Total pages in book: 77
Estimated words: 77551 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 388(@200wpm)___ 310(@250wpm)___ 259(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77551 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 388(@200wpm)___ 310(@250wpm)___ 259(@300wpm)
“I’m afraid I can’t allow that.” Evangeline makes notes on her iPad.
“Yeah,” Ariel says. “I don’t want that either, Em. Alex needs to figure things out. Maybe being away from me will help him.”
I sigh. “For the love of God. Fine. I’ll have the bloody date. Plan something early. I’m bloody exhausted.”
“I can do that.” Evangeline makes more notes. “How about an early dinner on the beach? Fresh fish with local fruits and vegetables?”
“Sounds delightful,” I say, again dryly.
“I’ll get it set up.” Evangeline turns and looks over her shoulder. “River is coming back, isn’t he?”
I nod. “He said he’ll be back tomorrow.”
Evangeline grimaces. “All right. Just another thing that’s gone wrong. If you’ll excuse me, I need to go throw up.”
I close the door behind her and turn to Ariel.
“Be honest with me,” I say. “Do you truly love Alex? Or are you more in love with the idea of marrying a billionaire?”
“Emily...”
“It’s a valid question, Ariel, and one I’ve been asking myself. I know my answer. What is yours?”
EPISODE 163
UNDER THE RADAR
River
Twenty years ago, I was in a different place compared to the rest of the guys. My parents weren’t rolling in it or anything, but they owned a ranch. Raised beef, pork, chickens. We employed a few hands who boarded in a small bunkhouse.
Even after Dad’s accident, we always had food on the table. Mom and Uncle Bobby saw to that. I never went hungry—not like Seb and Jake did sometimes. Except they didn’t, because they knew they could always come to our place to fill their empty bellies. We had good grass-fed meat, fresh eggs, and tons of fruit and vegetables as Mom was an avid gardener and loved preserving food for the winter.
Brett and Alex both lived in town and did odd jobs to pad their wallets, but at least they never lacked food. Seb and Jake both lived with single mothers. Seb’s mom was a drunk, and Jake’s? He never said anything, but she was “between jobs” a lot, and we all had ideas about how Lisa Patterson made ends meet when she got desperate.
Knowing now about Misty, I wonder if she was some kind of surrogate for the Holmeses. Carrying a kid for the hotel magnate would pay a pretty penny. Then again, why would they want a working-class woman from a tiny town in Montana when they could hire the best surrogate in the business?
So much I don’t know.
So much I hope to find out during this quick trip.
I look down at the clouds as the chartered plane flies, bumping with a touch of turbulence every now and then. I take a sip of my bourbon.
And I remember.
Twenty years earlier...
“I’ve got to go back,” Jake says. “I know Marnie followed us there. And now...” He rubs at his forehead. Goosebumps erupt on his arms.
He’s nervous. Well, hell, aren’t we all? We just robbed Old Man Larson. We’ve got to lie low. Seb and I have got to talk some sense into him. We can’t go running back to Larson’s property.
“I’m going,” Jake says again.
“Have you gone completely mad?” Sebastian says. “You’ll fuck this up for all of us. Marnie is fine. She probably went—”
“I’ve told you that she didn’t go home. Riv and I already went over there.”
Nope, she wasn’t home.
Jake came to me this morning. To me, because he was hungry. I gave him breakfast, but he hardly nibbled at it.
Worry still etches his features.
Damn. Is it possible that Marnie did follow us?
Jake walks toward the front door.
His jaw clenched, Sebastian grabs Jake’s arm and yanks him back. “Don’t you fucking dare, Jake. Don’t you fucking dare.”
Jake wrangles himself free of Seb’s grasp. “Fuck off, Seb. You know what’s at stake. She’s pregnant! I have to find her.”
“Then go find her,” Seb grits out, “but stay the hell away from Larson’s.”
I’m about to open my mouth to agree with Seb when his mother appears behind us, her hair a mass of tangles. She wears an old flannel robe. Her eyes are bloodshot and puffy.
“Sebastian?” she says.
“Shit,” Seb says under his breath as he turns. “What do you need, Mom?”
“Do we have any more vodka?”
“Nope. It’s all gone. How about a nice cup of coffee?”
She shakes her head and shuffles back to her bedroom.
“You need to take care of her?” I ask Seb.
“Are you kidding? I can’t force her to drink a cup of coffee. Believe me. I’ve tried. She’s fine.”
“Yeah, but she’s awake. She can hear us.” I nod toward the door.
The three of us leave Seb’s house and step out into the front yard. The grass is riddled with weeds.
“Come on.” Seb leads us around to the back. “Better if no one sees us out here talking this early.”
We walk through the chain-link gate and into Seb’s backyard.
“Now you listen to me, Jake. You’re not fucking this up. You said you didn’t count the money, and Riv, you didn’t carry any. Well, I counted mine. It’s over four hundred grand, almost five.”