Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 89093 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 445(@200wpm)___ 356(@250wpm)___ 297(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 89093 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 445(@200wpm)___ 356(@250wpm)___ 297(@300wpm)
They shunted Roderick from the family, and when Rosie ‘died,’ they made sure he didn’t get a penny over the amount cited in her will.
Roderick never disclosed Rosie’s final wishes to Cecil, though. He kicked him out of the home they shared and fired him from the quarry, all the while making out he was acting on the family’s behalf.
His act was so convincing, Cecil gave up hope only a few short weeks later. That was the night Tasha saved him. Although she had the strength to carry him through the woods and care for him in treacherous conditions, she didn’t have the gall to go against Roderick and the crime entity backing his campaign, which is understandable considering the escalation of his crimes the deeper he merged himself into the life of mafia royalty, but she always kept an eye on Cecil.
It was that cautious watch that saved JR.
When things went quiet after she ensured JR knew who Roderick’s focus would be shifted to if he dies, Tasha lived a humbled, off-the-grid existence that only ended when news of CJ Petretti’s death forced her out of hiding. I don’t know what garnered her the strength this time around to go against Roderick, but her determination to fix the mistakes she’s adamant she made saved my life and ensured JR got to live his without shackles.
Tasha’s inclusion in my life has been a godsend.
I can’t say the same for Cedric.
With the clergy who filed Cecil’s last will and testament no longer working at Saint Frances and his last known address unknown, before Roderick could threaten to kill his family if he dared to tell anyone about the adjustment, he was forced to come up with a new plan.
That plan included getting close to a doctor who never had a spare second for herself but could always find time for a fellow medic.
Roderick coerced Cedric into dating me.
With the FBI’s presence noticeable in the Cataloochee area since Cecil’s death, my ‘accident’ wasn’t meant to occur until we were on foreign turf. Roderick only switched things up when Cedric couldn’t keep his dick in his pants long enough to get me on a plane. When Rosha called to confess her sins to her older brother, Roderick got inventive with the spikes he had used to force their grandmother off the road for the second time in her life.
He killed her that time around instead of scarring her as Col had done to his son only years later.
Although charges have never been brought forward regarding Roderick selling organs on the black market, I believe that is how he and Cedric met.
An admission of guilt won’t make much difference to Roderick’s sentence, though. With Tasha’s evidence undeniable, he’ll be lucky to serve one of the eighty-eight years he was sentenced. If an inmate doesn’t kill him, a lethal injection will. That’s how evil and corrupt his crimes were after his face was disfigured by JR. He took his anger out on everyone around him, including the niece and nephews of a Sicilian crime syndicate leader.
He is the very epitome of a dead man walking.
“Are you here to walk me out?” I ask Isaac while heading for the coat rack to grab my winter jacket. It doesn’t get overly cold in Ravenshoe, but since you can never be too careful on long drives down snowy hills, I always pack an extra layer of clothes just in case.
“More like kick you out,” he replies with a playful grin. “Did I hear you right when I walked in? Did you ask Trinity to keep you up to date on a patient?”
Not thinking, I nod.
“Won’t that be a little hard to do at your new placement?”
I brush off his unwarranted concern with a wave of my hand. “They have this brilliant thing called satellite phones. Supposedly, they work on the moon, so I’m sure they can handle a snow blizzard or two.”
“They better,” Isaac mutters, shocking me with hope in his tone. “You’ve been a part of my team almost as long as Hugo. It’s hard to let you go.”
As my heart beats out a happy tune, I reply, “I’m still a part of your team, Isaac.” I twist my lips. “Just as of close of business tomorrow, I’ll live a handful of states over from you.”
“I could—”
“No,” I interrupt, cutting him off. He’s offered multiple times the past six months to find a rustic ranch on the outskirts of Ravenshoe for JR and me. To begin with, it sounded ideal, but then I realized it would be selfish of me to remove JR from the one place he’s ever considered home. I can practice medicine anywhere, but you only ever have one home, and mine is with JR.
“JR belongs at the cabin… and I belong there with him.”