Total pages in book: 68
Estimated words: 69772 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 349(@200wpm)___ 279(@250wpm)___ 233(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 69772 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 349(@200wpm)___ 279(@250wpm)___ 233(@300wpm)
I clenched her waist and pulled her in tighter to me.
“I’m okay,” I said softly, right against her ear.
She pressed against me, her shoulders sagging. “Good.”
I liked that she cared.
She could act unaffected by me all she wanted, but she still loved me just as much as I loved her.
Which only made what was about to happen tomorrow all the worse.
I couldn’t very well tell her what was about to happen.
I also couldn’t not tell her something.
She’d never forgive me if I didn’t.
“You want to go grab some dinner?” I asked. “Then you can come out to my new place.”
She looked at her watch. “Dinner sounds good, but I can’t come out to your place. That address you showed me is over forty minutes away, and I have to be on shift tomorrow by ten in the morning. It’s already nine.”
That was true.
We had guys’ night so late because all of the brothers were on different shift times. Garrett and Quincy were on an eleven to seven shift at the moment. I had the day off along with Auden. The rest of them were on shift from eight to four.
Needless to say, we either didn’t meet at all, or we met late.
“What about your guys’ night?” she asked, eyeing my brothers who were now laughing and carrying on surrounding one of the bar’s pool tables.
“We can go hang out for a bit, figure out who’s gonna be the DD if I’m not here,” I said as I tucked her hand in mine. Right where it belonged. “Then we’ll head out.”
“Okay,” she said softly, not pulling her hand away from mine.
We came to a stop next to Garrett who was at the end of the table, lining up his shot.
“Which one of you is still sober?” I asked the crowd.
“I am,” Gable said. “Don’t really feel like drinking all that much anyway.”
His eyes went to Shayne, then flitted away, letting me know that we were on the same page.
We didn’t want to do what we were about to do tomorrow.
Fuckin’ A.
I had to warn her in some way.
Elliette, knowing what was happening tomorrow, who was also on the team to help serve the warrant, gave me a narrow-eyed look, as if she was half-expecting me to warn her of what was about to happen.
I narrowed my eyes at her, not liking the way she was acting.
If I wanted to fuckin’ tell her, I would.
She needed to back the fuck off.
“Good,” I said. “I’m taking Shayne out to eat, then we’re going to her place.”
They all knew what would happen at her place.
Shayne knew what would happen at her place.
Elliette stiffened. “Do you think that’s wise, Quinn?”
I gritted my teeth and said, “We’ll see y’all later, brothers.”
“What was that about?” Shayne said as I guided her outside.
“That’s fuckin’ Elliette, butting herself into my business like she has a right to be there,” I grumbled darkly.
“Trouble in paradise with your best friend?” she asked as we walked to our usual haunt, the KFC that resided on the corner.
We’d pick up the food and walk back to her place, which used to be within walking distance of mine. We always went to mine, because the thought of being in her space always left me with a deep feeling of sadness. She didn’t know that was why I always suggested mine.
But when she was at my place, and the smell of her was left on my pillows and sheets, her half-filled Dr. Pepper bottles left on my counter… it allowed me to pretend that she was there. That I hadn’t lost her so completely.
I was already regretting the move…
I’d probably never have her smell on my sheets again.
I’d never be able to bury my head in a pillow and pretend that she’d be back any second.
She’d probably do everything in her power never to come over to my new place.
Fuck, I hated my life.
“Quinn?” Shayne nudged me, reminding me of where we were and what we were doing. But also the question she’d asked me before I’d gone into la-la land.
We ordered, and then I leaned my hip on the counter as I explained. “Elliette has always been a bit of a pain in the ass. I mean, she’s very clingy. But she’s like that with everyone, so I don’t think I’m anything special. It’s just that she doesn’t know how to read the room. I wasn’t in a good mood, and she’s trying to remind me of responsibilities.”
“Responsibilities that include you not hanging out with me, or having anything to do with me, since I’m a sister of a criminal,” she mused.
I gritted my teeth.
“I know that I’m not very popular at the station,” she murmured. “I’ve gone and bailed his ass out of jail one too many times, and everyone there hates me because I’m the woman who keeps giving him second chances. I deserve the hate. But I just…” she dropped her head to her chest. “After Nonna died, and he still didn’t clean up his act… I’m done now, Quinn.”