Total pages in book: 81
Estimated words: 77198 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 386(@200wpm)___ 309(@250wpm)___ 257(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77198 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 386(@200wpm)___ 309(@250wpm)___ 257(@300wpm)
“I’m so sorry, Billy. If I could take it back, I would.”
His expression softened as he stepped over to me and slipped his arms around my waist. As he pulled me close, he assured me, “We’ll figure it out.”
“But how? What are we going to do?”
Billy looked anxious as he told me, “First, I’ve gotta get in touch with Viper and let him know what’s going on.”
“Doc’s friend?” My throat tightened with worry as I asked, “The scary one?”
“Yeah, that’d be the one.”
“What does he have to do with all of this?”
“You know how DeLuca has people?” I nodded. “Well, I have them, too. And Viper is one of those people.”
“I see. So, he can help us?”
“I certainly hope so.”
I watched silently as Billy took out his cellphone and dialed Viper’s number. His face was void of expression as I stood there waiting for his friend to answer. After several moments, he finally said, “Yeah, this is Billy.”
There was a brief pause, and then he added, “Yeah, I know that’s the way it usually works, but today, it’s me needing something from you. Not the other way around.”
There was a brief pause before Billy continued, “We ran into some trouble last night.”
He paced back and forth as he listened to Viper’s response, then added, “Antonio sent some guys to the house. I’m pretty confident that they were looking for Everleigh.”
He grimaced as he listened to Viper’s response. “We both knew it was a possibility, but I have a pretty good idea how he figured it out.”
Billy glanced over at me, then explained, “Everleigh got into his financials and moved some money around. She did her best to cover her tracks and all that, but they found a way to connect it to her. If I had to guess, I’d say he used the IP address to track it to my house, but I can’t be sure.”
While I couldn’t make out what he was saying, I could hear Viper’s thunderous voice grow even louder. Concerned that I might hear what he was saying, Billy gave me a half-hearted smile and walked out to the front porch. Just before the door closed behind him, I heard Billy say, “Yeah, I know. That’s why I’m calling. I’m gonna need your help.”
As tempted as I was to eavesdrop, I decided it was best to give Billy his space and finished putting the rest of the groceries away. He hadn’t bought much—just some basics for sandwiches and possibly a light dinner, so it didn’t take long for me to put it all away. By the time I was done, the coffee was made, so I poured myself a cup and waited anxiously for Billy to come back inside. Thankfully, I didn’t have to wait long.
I’d only taken a few sips of my coffee when the door opened, and Billy stepped back inside. He was still on the phone as he said, “She’s supposed to be in Boston until the end of the week. When she gets back, we’ll need to keep her under close watch.”
Billy paused for a moment, then told him, “I appreciate this, Viper. I’ll definitely owe you one.”
He hung up the phone and immediately started over to the coffee pot. As he poured himself a cup, I asked, “How did it go?”
“Better than I expected. We’re going to look into some things and see what we can figure out.”
“That’s good.” Curiosity had gotten the best of me, so I asked, “And Kiersten is still in Boston?”
“Yeah.” He came over and sat down across from me as he said, “Of course, she’d be hundreds of miles from home at a time like this.”
“Well, she’ll probably be safer there than here with us.”
“I was thinking the same thing. Viper, too, but I’d feel better if she was closer to home.”
“I understand.”
He took another sip of coffee, then stood. “I’ve got a few things I need to take care of. After that, would you be interested in taking a ride? I could really use a break and some fresh air.”
“Yes, a ride sounds great.”
“Good deal. Just give me a bit, and then, we’ll head out.”
Billy took his cup of coffee to his bedroom and closed the door, leaving me to fend for myself. I figured he’d be a while, so I grabbed myself a muffin and poured myself another cup of coffee, then went out on the porch.
I went over and sat down on the swing, and it wasn’t long before my mind drifted to Billy. I’d known from the start that he was different from other men I’d known, but I didn’t realize how different he truly was until we made love.
When I was younger, I thought a good man was just a guy who had his shit together—had a good job, dressed well, and had a roof over his head. I thought if he had good friends and came from a good family, then he was set, but Billy had taught me that there was much more to it than that.