Total pages in book: 88
Estimated words: 85322 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 427(@200wpm)___ 341(@250wpm)___ 284(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 85322 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 427(@200wpm)___ 341(@250wpm)___ 284(@300wpm)
“We have a lead to follow up on too,” Finn said. “Two of the women have, with semi-certainty, identified the same mark on their hands, and we know which club it is.”
I glanced at him. “So it is a club.”
He nodded. “By next week, we’ll have twenty-four-seven surveillance in there, and I’ve put JJ’s crew on a stakeout detail. We will find them, Alfie.”
“We don’t know if they’ll actually be there,” I replied. “They could still be using the club stamp to fuck with the investigation.”
“The club caters to a Balkan crowd,” he told me. “That’s not a coincidence. We’re getting closer.”
Maybe he was right. I knew it was no use for me to ask to be involved again; Finn would just deny me and say I was too close and too emotional. He had a small point—a tiny one—but fuck, I hated being on the outside.
“Furthermore, I tend to get what I want, cousin.” Finn buttoned up his coat and retrieved his phone. “Once upon a time, my wife said she could picture having two or three kids. Now I’m hoping for a fifth boy so she’ll keep going for six and seven.”
Man, I hoped they had a girl. Emilia fucking deserved it!
“Is she pregnant already?” I asked.
“No, not yet.” He looked to be writing something on his phone. “West, I’mma shoot my old man a message. If you wanna vent, keep it within the syndicate.”
West cleared his throat and opened the door. “No venting necessary. Have a nice Thanksgiving, boys.”
I chewed on my bottom lip and watched him head back inside.
My stomach tightened with worries, and I hated feeling the slightest distance between us.
We’d been so good with complete honesty.
“He okay?” Finn asked.
“I don’t know.” I was gonna find out, though. “Today’s gonna suck. Have a good one, guys. And thanks for coming over.”
“No problem.” Finn nodded with a dip of his chin. “We’ll keep you posted.”
“Aight, cheers. Give Emilia a hug from me and tell her I hope you have a girl.” I climbed out of the car and bumped fists with Kellan to the sound of Finn’s bitching.
Music to my ears.
Now I had to confront West.
I was gonna blurt some shit out in true Alfie fashion.
If nothing else, it would distract me from picturing the scum of the earth buying videos of women being beaten half to death.
Praise the lord for small miracles—Trip and Ellie were nowhere to be heard on the first floor, and I wanted privacy for this next bit.
West was in the kitchen again, this time inspecting the wineglasses.
I took a deep breath.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
“No. I’m angry.” He didn’t look away from what he was doing. “I trust you can relate.”
Yeah, I still felt the distance, and we needed to nip this in the bud before we went on to talk about what we’d seen in the car.
Nerves fluttered and tightened in my stomach, and I took a step closer. “I’m gonna tell you something—we said we were gonna be stupidly honest all the time, but lately, I feel you’re keeping something from me,” I said. I swallowed dryly as he stopped and turned toward me. “And it doesn’t have to be big or bad or whatever,” I added. After all, I didn’t wanna blow shit out of proportion. “Just…something’s changed—you’re a little colder in general—and now I want you to say yes, something has changed, rather than get defensive and tell me I’m wrong because I’m not wrong. I know you, and I see it. Something’s happened. Something’s changed. You’re a little different. Please admit it.”
Okay, shut the fuck up.
I drew in a breath and waited.
He was infuriatingly unreadable, merely staring at me, and for every second that ticked by, the distance grew. The noose around my throat was back, because I couldn’t fucking take it. We’d been so happy.
Please, baby. Talk to me. I need you.
Eventually, he dropped his gaze to the counter, and his jaw ticked the way it did when he was struggling with something.
“It hasn’t been my intention to hide anything,” he said quietly. “I’m still figuring things out—but you’re right. Something is changing.”
Funny how that admission both terrified me and offered a pinch of relief. It meant the world that he’d answered honestly, but goddamn, if he’d changed his mind about us, I was going to break into a million fucking pieces.
“Okay, so—” I had to clear my throat because it was closing up. Fuck, fuck, fuck, this couldn’t be happening. “Can you walk me through it? Tell me if I can fix anything? Is it me? If it’s too much with everything—”
“What?” He snapped his gaze up and frowned. “Why would you—” As if something dawned on him—fuck if I knew—a breath gusted out him, and he closed the distance between us and hugged me tightly.