Total pages in book: 120
Estimated words: 121887 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 609(@200wpm)___ 488(@250wpm)___ 406(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 121887 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 609(@200wpm)___ 488(@250wpm)___ 406(@300wpm)
Ah, so it was Cap who told him.
I started to say something, but Javi shook his head.
“They’ll give you space, but they’re gonna be on you women, Harlow. It’s how it’s gonna be.”
Here was the bossy again, and I probably shouldn’t let him get away with it, but since their goal was to keep us safe, I didn’t know why I felt I should fight it in the first place.
“All right,” I agreed.
Javi relaxed underneath me and concluded, “When you’re done, one of the men will either drop you here or I’ll come and get you.”
“They can follow me here in my car so I can have my car.”
“Or I’ll meet you at the Oasis and follow you home in your car.”
That was easy.
Since it was, I wasn’t going to question it, I was just going to go with it.
“Do we have a reservation for tonight?” I asked.
“Affirmative,” he answered.
“What time?”
“Seven.”
“Where are we going?”
“It’s a surprise.”
Hmm.
Nice!
Since I didn’t want him to change his mind about our earlier discussion, I decided it was time to lock him in.
“When are we shopping for your throw blanket?”
He shrugged. “Tomorrow, if you’re not wrapped up in some Angels business.”
Excellent!
“We can do brunch in the morning then hit West Elm,” I planned.
“Whatever,” he muttered.
So, not totally down with shopping, though maybe totally down with doing whatever so he could be with me.
I’d take it.
Oh yes.
I’d so totally take it.
Absolutely.
SIXTEEN
“THEREFORE I AM”
(BILLIE EILISH)
When Javi drove us up to the storage units, I saw Cap’s Porsche Panamera was there, Gabe’s Jeep was there, and Luna’s Prius was there.
Cap and Gabe were leaning against Gabe’s Jeep, but none of the women were visible, which I read as them being behind the closed door to the unit that was Angels Headquarters.
I also read this as Raye being pissed at Cap for horning in on our investigation action.
Javi stopped his truck, and we both got out.
After he dropped a kiss on my lips, he moved toward Cap and Gabe, I moved to the door.
I hefted it up and the awesomeness of our Headquarters confronted me.
Thick, white carpeting. A curved red couch with black piping, which faced a big black desk that had an old-fashioned speaker in the center of it. Panels over the cinderblock walls covered in swirly red, orange, pink and black on a white background. On these were portraits of all the Angels done in Warhol style. Behind the desk, a large screen. And a recent edition, a beverage fridge stocked with waters and sodas (Arthur, we’d found, liked to surprise us with fun, new goodies).
There was more, and obviously the rest of it was as awesome as described.
And yes, I know what you’re thinking.
A kick-butt headquarters in a storage unit in Phoenix? Wasn’t it two hundred degrees in there?
No.
Arthur didn’t scrimp.
He never scrimped.
So even the units that just held the cars were temperature controlled.
I heard Javi whistle low, and I turned to him.
“And I thought NI&S had it going on,” he remarked.
I shot him a sunny smile.
Luna glared at him and tugged down the door so its edge hit the cement with a crash.
I heard Javi’s roar of laughter through the steel door.
“We’re mad at the guys,” Luna announced when I looked to her.
“I’m not mad at Javi,” I returned.
“The collective guys,” she amended. “Not one in particular.”
“Except Cap,” Raye put in. “I’m particularly mad at him.”
I wanted to know what was going on, but while Javi and I were essentially moving me into his townhome, I’d made some decisions.
Okay, so, backing up a bit, I was minorly freaking that Javi encouraged me to unpack at his place, giving me closet and drawer space and everything.
But I did.
At my place, I then repacked both cases and a workout duffle, all of the perishable food in my kitchen, some of the non-perishable stuff, my yoga mat and all my exercise stuff, my nutribullet and my blender. We’d lugged all that to his place (more full disclosure, Javi did most of the lugging, I’d been ordered to unpack, so I did).
And…yeah.
I was minorly freaking about this.
Again, I wanted to know what was going on with Raye and Cap, etc.
But I had bigger fish to fry.
Therefore, moving away from the door so Javi couldn’t overhear, I stated, “I want all the updates, but first, Javi’s dad showed last night.”
There were shocked sounds all around because everyone knew Javi’s dad was a rich deadbeat loser.
“You are joking,” Jessie said angrily.
“I am not,” I confirmed. “Apparently, he’s divorced his wife so she can no longer bust his hump about cheating on her when she was pregnant, doing it making another woman pregnant, and now he wants to, as Javi puts it, ‘play dad.’”
“Oh my God!” Jessie snapped. “What a colossal dick.”
“I know!” I cried and collapsed on our red sofa as all the girls gathered around. “So obviously, we have to do something about this.”