Total pages in book: 76
Estimated words: 76609 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 383(@200wpm)___ 306(@250wpm)___ 255(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 76609 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 383(@200wpm)___ 306(@250wpm)___ 255(@300wpm)
“Jesus Christ,” I said. “What are the fucking odds of this?” I asked the ceiling, uncaring that Raphael was at the door.
He couldn’t see us, and I guessed it was because he was being respectful rather than pissing us off any more than he’d already done today.
“Shit,” Aspen hissed when she saw me take off the remains of the condom.
“If we conceive a child, I’m making that place that keeps sending you these fucking goodie bags pay for the birth.”
Her mouth dropped open.
“I’m on the pill!” She yelled.
I blinked.
“You said last week you weren’t,” I said.
“Well…” she shrugged. “I started it after my period ended.”
“It’s not effective yet,” I informed her.
She cursed and stomped to the bathroom, only just now aware of the come dripping down her leg.
I threw the remains of the second shittiest condom I’d ever seen into the trash, and then grabbed my pants.
Yanking them up over my hips, sans underwear, I closed the bedroom door and walked towards the front door, bare-chested.
When I unlocked it, I didn’t bother to invite the man inside, I blocked the doorway with my body and glared at him.
“What?” I asked.
He pointed at Downy who was standing down by his truck, his head in his hands, and I found my first smile of the day.
“He saw, huh?” I asked.
Raphael nodded once.
“She’ll be embarrassed as shit,” I informed him. “Tell Downy to give us five and knock on the door, okay?”
He nodded and turned, relaying the message.
I left the door open for Raphael to come inside, walking straight to the door of the bedroom and opening it.
“Close the door!” Aspen hissed.
I closed the door, but not because she told me to; I was going to do it anyway.
“Have you seen my shirt?” I asked, glancing around the room.
“It’s on the back of the chair,” she pointed.
I found it hanging by the collar from the kitchen chair that for some reason was in her bedroom and pulled it on.
“How about my shoes and socks?” I asked.
She pointed to the end of the bed where they were resting nicely and I nodded.
“Thanks,” I muttered.
“You’re a slob,” she said, sitting down on the kitchen chair and reaching down to put her socks on.
She slipped first one foot, then the other, into her socks, then worked the one on with the ankle monitor so the sock rested underneath the monitor instead of being bunched up on the bottom.
“What’s he want?” She asked. “To tell us why he didn’t go to jail with the other guy—well after he recovers from that gunshot wound to his head?”
“He’s undercover. Has been working that case for a long time, and hopefully is still working it if they can keep this whole situation under wraps. Why he’s here now, I don’t know. I didn’t ask,” I slipped on my socks and boots in half the time it took her to get on both socks. “Do you want something to drink?”
She shook her head.
“No,” she pointed at the bedside table where a glass of what looked to be Kool-Aid was sitting.
“’M’kay,” I muttered, opening the door and heading straight to the kitchen.
I pulled out a bottle of water from the fridge and turned to face Raphael.
“What’s up?”
Chapter 14
I don’t know who you are, or what you do. Why? Because I’ve lost all my phone contacts.
-Aspen to an unidentified number that’s most likely her mom, but could possibly be her ex-boss.
Aspen
An hour later
“You’re sure that the mother’s here?” Raphael asked tersely.
Drew didn’t answer him, instead pulling into a driveway that looked like it led into a prison.
“Why does someone have to come through Fort Knox to get to a garage?” I asked. “What do they do that they need this much security?”
My eyes widened when I saw the razor wire at the top of the fence. And was that…electricity?
“They’re a custom motorcycle shop, but that’s not all they do,” Drew muttered.
“How do you know?” Raphael asked.
He was sitting in the back seat next to the kid he’d helped save.
The little girl was asleep in a car seat my brother had let us borrow, and her little head was rolled to the side, the straps of the seat the only thing holding her exhausted body up.
Off in the distance, past the shops, I could see houses, and even further beyond that was a larger structure that I couldn’t really make out.
“Grew up here. And I’m friends with them,” Drew answered. “I train with them to keep my skills sharp.”
I saw Raphael glance at Drew quickly before turning his attention back to the front.
“Are they going to let us in anytime soon?” I asked softly.
We’d been sitting there for upwards of five minutes now.
“They have to come down and open it with a thumbprint scanner,” Drew murmured, his eyes moving to the flash of movement that came from the left behind the shop.