Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 91748 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 459(@200wpm)___ 367(@250wpm)___ 306(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91748 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 459(@200wpm)___ 367(@250wpm)___ 306(@300wpm)
“So, she’s just moving in?” I asked, confused as to how this was helping her. “Doesn’t she have a life to return to?”
Bane cut his eyes at me. “Her parents were murdered in their bed. In her home. No, she doesn’t have a life to get back to.”
I hadn’t thought of it that way. I guessed she wouldn’t want to live there.
“Is she in college?” Kash asked.
Bane nodded. “She was. But she can’t continue. That will make her traceable. Right now, our goal is to keep her alive. Not to make sure she gets a degree.”
“Good point,” Kash muttered, then took another drink.
“What about Blaise contacting Telos? Making a deal to let her live?” I asked.
Bane shrugged. “That’s for Blaise to decide.”
“Dad also doesn’t want this mentioned in front of Mom,” Oz stated yet again. We knew that already.
“No shit,” Kash drawled, getting Oz’s glare this time instead of me.
“Before the three of you start in on each other, let me wrap this up. Halo, Hawks, and I won’t be back until Monday. Oz has to go to Athens to get a million dollars that is owed to us from a stockbroker with a gambling problem. The women are all staying here, and Linc wants Kash, Forge, Gathe, and Than here with them. My parents, Mal, Luther, and Lace are all going to the race. Linc will probably stop by this weekend to check on things or give any updates from Blaise.” He nodded his head to Oz. “Calvin is going to send messages through the private server, and Oz is handling that. She can’t have a phone. If she tries to contact anyone, it could be traced, which y’all are aware of. I think that’s everything.”
“When will y’all be back from Athens?” I asked Oz, not liking that I wasn’t going to be able to go to see Mom tonight.
“Before sunrise,” he replied.
I’d go see her in the morning.
I turned to leave the room.
“Four games tonight, and two have heavy bets on them,” Oz called out.
“I’m aware,” I said without looking back at him.
“I’ll be busy. That’s all on you,” he added.
Fuck. “Fine.”
Opening the door, I left before I was given any more jobs to handle. I didn’t mind the bookie work, but I did when I was doing it all on my own. Normally, Oz and I split it up, especially when the NBA games were stacked. At least it would distract me. Maybe I wouldn’t get that restless, caged feeling that made me want to scream.
I’d only taken two steps when our new houseguest walked around the corner, then froze, wide-eyed, as she stared at me. She looked like a damn deer, ready to bolt. Normally, the female population did not react to me that way. But then again, lately, the only females I’d spent any time with were the kind that danced naked and I stuck bills between their legs.
“You lost?” I asked since this wasn’t the way to the bedrooms.
She opened her mouth, then closed it before nodding. If she wasn’t so damn gorgeous, she’d have looked ridiculous. But seeing as there wasn’t anything she could do to take away from her features, I had to admit that it was kind of cute.
“Where were you headed?”
She licked her lips and bit her bottom lip while her eyes darted around, as if she hoped there was someone else she could talk to before meeting my gaze again. “Uh, I was—I mean, I thought that this was the way to the kitchen.”
Easy mistake. The house had a lot of hallways and rooms.
“Nope. Follow me,” I told her.
Her expression said she would rather walk around lost for hours than go anywhere with me. Why was that? Did she act like this with all men except Calvin? Had someone hurt her in the past? Well, fuck. Now I had a shit ton of questions for her.
“I don’t bite, sugar. You can relax,” I told her.
She didn’t relax, but nodded her head. At least the big doe eyes were back to being all sultry and exotic.
“So, how long have you been friends with Calvin?” I asked her as I headed in the direction of the kitchen.
“Since kindergarten,” she replied.
I stopped walking to turn around and see if she was serious. She wasn’t smiling. Her eyes went wide again.
“Seriously?” I asked, somewhat amazed.
She nodded.
I might possibly believe they had been friends as kids, but when she turned into a hot piece of ass, he would have been hitting puberty. It had to have changed. Right? I mean, I was almost positive he was straight.
“Is he gay?” I asked her just to be sure.
She frowned and shook her head.
“And you choose to claim just friends because why exactly? Is there another guy?”
For a moment, I didn’t think she was going to answer, and then she pointed at her chest. “Another guy, as in am I in a relationship?”