Total pages in book: 188
Estimated words: 185811 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 929(@200wpm)___ 743(@250wpm)___ 619(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 185811 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 929(@200wpm)___ 743(@250wpm)___ 619(@300wpm)
“Are you okay?” I slowly turn my head at the question and come face-to-face with the attendant. “Ma’am.” He grabs my arm, shaking me slightly. “Are you okay?”
“They stole my car,” I whisper as my throat tightens.
“The cops are on the way.” He looks around. “They emptied the register. I didn’t open the safe though, so they didn’t clean me out completely.”
I nod. I mean, that’s great, but they have my car, my purse, and my phone. And with that thought, I promptly burst into tears.
“It’s okay.” He pats my back awkwardly. “Come inside and wait for the police to get here.” He takes my arm and leads me into the gas station that I see also has rows of snacks and other things, motioning for me to sit on a stack of milk crates near the door. I suck in a breath, trying to talk myself into calming down because things could most definitely be worse. “Here.”
I lift my head as the attendant shoves a four-pack of toilet paper and a beer at me, leaving me no choice but to take both.
“Thank you.” I attempt to smile, and he jerks his chin up. Looking uncomfortable, he walks off, muttering something about emotional women. I set the beer on my lap and open the toilet paper, taking out one of the rolls and using a swatch to dry the tears that roll down my cheeks.
“The police are here.” The attendant stops near me as sirens rattle the glass, and red and blue lights bounce off the white walls and floor. I get off the crate and follow him outside, watching as a police cruiser parks near the entrance.
While the attendant walks around the hood of the car, I watch a familiar-looking man in uniform emerge from behind the wheel. My brother, Aiden, has been best friends with Noah since they were teenagers. The two of them played soccer and spent every minute together growing up. Even to this day, they’re like brothers.
Heck, Aiden is more Noah’s brother than he is mine.
My sibling only deals with me because he feels sorry for me. Well, that and because his girlfriend May is possibly the nicest human on the planet and has, for some reason, decided that she and I are friends. Even after I auctioned Aiden off at a gala we were at together—knowing she was there with him. But that’s a long story I’d rather not relive anytime soon.
And Noah…well, he and I never spoke until recently. Not that we actually talk now since I can’t seem to form many words when I’m in his presence.
“Babe.”
Noah’s deep voice snaps me out of my thoughts, and I focus on him. How did he reach me so quickly?
I tip my head way back to meet his gaze since the top of my head barely reaches the middle of his chest, even in my heels. Given the current circumstances, my first thought should not be how attractive I find him, but it is.
He’s not classically handsome, not in the slightest. He doesn’t have a thick head of hair but is bald instead—by choice, is my guess. His jaw is a little too hard, the beard covering it making it look even more so, and his eyes are far too knowing. Then, there’s his size. He’s at least three times bigger than most men, not just in height but also in width, and he looks like he could pick someone up and break them in half with ease.
Maybe that’s why I’m so attracted to him. He’s not what I’m used to.
“What are you doing here?” He drops his eyes to my hands when I don’t answer, and I do the same, realizing that I’m clutching the toilet paper and beer to my chest.
“The guys stole her car, pointed a gun at her, and she’s been out of it since,” the attendant tells Noah before I can get my mouth to work. His eyes narrow.
“Pardon?” he asks quietly.
“Yep, pointed a gun right at her, then got in her car and took off.”
“They pointed a gun at you?” Noah’s gaze meets mine, and I honestly don’t know what to do with the look on his face, but I can see I need to answer very carefully.
“It was for like…a second. Then they took off,” I tell him quietly, and he looks me over.
“Did they hurt you?”
“No,” I assure him as a muscle in his jaw twitches. The walkie on his chest comes to life, and a woman relays some information, along with an address.
“Fuck,” he bites out, his jaw clenched. “I gotta go.” His gaze locks with mine. “Do you have your phone?”
“It was in my car.”
“I’ll call your brother and tell him to come pick you up.”
I shake my head, knowing I don’t want that. I’ve already burdened Aiden enough with my crap. He’s the one I called when I left Conner. And he’s been nice enough, despite our lack of relationship, to let me stay at the house he’s not been living in since he moved in with May. I don’t want him to have to come and get me from a gas station fifteen minutes from his house at seven at night. “I still have my credit card. I can get a cab.”