Total pages in book: 70
Estimated words: 68698 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 343(@200wpm)___ 275(@250wpm)___ 229(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 68698 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 343(@200wpm)___ 275(@250wpm)___ 229(@300wpm)
Bowie started to cry then.
“I never meant to.” He sniffled. “He just said that when he did stuff like that, it made him feel better. Made his head not feel so full.”
He being his coach.
Well, he was my next fucking errand that I had to run.
“What do we do from here?” Danyetta asked. “Will he be arrested?”
“As of right now? No,” Sunny said, wincing. “That’s not to say it won’t happen in the future.”
Sunny got up to leave, and I followed him.
Morrigan stood, too, her face set in a frown.
“Where are you going?” she asked, sounding ravaged just like me.
“To talk to this coach of his,” I said. “To get some insight into what he was thinking when he told a bunch of kids that when he got mad, he used to set things on fire. Wake, do you think you can take Morrigan home?”
I followed Sunny out as Wake said, “Sure.”
I might feel bad about sending Morrigan with Wake and Dutch later, but right then, I needed to go get some shit off my chest.
“I’ll go with you,” Sunny said. “You know where he’s at?”
“My guess, he’s at his place of business. He owns the Sports Den in Hocha,” I said. “When it rains, he holds practices there instead of at the fields.”
“What are your thoughts?” he asked, looking worried.
“I’m thinking that piece-of-shit baseball coach that I’ve had a horrible feeling about has been influencing little kids,” I said. “He’s likely been the deciding factor in the youth of this town starting vandalism as an extracurricular activity. I’m thinking he knew exactly what he was doing when he suggested to the kids what he did to ‘feel better.’”
Sunny nodded. “I agree. Let’s go.”
CHAPTER 17
Gymnophoria—the sensation that someone is mentally undressing you.
-random facts
MORRIGAN
To say that I was uncomfortable would be an understatement.
The moment the door slammed behind Aodhan, all the people in the room turned to look at me. Even Bowie, the boy-man that was definitely more boy than man.
His eyes were the same gray as his father’s, but the rest of his coloring took after his mother. Blonde hair, pale skin. I could definitely see a lot of Danyetta and Aodhan in him. But his body makeup and mechanics? That was all Aodhan.
As I stared at Bowie as he stared at me, I took in everything about him, down to the little thing that he was doing with his fingers. Tapping the tips of one set of fingers together in a seemingly random pattern.
“Your father does that,” I said, gesturing toward Bowie’s fingers. “He used to do it a lot when he was younger. Sometimes he would go so fast that I always thought it was a random pattern. But one time I asked him whether he did it in a specific order or not, and he said that he tried to tap them in a way that they wouldn’t touch consecutively.”
Bowie immediately stopped, causing me to snicker.
“Your father also has that same scowl,” I said. “He used to give it to people at the gas station when they called me a weirdo.”
“Why’d they call you a weirdo?” Danyetta asked as she came to sit on the chair arm her son was sitting in.
“I wasn’t the most normal of kids.” I scrunched up my nose. “Aodhan and I were born on the same day. Both of us lost a twin at birth. Did he ever tell you that?”
Dutch gasped. “No!”
I looked at her, then got up and held my hand out to her to introduce myself. “I’m Morrigan. It’s nice to officially meet you. I’ve heard a lot about you around town.”
A wail sounded from the corner of the room, and that’s when I turned to see that a baby was now very much awake in a playpen behind a small room divider.
Wake left and came back with a baby. A very cute one that was adorably sleepy looking, and only had eyes for her father who was holding her with such devotion.
I would’ve thought that holding a baby would turn the large, intimidating man into a man that was a little bit more approachable, but if anything, he gave off a more dangerous air. Touch or hurt my kid in any way, and I’ll fuck you up.
I stepped away from him, and he noticed.
I stepped a few more steps away, and he noticed that, too.
“I’m not going to hurt you,” he said.
I shrugged, feeling my heart start to pound.
I immediately regained my seat, but it was useless.
All the excitement for the day led me to only one outcome.
I passed out before I could make it to my chair.
• • •
“…I think she’s waking up,” I heard a commanding female voice say.
“You sit over there, and keep your stupid scowls to yourself,” I heard another order.
The second female definitely sounded pissed.