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)
I turned my head toward my guy. In that unspoken way we had, Mace lifted his left hand, running his fingers over my hair, gripping and tugging to guide me in the direction he wanted me. As far as I was concerned, I wasn’t ever going to cut my hair again. I liked a good hair pull.
“Quit looking at my appearance and focus on why you’re calling.” Even under my own declaration, I turned to Mace. “Put my hair down.” Mace did, patting my head.
“It’s not gonna happen,” Mace said with a critical assessment.
“How in the world did I miss you, Mace? Let me correct that. What’s up?” Gray asked.
The sound was sexy, given with his best come hither, and Mace and I both turned toward Gray. Me, radiating with pure jealousy. Mace lifted his chin and a hand in appreciation.
In a briefly calculated move, my hand lifted, blocking Mace from Gray’s line of sight. Gray didn’t appear put-out. He lowered his head and peeked at Mace from the bottom of the screen.
“Stop being a baby,” Gray stated flatly. “Your boyfriend’s hot. People will look. Now tell me who Dash is to Mace. You two can’t already be divorcing and splitting your assets, being friends forever.” Gray tried his best to hide the grin tugging at the corner of his mouth but failed. “So now I have to come up with a prenup for dating?”
“You’re a dumb shit,” I said. “Dash is representing Mace on a couple of matters. We found him through Austin. Dash handles legal for Grainger Studios.”
“I believe he has your Grainger Studios contracts ready as well,” Gray said in a way that said I should already know that.
“See what he has to say. He and Mace talked about filing a civil suit regarding his accident. By the time Mace’s memory returned, the investigation was settled and closed. No one wanted to reopen the case.”
“A civil suit?” Gray asked and reached for a pen, finally taking the call seriously.
“That’s what he said,” Mace answered.
“Against the Dunn family and everyone else involved. Apparently the investigators flat-out lied, and the guy who caused the accident didn’t die,” I added.
We lost Gray for several seconds as he wrote with a savant’s intensity on the piece of paper. “We need to get Bryce involved. He’s connected with the wealthy of Texas. They pal around. He’ll help. I’ll put Dash with him. He’s great at knowing the right holes to poke. Hold tight. Let me see if he’s available to be on the call.” As Gray put the pen down and began to type on an unseen keyboard, Mace and I waited, staring at the small screen as he worked.
“I’m sorry you had to go through all that,” Gray said absently to Mace. “We’re more corrupt here in Texas than people realize. The wealthy set the laws and enforce them only to their own benefit. It’s a crime in itself.”
“It’s hard talkin’ about it,” Mace confessed. “Harder thinkin’ about it after the memories came back. Justice seems like a good thing. Settin’ the record straight matters, I guess.”
Gray added Bryce to the call but I was also given an option to accept him into the conversation.
“Why am I needed to help with anything? What do you want?” Bryce said irritated. “You’ve got about two minutes. I’m busy.”
“I need you to tell me about Dash Richmond. Offer insight for an investigation,” I corrected.
“Why? Gray that’s why I pay you so much money.”
“Barely minimum wage,” Gray shot back with a pfft.
Bryce’s bark of disgusted laughter was instantaneous. “Yeah. If only that were true. Do you know what minimum wage is? I’m not actually being paid minimum wage either. Far below.”
Oh no, we couldn’t joke about money in front of Mace, or he would shut down, and worry about it for the rest of the day.
My finger instinctively reached forward and pushed end to Bryce’s time on the screen to which Gray laughed hysterically when his brother’s image vanished.
Mace needed more time with us to digest all the shit talking and back and forth we did all the time.
“What about the money?” Mace asked me quietly. “I can work more shifts if we need money to pay for all this.”
The words were sweetly muttered with concern. Like shift work could ever make enough money to cover these men’s costs.
“Money’s covered, but if it’s not, you can pay everyone back when you get paid from the civil suit,” I explained, just as quietly. He nodded still staring at me for the reassurance. I nodded again too.
“Dash said yesterday that we’d share anything he could get in a thirty/seventy split,” Mace said, shaking his head. “He said he’s covering all expenses and we don’t have to put up any money to make it happen, and his contingency will pay him back for those expenses too.”