Total pages in book: 76
Estimated words: 72617 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 363(@200wpm)___ 290(@250wpm)___ 242(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 72617 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 363(@200wpm)___ 290(@250wpm)___ 242(@300wpm)
“I’m trying, but my head keeps getting in the way. I’ve just been overthinking everything. I even tried to talk to Wyatt about it, and he wasn’t exactly keen on the idea.”
“He’s your brother. It’s only natural that he’s worried about his little sister.”
“If you say so.”
“He’ll come around. You’ll see.” She paused for a moment, then asked, “So, do you guys have any plans to let the rest of the brothers know what’s going on?”
“Not that I know of, and honestly, I’m good with keeping things between us, at least for now. I mean, you and Dad know. Wyatt, too. And anyone Wrath’s told. I figure that’s enough for now. ”
“You’re probably right, but keep in mind, Willow’s birthday party is coming up. That could be an opportunity.”
“Maybe. We’ll see.” I glanced down at my watch, and when I saw the time, I stood up and said, “I better get going. I gotta get to the office and try to find something to keep me busy until Garrett gets back.”
“Is he still gone?”
“Yes, but he emailed me last night and said he was wrapping things up and would be back soon. I just don’t know if that means today or next week. It’s hard to tell with jobs like these.”
“Well, I hope he gets back soon, so you can get back to your regular routine.”
“You and me both.” I gave her a quick hug, then said, “I’ll see ya soon.”
I felt a little better about things as I walked back to my car and drove to work. After receiving his email, I was hopeful that Garrett would actually be there, but sadly, there was no sign of him—which was probably a blessing since I was so late. I checked the office voicemail and email, but there was nothing. I wasn’t going to blow off another day, so I went into the office and tried to find something to keep myself busy.
I made a few calls. Talked to Darby and Casey. Caught them up with everything that had been going on. I worked on my planner and plotted out the next few weeks, and once that was done, I decided to do a little work on my portfolio.
I went through some of my older photos and picked out a few of my favorites, then compiled them all into one file. I played around with a few edits, but it didn’t take long for me to become bored. I needed something a little more challenging to keep my focus.
Before I thought about what I was doing, I’d gotten up and started down the hall. It was late—well after closing. I should’ve gone home for the day, but instead, I went to Garrett’s office. When I got to his desk, I was disappointed to find that his work laptop was gone. I shouldn’t have been surprised. He would need it to upload his images, but that left me out of luck.
Feeling defeated, I turned and started back out of his office. I was just about to hit the lights when I spotted his personal computer bag hanging on the coat rack. I stepped over and looked inside, and I was pleased to see that his personal laptop was there. I took it out and carried it over to his desk. Even though I was just trying to be helpful and look for some old images that might need editing, I got a funny feeling as I sat down and pried it open.
But that didn’t stop me from turning it on.
As soon as the laptop powered up, it asked for a password. I didn’t have a password, nor did I have a clue what it could be. That should’ve been my sign to just let it go.
It wasn’t.
I was tired of being utterly bored and determined to find something to keep me busy while Garrett was gone. So, I started putting in possible passwords. I started with simple things like mypassword and password123; then I tried his name and his birthday. None of them worked, and I was about to give up when I spotted a picture of Princess, his beloved Rottweiler, on the corner of his desk.
I thought she looked a bit scary, but he was crazy about that dog.
I typed in her name, and just like that, my day took a turn.
And the week ahead would become anything but boring.
CHAPTER 17
Wrath
“I understand your qualms with the Demarco brothers. I have them, too, and like you, I’m working diligently to make sure they are held accountable for their actions.”
“We have more than just a qualm with them,” Cotton argued. “Their guy hunted down Wrath and, in the process, killed all those people in Leland.”
“Yes, and he hunted him in hopes of getting to me. And they will pay for their actions.”
“You’re damn right. We’re going to make sure of it.”