t surprise me Uncle David wasn’t super welcoming. The reason she’s in Phoenix at all is because she wasn’t wanted here, and no one really hid it.”
“Then that tracks with info she’s unsuccessfully dealing with a chip on her shoulder.”
“Yes.”
We kept eating, and when Core reached for his Frosty, I said, “So Eleanor’s in Arizona, and the Greeks are going to be dealt with, now what are we going to do for excitement?”
The twinkle was awesome.
But the look in his eyes right then was far superior.
“I got a few ideas.”
“I sense I’ll like them.”
“I know you will.”
“Cocky.”
“Baby, you had an out-of-body experience when you came. It was so huge, your out-of-body body came too.”
I started laughing.
And not only because he was kind of right.
Because he was funny.
And because I had a Baconator and a Frosty on standby, and I had them because I wanted them, and Core made sure I got them.
Also because he was beautiful to look at across the booth in Wendy’s from me.
But mostly because this was the best date I’d ever had.
And I knew that in a way I’d never forget it.
14
THE END OF A FRIEND
Hellen
I was woken by a squeeze on the hip and the prickle of whiskers accompanied by the soft swipe of lips on my jaw.
I opened my eyes and saw it was still dark. We were fast approaching autumn, but it was still summer, days were long and morning sun came early.
Therefore, sleepy and surprised, I looked through the shadows to see a fully-dressed Core bending over me.
“I gotta get to my pup, baby. He’s probably been crossing his legs for the last few hours and that’s not cool.”
My God, I’d forgotten about Nanook.
He was right, that wasn’t cool.