Total pages in book: 120
Estimated words: 112850 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 564(@200wpm)___ 451(@250wpm)___ 376(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 112850 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 564(@200wpm)___ 451(@250wpm)___ 376(@300wpm)
Kitt gave a good-natured chuckle. “So, what do I do to help?”
He was so genuine with his offer that it caused me to let the nibble on the end of my line go. “Can you stick around?”
“Sure. I need to head back probably at dark, but I’m here for however long you want me.”
I reeled my line back in, the line steadily slicing through the water until the empty hook emerged. Then I headed to the chairs, pulling each one to the edge of the pond. I also grabbed my sandwiches, and the Powerades I enjoyed. I’d share my lunch readily. Lord knew I needed the distraction. When Whiskey followed me back and forth between the chairs, I drew the carrots out again, feeding him one. Pepper came for his too.
Maybe I appeared desperate, whatever. I needed the company.
=♥=
Mace
Early Monday Morning
From my perch on the edge of Slade’s bed, I watched the tick of Slade’s old school alarm clock. As if this were the longest sixty seconds on record, the clock finally shifted to two o’clock in the morning. The official time Nico called it a day. This allowed all the toddler Nico’s to handle the night shift until he rose again to start the day around six in the morning.
If I had any chance of leaving without notice, this would be the time.
At least that tracked with my investigatory skills I’d used while pumping Nico for information at dinner last night. The time slipped to one minute past two before I gathered my nerve and pushed off the bed. My duffel bag sat at my feet, and I bent to grab it, forcing any doubt from my mind as I strode to the closed bedroom door.
I refused to allow uncertainty to get inside my head and fuck up all my hastily made plans. By the time I reached the front door, I was running on nothing more than pure nerve. I tossed my bag through the open passenger side window of my truck and shoved my hands in the pockets of the windbreaker I’d chosen if I needed something to help me remain incognito.
Though I’d weighed the options of planting a vehicle down the road, in the end, I said screw it. If I had to, I’d punch the engine once I made it to the main road. I knew the area. I could make a couple of random turns to lead them away from my true intentions.
It meant that Slade would know I was on the move, but maybe not figure out that I was coming to him.
There were lots of holes in the plan. Apparently, they weren’t wide or deep enough to make me rethink this idea. Maybe that was for the best.
I opened the driver’s side door and lifted a leg to slide in behind the wheel when a movement inside the cab caught me off guard. Shocked, I yelped and jumped from the vehicle.
Dammit, I never left the windows open. I only did that night to allow me to quietly add the bag without causing noise.
“What the fuck, Sutton?” Nico yelled, crawling out of the cab of my truck. “The fucking bag scared the shit out of me.” He rubbed a spot between his eyes.
“Why’re you in my truck?” I said, with just as much anger in my tone as he had.
“Where you trying to leave to?” Nico countered, feet from me.
We were in an unnecessary confrontation, burning the precious time I needed to get to the airport.
“Fuck,” I said at the way my heart pounded in my chest. Fuck, I said again, this time mentally. I’d been busted.
“That doesn’t answer me,” Nico said, reaching for his cell phone. “You can’t just sneak off right now. What the fuck, Sutton?”
“Who’re you callin’?” I asked and started for Nico. Under any other situation, I’d do my best to deescalate the moment, but I couldn’t have him destroying something so important to me. “He needs me to show up there. He can’t keep goin’ at it alone. The public needs to see me arrive for him. He’s not in this by himself. You can’t tell him I’m comin’. It’ll ruin everything.”
I wasn’t sure which words stopped him from calling Slade or whoever he intended to reach out to on that damn cell phone, but he lifted his head to stare at me as I edged past him for my truck. He slowly lowered his phone as he took my arm. Not in a defensive move, he appeared to not understand my meaning. He tilted his head to look at me more closely. “You’re planning to go to Slade in California?”
“Yeah.” Of course. I rarely left the farm, and that was only for work. I ate peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for dinner just about every night. Tommy went to the grocery store for those items. Where else would I go?