Total pages in book: 141
Estimated words: 128812 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 644(@200wpm)___ 515(@250wpm)___ 429(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 128812 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 644(@200wpm)___ 515(@250wpm)___ 429(@300wpm)
She doesn't argue, doesn't tell me she can stay as long as I want her here.
She trails closely behind me, waiting for me to close the door when we step outside.
"You can't walk me all the way back to my place," she whispers, as if she's telling me a secret.
"Then I'll walk you as far as I'm allowed to go," I tell her with an easy grin.
She dips her head, feet moving her in a direction we haven't had the chance to explore yet. I follow, quickly getting right into step with her.
"You're a really nice guy," she says, her voice even lower than it was a moment ago.
"I am," I say, but not in a bragging, egotistical way.
"A lot of the guys aren't."
"I'm sorry you have to deal with that."
I keep my face pointed forward, eyes searching the area as much as I can in the darkness.
"I feel like I can trust you," she says softly.
"You can," I assure her. "I promise."
I look down at her, giving her a reassuring smile I'm certain she has seen before, minutes before someone hurt her in some way.
She pauses, her eyes searching mine like they have more than once tonight.
"I hope I get to spend time with you again."
"I could use another back massage," I say, trying to build her faith that I'm not going to assault her without actually saying it.
"This is as far as you can go," she says, digging the toe of her sandal into the dirt as if going home is the very last thing she wants to do.
"You'll be okay from here?"
She nods, looking back over her shoulder. The area isn't much different from all the other places around here. Much like a public bathroom with entrances on both sides, there's a wall on either side with an inset wall of stacked cars directly behind her. Access behind the center wall requires going either left or right to get around it.
"You sure I can't sneak in with you and see your home?"
She shakes her head quickly as she takes a step closer to me.
"Cameras everywhere," she whispers before brushing a soft kiss on my cheek. "Thank you for not hurting me."
She walks away, disappearing around the right side of the wall of smashed cars.
I turn back, making a mental note of how I got here in the first place, but the way they have this place set up is more than a little disorienting. I allow myself to explore, planning to once again use the excuse that I'm so new here that I got turned around if confronted.
I really need to look for Zeus. It's been over an hour since I walked away from the fire pit, and I know every guy there had every intention of pairing off with someone. There's very little chance that they would choose hanging out and drinking beer with friends over getting laid, something controlled by Bobby, it seems.
I wander, eyes scanning as much as I can. I try to look at each smashed car, knowing several were listed as connected to missing women. But there are so fucking many, there's no way I'd ever be able to distinguish those from all the others by sitting down and literally comparing license plate numbers.
Yelling draws my attention to the right, and I rush in that direction.
"Get you-your fucking hands off me, man," a familiar voice slurs.
I huff out a breath, assuming that Zeus has been out and about exploring as well.
"What the fuck?" Scott asks, turning his attention from Zeus, whom he has pinned against the crumpled car wall by the chest. "Are you two out here together?"
"Off," Zeus snaps, his hands ineffectively trying to get Scott to release him.
I can tell it's an act. I know him well enough to know that he could beat this man's ass even if he were drunk out of his mind. Scott is one of those kinds of chronic meth-head skinny types. Like he'd rather skip a meal than lose a chance at getting high.
"Why are you two out here roaming around?" Scott growls, his eyes in my direction as he pulls forward and shoves Zeus back into the car.
I see the flash of fury in my partner's eyes, and I know he's less than one more shove away from killing this guy.
I hold my hands up near my ears, a sign indicating that he has all the power here, something he probably rarely gets around here.
"First," I say, pointing the finger of my right hand in Zeus's direction without lowering my arms. "Clearly he's fucking smashed."
"Could be pretending," Scott argues.
I shake my head. "Think he'd let you get away with treating him like that even if he was pretending."
Zeus lowers his eyes, a mild struggle against the grip holding him, before Scott looks in his direction.