Total pages in book: 63
Estimated words: 63139 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 316(@200wpm)___ 253(@250wpm)___ 210(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 63139 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 316(@200wpm)___ 253(@250wpm)___ 210(@300wpm)
I glance over, not even realizing she was there. “Oh, hey, Doris.”
“I heard about your little prison stay,” she tells me, her face softening just a touch. “I bet that wasn’t fun.”
“Well, I came out in one piece so it wasn’t horrible,” I tell her.
“I went to prison once,” she goes on, one of her usual stories. “There was this man and he wouldn’t leave me alone. He was obsessed with me. One day, during a time he was following me, I had enough. I took off my heel and whacked him right over the head with it. Maybe more than once. He had me charged for assault, and the police locked me up for a night. But I’d do it all over again, dear.”
I laugh. “God, only you could attack someone with a heel.”
She nods. “Well, it was all I had on me at the time. Why did you go to prison?”
“Murder,” I say, blank faced. “Only it wasn’t me.”
Her eyes widen. “Oh my, oh dear. I must know more.”
She gets up from her table and joins mine. I tell her everything and she listens, sipping her coffee every few minutes and not once taking her eyes off me.
“Oh dear, that’s terrible. I know what you should do, you need to have that really handsome biker gang go to your father, tie him up, and torture him until he confesses. It’ll work, it works every time. I watched a movie the other day where they cut off his fingers, one by one, until he spoke up.”
“Jesus, Doris. You’re too old to be watching that stuff.”
“Nonsense, dear, there’s nothing like a good horror. Anyway, that’s what you need to do.”
“My father is too smart for that. He won’t let anyone get their hands on him.”
She waves a hand. “Oh, rubbish. He can’t stay inside forever. That club, oh, they’d make him talk.”
“And then they’d get into trouble,” I point out.
She scoffs. “They’re smarter than that. All they need is to get him to tell them where the body is ...”
She makes a point.
A really valid point.
Maybe this plan is better than the other one.
Perhaps this is the only way to sort this out. If we take my father and make him talk, then maybe, just maybe, we might have a chance. It has to be better than what they’re planning.
It’s terrifying that an old woman gave me the idea, but I’m certain if you spent long enough with Doris, she could tell you things that would make your skin prickle. The woman has lived some life, there’s no doubt about that.
“You know, Doris, you’re smarter than people give you credit for.”
“Oh, I know, dear.”
I laugh. She’s priceless, that’s for certain.
“Hey,” Eve says, coming to the table, face flustered. “Sorry I haven’t stopped and talked to you yet, it has been crazy in here today. Are you okay?”
I nod. “Doris has been keeping me company. Actually, she has given me an idea. I’m going to go and see Riggs.”
Eve narrows her eyes. “Is that safe?”
“Probably not.” I laugh. “But it’s worth doing.”
I stand and smile at Doris. “As always, your life advice is on point.”
She smiles up at me. “Just remember, teeth, hands and feet ... very good for identifying a person. So be careful with those.”
Oh, Jesus.
I laugh and walk out.
I want to be Doris when I grow up.
I’m certain everyone does.
15
“IT’S RISKY,” RIGGS says, crossing his arms.
“Maybe, but you can’t tell me you haven’t done worse. If my father is going to talk, it’ll be because he is terrified for his life.”
“The problem with that is,” Adan pipes up, “if we let him go and he goes to the cops ...”
“What is he going to say? A bunch of bikers kidnapped him and made him confess? He’s not that stupid.”
“I have an idea,” Poppy pipes up. “Remember that cop, who wanted me to get information on the club?”
“Dane?” Ramona says.
“Yeah, I feel like if we talk to him, he’ll consider this. If it’s him who makes the arrest ... he can make whatever my father says work in our favor. I think he could make this easier.”
“Risky,” Riggs murmurs. “Trustin’ a cop. I think we can get this done without him. Your dad isn’t goin’ to squeal, when he’s goin’ down for murder. They ain’t goin’ to give a fuck how it came about. We’ll just be careful.”
“So you’ll do it?” I say, holding my breath.
“If you think your brother won’t come to the party, then yeah, we’ll do it. Didn’t want to get our hands messy, but you’re right, this is probably the better way to go,” Riggs agrees.
I look to Remy. “What about you?”
He nods. “I’ll happily bring that fucker down. After what he did, I want to see him suffer.”
“Well, then that’s that.” Ramona claps. “Now, how do we get him?”