Total pages in book: 110
Estimated words: 108165 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 541(@200wpm)___ 433(@250wpm)___ 361(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 108165 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 541(@200wpm)___ 433(@250wpm)___ 361(@300wpm)
Her hands cover his. “Kiss me.”
He slowly shakes his head. “I can’t kiss you if you’re going to let him fuck you.”
She closes her eyes, squeezing his hands. After a beat, she turns her head, pressing her lips to his hand.
It’s been a long time since Jackson Knight had this much trouble letting go of someone, but he does. He releases her face, and she makes her way to the door, peeling the tape from her hands and dropping it to the floor before it closes.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
FRANCESCA
I’ll hand it to Corinne; she’s more discreet than her daughter. If you’re going to meet your lover at a hotel, a Kentucky Derby-style hat with sizable black sunglasses is the way to go. Paying for a ride instead of taking her car is a nice touch too.
Arriving ten minutes apart.
Separate elevators.
Leaving thirty minutes apart.
A solid plan for an affair.
I watch from my car across the street. What’s my plan? I don’t know. But I have lots of pictures. None of them together, but it’s a start.
Archer: Miss me? What are you doing? Still in town?
“Spying on your wife, which is what you should be doing.”
Me: Touching myself
Archer: FU
I laugh.
Archer: I’m going out of town for a few days. Come with me
Me: I should go home soon
Archer: Terrible idea
Me: Where are you going?
Archer: Does it matter?
Me: Certainly
Archer: Somewhere I can fuck you without interruptions
“Kiss me.”
“I can’t kiss you if you’re going to let him fuck you.”
I feel Jack’s hands on my face, my breast, between my legs, his lips on my neck … I feel him everywhere, every second of the day. But it doesn’t erase the pain and grief. It doesn’t stop my need for revenge. I wish it did.
After stretching my neck and taking several deep breaths, I refocus.
Me: I fear you think I’m easy
Archer: We’ve had 3 dates. I’ve taken 3 cold showers. You’re anything but easy
He’s calling the baseball game a date.
Me: Where are you going?
Archer: Name a place. That’s where we’re going
Me: Bali
Archer: Pack your bikini
Me: I can’t leave town. My grandma needs my help. How about dinner?
Archer: Are you the main course?
Me: I might let you touch my boob
Archer: I might let you suck my cock
Me: Lucky me (eye roll emoji)
He sends me an address with “7 pm.” I reply with a thumbs up.
I tip my head against the headrest. Jack’s messing with me even when he’s not with me. What better way to get Archer to fall into my trap than a trip alone with him. He teed it up. All I had to do was say yes.
When I get back to Eloise’s, the fire chief is out in front of the remains of my brother’s house.
“Miss Holter.” He gives me a polite smile. “It’s safe to recover things from the main level. The investigation is complete.”
“And?”
“Unknown cause. I’m sorry.”
“What?” I shake my head. “It was arson.”
“Inconclusive,” he says.
“Who told you to say that?”
“The arson investigator.” He walks toward his vehicle.
“That’s bullshit.”
“Sorry, Miss.”
I bite my tongue and ball my hands to suppress my scream. At every turn, it feels like John, Lynn, and Steven are dying all over again. I navigate past the front door into the wreckage, fighting back tears. The boxes of items I set aside for the family are covered in soot and drenched from water.
I pull out John’s baby book. The photos are wet but not burned. Sniffling, I hunch down and peel them from the curled water-stained pages.
“Inconclusive,” Jack says behind me.
I nod without looking at him.
“Let me take care of it.”
Standing, I shake my head, feeling on the verge of losing it. “What are you going to do? Kill them? Are you a serial killer? Why are you in Boone Fucking Kansas? Why are you living in a garage with a piano and a punching bag? Where do you go during the day? Who the fuck are you, Jack? Do you have a last name? A family? A life? Did you kill your wife? Is that why you can’t finish your song? Was it an accident? Did she discover your secret? A storm cellar filled with human remains? Did you cheat on her? Did she take her own life because of it? It sucks when someone you love takes their life. Hundreds of thousands of people fight to beat cancer and other awful diseases every day. Do you know how disheartening it is to discover perfectly healthy people just … dead because outside influences in life were just too much?”
My heart hammers out of control. “So please do tell me how you plan on ‘taking care’ of my situation.”
“It’s best if you don’t know. Just walk away. Don’t look back. Justice will be served, and you will be free of accountability.”
“Why?” I whisper. “Are you dying?” My chest tightens from saying the words.