Total pages in book: 93
Estimated words: 85228 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 426(@200wpm)___ 341(@250wpm)___ 284(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 85228 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 426(@200wpm)___ 341(@250wpm)___ 284(@300wpm)
From the redness in her cheeks and how her hand clenches the strap of the bag she brought with her as she tugs open the front door, I'd wager she's avoiding me instead. Ignoring the way that makes me feel, I move to the front window that looks out over the front parking lot, narrowing my eyes when a group of guys from the neighboring cabin notices her, one swatting the other in the chest and motioning to her just as she climbs into her car.
I feel murderous at the men for some unknown reason, my mind formulating a way to get them out of their short-term rental so they aren't around the next time she has an appointment here. I could easily cut the power to their cabin and make it impossible to fix in a couple of hours, but that might just have them being relocated to a different cabin where I can't watch them as easily.
As she drives off, I consider where to go from here, but Jericho was adamant that I stay away from her. I'd never do anything to compromise Eli's therapy, but that doesn't stop me from imagining going back to the club to see if she's still going.
I haven't been back since that night.
After she never showed back up, I wandered around, noticing a weird and heated exchange between the man I knew as the new owner of the club and one of the patrons. It made me believe that the new owner was no more law-abiding than the old one was. They stopped when they noticed me, but I knew it would be very suspicious if I returned. In a sense, my cover was blown.
Hemlock sent Lark in, who discovered a week and a half later that the owner was involved with the old owner, and things really hadn't changed. He was arrested for money laundering and selling drugs to his clients.
I haven't even bothered to check and see if the club was yet again operating under new management.
It makes me consider going back to see if I'll find her again.
There's always a chance that every new owner is dirty in some way, and there's a possibility that she'll end up in danger. The idea makes the hairs stand up on the back of my neck. That part of me that is always willing to fight for those who can't protect themselves tries to claw its way up inside of me.
I press my hands to the window as I watch her brake lights light up momentarily before she pulls out of the parking lot.
Her being here means there's an entire file on her somewhere in this house. I know there isn't a Cerberus commander that would let anyone in the house who could pose a threat to the club or Eli. I bet the dossier compiled with her information is possibly thicker than some that have been done on sex traffickers we're trying to take down.
It makes my fingers itch to search for it, but Jericho's warning rings in my head. Staying away from her and trying to get info about her are in direct contradiction with each other.
Pretending she doesn't exist is probably best, but that doesn't silence that whisper in my head or quell the foreboding I have as she disappears around the bend in the road.
I argue that although I have no responsibility for her safety, Eli would be devastated if something terrible happened to her. His therapy is of the utmost importance to everyone here.
She's also a grown woman capable of making her own decisions, but folks making bad decisions that land them in horrible situations aren't part of our consideration for helping.
We aren't exactly a tough love group. We don't consider that people get what they have coming because they don't weigh all the pros and cons before making a choice that could land them on the radar of a criminal. We don't allow people to continue to be hurt, so they hopefully learn a lesson.
My phone chimes with a text message, pulling me away from the window as I step back and pull it from my pocket.
Hemlock: Conference Room
I head down the stairs, meeting Zeus, the big-ass ginger of the group, in the living room. It seems he got the same text I did.
The conference room door is already open, and Hemlock is standing in front of the room.
Casper is sitting in the corner near his equipment, hair still damp from his time in the pool.
Hemlock doesn't speak until after I pull the conference room door closed.
With Cora, Zara, Aspen, and Eli in the house, we make sure all meetings are private. The last thing we need is for any of them to have some of the evil things we face in their heads. We protect them at all costs, and that includes their mental health. Not everyone is able to handle the knowledge of what truly goes on in the world.