Total pages in book: 112
Estimated words: 113272 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 566(@200wpm)___ 453(@250wpm)___ 378(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 113272 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 566(@200wpm)___ 453(@250wpm)___ 378(@300wpm)
But she would be paying him back.
If she ever saw him again.
8
“Idon’t think this is a good idea,” Shaw said, eyeing the diner with some trepidation.
Shit.
Eli watched him closely. He’d lost a lot weight and there was a sunken look to his face. As well as dark marks under his eyes. He looked like he’d been through hell and back.
Which is exactly what happened.
And now he had the nightmares to accompany the terror he’d gone through.
Who could blame him for trying to find a way to numb his feelings and memories? Eli sure didn’t. But some people would.
Shaw had disappeared for some time after his discharge from the Navy. He’d stopped answering their messages and calls, forcing Eli and Kellan to go looking for him.
When they’d finally found him, he’d been a mess. Eli had been scared that he wouldn’t make it.
But some time spent with Duncan’s calm demeanor and Laken’s sweet caretaking was definitely helping.
Well, they’d thought it had been. Until the other night when they’d gotten a call in the early hours of the morning that Shaw had tried to harm himself. They’d rushed to be with him. And they’d stayed with him for the past two days, requesting more leave so they could take care of him.
Duncan, Laken, and Remington couldn’t do it all. Hopefully, their other brothers would turn up soon to help.
Their youngest brother, Joe, was still at college studying to be a doctor. Wyatt and Carson were both working on oil rigs. They were the oldest two of the Jones brothers. Followed by Kellan, Eli, and Duncan. Then Remington, Shaw and Tucker. No one had been able to get hold of Tucker. The last time Eli heard from him he was in Costa Rica taking photos of the wildlife.
Fuck.
Kellan would have to try to track him down. Last, was Pierce and Joe. Joe was in college while Pierce was part of a band that was touring the UK currently. He’d be home as soon as he could too.
They weren’t always that close. There were over eighteen years between Wyatt and Joe. But in the house they’d grown up in, they’d had to stick together to survive.
Their father had been a complete asshole and it was only because of the oldest ones taking care of the youngest that they’d all survived.
Survive, yes. But thrive?
No.
Kellan had had the worst relationship with their father who hadn’t liked anyone who seemed different. Kellan hadn’t been into sports like Duncan, Wyatt, and Carson. And he’d been smaller back then. Weaker.
Of course that had all changed. Kellan hit a growth spurt at eighteen and he’d also hit the gym.
There’d be no way their father could push him around now.
“Maybe you are right,” Kellan eyed the diner.
“We’re going in,” Eli said tiredly. “I need coffee. And not that decaf shit that Duncan served up.”
Laken was pregnant and the rule in their house was that if she was drinking decaf then so was everyone else.
No doubt Duncan got some decent coffee at work.
“This place has never seemed sanitary to me,” Kellan said.
Dear God. He was never going to get them in the door. He just wanted some coffee and to get Shaw to eat something. Duncan and Laken had left early this morning for a scan at the hospital.
So they’d decided to have breakfast at the diner.
All right . . . he’d decided to have breakfast at the diner. He’d pressured the other two into coming with him. Shaw needed to get out of the house.
He’d had a really bad couple of days. They were taking shifts so that Shaw was never left alone.
But it had been a tough forty-eight hours and he was glad they were out the other side.
For the moment.
Shaw’s gaze was clearer and he was no longer trying to hurt himself.
That didn’t mean they could take their eyes off him. Duncan had to work yesterday, but after this scan he had a few days off. Which would free the two of them up.
“Come on,” Eli said. “The two of you need to socialize more. There is nothing wrong with the diner.”
After breakfast, Eli wanted to stop by the sheriff’s office to talk to Jake. He felt terrible that he hadn’t called or left a message for Arabella about breakfast, but they’d lost track of time. Since then, his calls to Arabella had gone to voicemail and the only answer he’d gotten to his messages was very brief and to the point.
Jake said he’d talked to her and that she was all right, but the bastard wouldn’t tell him anything else.
It worried Eli that he hadn’t heard from her. What if she was ill? Hurt?
That was it. As soon as they had breakfast he was going to put some pressure on Jake and if he wouldn’t help, Eli would have to get Kellan to track her down.