Total pages in book: 83
Estimated words: 78024 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 390(@200wpm)___ 312(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78024 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 390(@200wpm)___ 312(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
“Quinn, I’ve waited so long to meet you.” He holds his hand out and I take it, hoping for a simple handshake. Instead, he captures my hand in both of his and looks me right in the eyes like he’s trying to draw me in. “You’re even lovelier than your mother said you’d be. Did you get my flowers?”
From him? Is it normal to send your girlfriend’s daughter roses before meeting her for the first time? I don’t know what to say so I fall back on staying polite. “Yes, they were beautiful. Thank you.”
Mom stiffens a little, like she wasn’t aware he’d sent them.
I can see why she likes him. He’s handsome and he dresses like he has money. If he’s the one letting her drive his car and funding her projects, she’s probably halfway in love by now. As the meal begins, the waiters call him by name and it’s clear this is his regular table.
At first it makes sense that he spends a lot of time talking to me. This is the first time we’ve met, after all, but as the meal drags on, it starts to make me uncomfortable. I have to field questions about everything from what I did in theater school to my acting progress, and even how I like the apartment. It turns out he was the one who recommended the place to Mom and helped smooth over the background check and deposit.
I’m not sure if I’ve ever been this icked out by someone before without knowing exactly why.
Looking a little annoyed at being left out, Mom breaks in. “So honey, we need to talk about that article. I called Roger to see if there was something we could do about it and imagine my surprise when I found out you okayed it yourself.”
“I did, and there isn’t much to talk about. The reporter is sympathetic to my side of things and I felt it was important to make it clear that I wasn’t involved.” I was expecting to have this talk, but not in front of a stranger. “It was my call and I made it.”
“Of course,” she says, like the words taste sour. “But according to Roger, Starpoint hasn’t responded to his emails since the article was published. That’s exactly what I warned you about. I’ll accept my share of the blame, but your continued association with those bikers is going to do more lasting damage than my miscalculation.”
Miscalculation. I thought I was going to die, and maybe Erika, too.
My first instinct is to just eat my food and stay quiet. I learned early that the best way to keep her happy is to just avoid rocking the boat. My rebellions were always quiet and out of sight. In my head, Sinner calls me a pushover, and Colt shakes his head in disappointment. Priest would just call her a bitch and tell her to fuck off. If Sinner hadn’t been there for my talk with Roger, maybe it would be easier to chicken out, but he’s going to ask me how it went.
I look up. “No.”
Mom blinks like she just short-circuited. “What do you mean, no?”
“Exactly that. No. I’m not going to share the blame. And no, I’m not going to distance myself from the people who stepped in to protect me even before I hired them. In the last couple of weeks, getting to know the Outlaw Sons and the women in their club is the closest I’ve come to having a real family.” And I say that right to her face.
She blanches. “I’ve taken care of you your whole life, Quinn. I’ve made you who you are. I’ve built your success, and I’m the only reason you didn’t throw it away a hundred times over by now. Without me, where would you be? And you call them your family? I am your mother!” Her voice rises higher and higher with each sentence. The few other guests are starting to look, and a couple of the waiters are hovering nearby, trying to decide how far this needs to go before they intervene.
Romero puts a hand on her arm. “How about you take a deep breath, Sheila. Quinn is a grown woman. Of course she’s going to rebel if you treat her like a child.” He’s freaking smiling. If I wasn’t busy being furious with her, I’d give him a piece of my mind for acting like he knows anything about me or our relationship.
“I came here to talk to you about the future,” I say calmly even though I’m feeling anything but. “You’ve been my manager for a long time, and I’m so grateful for that, but Roger and I agreed that it’s becoming too complicated for you. It’s time I hire a professional.”
“You’re firing me?” she shrieks.
“This isn’t about money. We can work something out so you’re still on the books as my advisor or something.”