Total pages in book: 145
Estimated words: 135792 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 679(@200wpm)___ 543(@250wpm)___ 453(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 135792 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 679(@200wpm)___ 543(@250wpm)___ 453(@300wpm)
“What are we looking at?”
“I hauled this here first thing in the morning. It needs work, but you can have it for now,” Frank answered.
With the sky so gray, the cold wind, and the piles of tires behind it, the dilapidated trailer should have seemed like a bleak future, but all Knox could see was a place for him and Liv. Somewhere of permanence. A roof over their heads that they didn’t have to pay for.
Elongated, in a dirt-white color, and with one window broken, it sure needed work, but it was bigger than the dwelling they had shared in California.
Frank led the way, approaching the old school trailer. “I’ll get you a generator for electricity, and we’ll help you connect it to the water supply, so you can stop using my shower.”
“Yes!” Liv slapped the side of the trailer as if it were a juicy buttock, and offered them a wide grin that showed off the cute gap between his upper teeth. “Nice and remote. What’s not to love?”
But Knox hadn’t been born yesterday. “What’s the catch?”
“I’m not giving it away for free,” Frank said, folding his arms and standing next to Liv, as if he wanted to show who was the biggest, meanest alpha in the junkyard. “You two will need to pull your weight. And not just during the day.”
Liv dropped the smile. “Like… you want us to kill people?”
The words chilled Knox all the way to his bones and he kicked an old can to the side of the road. “I can kick someone’s ass, but this—”
Frank stopped him with a low growl. “What I’m saying is that you need to do what needs to be done. I placed the trailer here,” he pointed to a gate in the fence down the road. “So that you can be an extra set of eyes for me. This is a very large area, and I could use the help. Killing isn’t in the job description, but every now and then, a friend of ours might need help with disposing of a body, and they come here. It’s a dirty job, but someone’s gotta do it. If it helps you sleep at night, no one who gets dealt with here is an innocent. We try not to get involved either.”
Knox swallowed, glancing over Frank’s shoulder, to the trailer that promised safety. “Is that what we stumbled into two nights ago?”
Liv frowned and stuffed his hands in his pockets as he thought through Frank’s offer. “I guess… if they’re already dead, they won’t care what happens to their bodies. I can do that,” he said and shook Frank’s hand.
Frank gave Knox an expectant glance. “Yes, fallout from two gangs sorting out their shit. The kind of money they leave with us keeps the place afloat. But if you want a piece of that pie, you need to be all-in. Sometimes shit gets dangerous, and I need to know I can count on everyone who lives here. Most of the time, I’ll need you to fix cars, sort through junk, or operate the machinery, just everyday stuff.”
Knox pulled his hand out of his pocket to shake Frank’s hand too, because what options did they have? Only time would tell whether they were getting the opportunity of a lifetime or sealing their fate.
“I’m a hard worker, I’ll pitch in however you need.”
“It’ll be just like before. Our own trailer, Knoxie,” Liv said and approached one of the corners of their new home to playfully hug it.
Frank sighed. “I’ll give you the day off. This place is… a work in progress.”
Which meant it was a shithole, but at least it would be their own shithole.
Knox smiled at Liv, happy to see him this excited. Especially after how today had started for him. “Not to be greedy, but you wouldn’t have some old piece of junk car, would you? We’ll pay you back once…” once you pay us? God. They really were fucking broke.
Frank shook his head, looking at them with more pity than Knox would have liked. “Yeah, you’ll need to get to work somehow, but I’ll deduct it from your pay, and you’ll need to fix a few things in it yourself.”
Knox’s smile widened and he once more shook Frank’s hand. Because Frank mentioning pay meant they wouldn’t have to go begging Ezra for food. “Thanks, Frank. We will work so hard to repay you.”
Frank’s lips twitched, but he didn’t smile. He lingered for a few more seconds, as if unsure how to respond to Knox’s gratitude after slapping him earlier. “Get that trailer working, will you? There’s a hose attached to a pipe by the fence, and I left you some cleaning supplies inside.”
“Knox, there’s a portable stove in here,” Liv shouted, already halfway inside the trailer.
Knox gave Frank an unsure glance and pointed to the trailer. “Can I…?”