Total pages in book: 64
Estimated words: 61905 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 310(@200wpm)___ 248(@250wpm)___ 206(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 61905 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 310(@200wpm)___ 248(@250wpm)___ 206(@300wpm)
“But I downloaded this app. I’m sure you’ve probably heard of it, it’s quite popular. It’s called TikTok. Well, anyway… I landed on this BookTok side of things where all these women make these amazing videos about their books, and they just manage to grab these perfect parts that make you go ‘oh my gosh, I have to read that.’” She shrugs. “So, yeah, that’s why I picked up my first book, and now I’m here.” She places her phone down on the counter. “Anyway, my name’s Merci. Let me know if you need me.” She turns around, reaches for a book, and opens it to a bookmarked page.
“You aren’t meant to be here.” We both turn at the sound of Lucas’ voice as he enters with Chanel.
“Last time I checked, you aren’t the boss.”
“How are you?” Chanel asks, stepping up closer to me and placing her hand on my arm. She’s kind, though she’s a little rough around the edges. Considering she has to deal with Lucas on a daily basis, that’s probably not such a bad thing. The ring on her finger glints under the bookstore’s light. When they get married, I bet it won’t be a shitshow like mine was.
“Oh, do you know each other?” the woman behind the counter asks.
Lucas smiles before he answers, “This is your boss.”
“Ohhh.”
“Merci, meet Adora. Adora, this is Merci.”
Merci gives me a smile before she steps around the counter and offers me her hand. “I’m sorry I didn’t realize who you were. Your shop is absolutely beautiful.”
“It’s fine. I enjoyed listening to you talk so animatedly about books. It’s a passion all women should experience.”
“Yes, passion, that’s the word, right? How did it go last night? Did you two have a lot of passion? Or did you just fuck like dirty animals?” Lucas asks, his eyes boring into mine.
Chanel hits Lucas’ arm for speaking like that, but I simply shrug. Lucas’ words don’t bother me anymore.
“He didn’t even come home, so who knows who he fucked like a dirty animal,” I reply.
Merci coughs and walks away.
I don’t blame her.
TWENTY-ONE
JOEY
“Fuck! You look like absolute shit,” Keir comments, ever so kindly, from the middle of my living room.
“Thanks, thanks a lot,” I mumble. I close my eyes but snap them open when he kicks my foot. He’s standing directly over me now.
“Mother said you two are going on a vacation. That it is needed. And, frankly, I agree with her. Look at the fucking state of you. Since when do you mope around like a fucking bitch? Get the fuck off the couch and be a fucking man.” His words don’t affect me that much because, clearly, he doesn’t understand what it’s like to be married to someone who doesn’t want you. The woman he was engaged to before Sailor wanted him. She almost killed Sailor to be with him. So, when he says shit like that, the only thing I can do is shake my head and hope he goes away soon.
“I am a fucking man. You don’t understand what it’s like to marry a fucking lesbian.”
“How do you know she’s a lesbian?” he asks stupidly, catching my attention long enough to look up at him.
“You were with me that first day we went to see her, correct? When we walked in, and she had another woman’s head between her legs? I mean, I wasn’t seeing things. I wasn’t on a movie set. You did see the same fucking thing as me, unless you are blind.”
“Of course, I saw the same thing, dipshit, but have you stopped to consider that she also likes men?”
“She likes that one woman.” That’s pretty much all I know. Does she like men too? I have no idea as I haven’t cared enough to ask her.
“Get the fuck off this couch and ask. We have a job to do.”
The fun thing about what we do for work is it never stops. We are known to be cold-ass killers. But the truth of the matter is, we don’t simply go around killing people for no reason. Unless you’re Lucas. The way you die by our hands is when you fuck us over.
We don’t have the word forgiveness in our vocabulary. We weren’t raised with it, so we don’t know how to give it. And that’s okay. This world isn’t for everyone, and I completely understand that logic, but that’s a reason the arranged marriages were always so successful. They were settled between two children who grew up in our world, who understood what was asked of them, what was expected of them, and what they will do for the family. They’re not as frequent as they used to be when my parents were married, but they’re still a thing. I’m living proof of that. Contracts have to be fulfilled. Otherwise, what honor do you have? And family is all about honor.