Total pages in book: 168
Estimated words: 164910 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 825(@200wpm)___ 660(@250wpm)___ 550(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 164910 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 825(@200wpm)___ 660(@250wpm)___ 550(@300wpm)
She smiles and wraps her arms around Army’s neck.
He just tilts his head at me, glaring, albeit softly. “Ames won’t like this,” he mouths.
“I’m counting on it.”
I dig my pocketknife out of my track pants and hold it up. “This is for you, Anna-Katherine.”
I demonstrate how to open and close it as she watches. She flashes a small smile and takes it, wrapping her fist around it.
Army gives me a scolding look, like he’s not entirely sure she won’t slit all our throats in our sleep.
Only the monsters.
He starts to leave.
“If anyone asks,” I call out, “this is where Anna-Katherine is.”
He glances back at me.
“And where I am,” I say.
Hopefully, he gets out of here before anyone sees him put her in his car, but if anything comes over his radio, I want them to come.
Leaving the lights off, I pour another shot of bourbon. I drink it down and move to the windows, turning off my phone and peering out of Anna-Katherine’s vibrant colors to the lot below.
I don’t want Callum trying to call me if he hears where I am and is looking for her. That cop I passed earlier saw me, and if he didn’t pursue, it means he has instructions to let someone else.
I’m not breaking the law as long as I stay inside. And there are plenty of places to hide in this school.
The rain pours, the minutes tick by, and I’ve almost gone to lie down on the couch when I see them.
Three figures stepping out of the trees.
20
Callum
“Stay here,” I tell my friends as I gaze up at Dallas’s classroom.
If Sophia’s having a meltdown, I don’t want them witnessing it.
I start to walk, but Milo steps in my way. “Nah, fuck that.”
“Then go home.”
I scowl at him through the rain. Officer Chavez saw Dallas’s car cruising past curfew, heading toward the school, and once he got a hold of me, I knew Sophia must be there.
When I got done with my calls after dinner, she was gone. Milo said she went for a walk, and she knows damn well she’s not allowed to be out after dark. Why would he take her into the school? Did she call him? She wasn’t answering her phone when I tried.
I’d waited a bit for her to come back, but after Milo left, I jumped in my car. I searched the park, the ice cream bar, the pet store…They have a huge saltwater aquarium in their display window. She loves it there.
Then Chavez got a hold of me.
“I’ll deal with my sister myself,” I tell Milo.
Vincent moves to my side. “You shouldn’t let her around him at all,” he says. “There’s no telling what he’s filling her head with.”
“They already have Clay and Krisjen.” Milo stares up at me. “Her brain may be a noodle, but she’s still pretty. He’s after her, Callum.”
The last part, he bites out in a stern voice, but I don’t need their help in there. I don’t want to fight with Dallas in front of Sophia, but it might be impossible, and things are going to be said that I don’t want my friends to hear.
When Chavez called me, I called them simply to stand watch.
“When he steps outside,” I dictate, “grab him.” I start walking toward the school. “And let me handle Sophia my way.”
Leaving them behind in the rain, I walk to the side door, glancing at Dallas’s car as I pass. The front and back seats are empty, and I’m tempted to yell for Vincent and Milo to smash in his fucking windshield. What the hell is he doing in there alone with her?
Unlocking the door, I slip inside, quickly locking it behind me. Kind of pointless, because they have keys, too.
Removing my phone from my pant leg, I dial my stepsister. Drifting into the school, I listen to it ring in my ear as I scan the courtyard. A bit of moonlight peeks through the clouds, spilling onto the garden, but there’s no movement or sound, other than the steady torrent of water falling through the open roof.
Ending the call, I tap out a text. I’m inside.
Milo replies, If you’re not back in 15, we’re coming in.
Plenty long enough to throw her over my shoulder and spit out a few fucking choice words for Dallas. Are they in his classroom? He has a couch.
My heart pumps a mile a minute. If he’s touching her…
Goddamn him.
I’m not surprised. He’s a piece of shit, and I’ve known it for years.
I squeeze the phone in my hand, calling her again and climbing the stairs to his classroom. Ringing finally reaches my ears, and I vault up the last of the steps, charging toward his room.
“Sophia?” I call out.
Her phone glows bright on Dallas’s desk as it rings in my ear. I hear his voice before I look around.