Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 84982 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 425(@200wpm)___ 340(@250wpm)___ 283(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 84982 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 425(@200wpm)___ 340(@250wpm)___ 283(@300wpm)
“Let her go,” he said near the guy’s ear.
The blond released me so fast that I stumbled back. Thatcher jerked him away from the counter, and when the guy realized who had grabbed him, he instantly paled. His sneer was gone, and in its place was pure terror.
“I, uh, I didn’t know it was you,” he stammered.
Thatcher pointed at the door. “Don’t come back.”
The others with him hurried for the door, leaving their leader behind. He nodded before following them. When they all left, Thatcher turned to look at me. The darkness in his gaze was unsettling.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
I nodded. “Yes, uh, thank you,” I replied.
He didn’t say anything more but turned and left. I watched him go as I tried to calm my racing heart.
“Holy shit,” Mandy said behind me. “That was Sebastian Shephard’s older brother. He is, like, super dangerous. I can’t believe he came in here and kicked them out. Do you know him?”
I kept staring at the door even though he was out of sight. Did I know him? I wasn’t sure really. We’d spoken twice. I was almost positive he’d given me a box of my favorite cookies, but it seemed almost unreal that he would. Then, today, where had he come from? Was it just lucky timing?
“I, uh …” I shook my head, trying to clear it and say words that made sense. “Kinda. Not really.”
She was staring at me, wide-eyed, when I turned to finally look at her.
“He’s, like, a murderer—you know that, right? He only got away with it because his dad is so rich and owns the town.” She glanced at the door, then stepped up closer to my ear. “I’ve heard rumors they’re, like, the Mafia or something.”
I laughed then. Everyone had heard those rumors. She and my mom could gossip about it.
I shook my head. “That’s ridiculous. This is Georgia. Not Boston or Chicago. The Mafia doesn’t reach down here.”
Mandy shrugged, still not looking convinced. “I wouldn’t be so sure. I kinda think it makes sense. They own everything.” She waved her hands around. “They own this building we are in. They probably own the governor too.”
I shifted my gaze to the clock. It was closing time. “Let’s lock up and get this place wiped down so we can go home.”
“Yeah, okay,” Mandy said. “But he is dangerous. He did kill a guy. That’s the truth. So, be careful around him.”
I laughed as I turned the lock in the door. There was a good chance I’d never see him again. It wasn’t like we ran in the same circles.
The next morning, there was a box of cookies on my front porch. My dad raised his eyebrows when he handed them to me. But he didn’t say anything about it. He turned on the morning news.
While I was trying to decide if the cookies were from Thatcher, I heard the name Deck Rogers, and my head snapped up.
“It’s a shame. Young kids getting mixed up with drugs and alcohol. That’s what happens, honey. They take too much and get behind the wheel of a car. It’s a miracle they didn’t hit another car. It’s a tragedy they’re all gone, but at least they didn’t take some innocent driver with them.”
They were all dead. The guys from yesterday. It was an odd feeling. A churning of guilt in my gut, although I had done nothing to them. No one had. They’d driven their car off a bridge, going over a hundred miles an hour.
• Six •
It wasn’t like I killed every man who spoke to her.
Thatcher
Present Day
Resting my forearms on the fence, I watched as Capri rode Zephyr around the track. I’d told her not to go full speed today. Let him stretch out some, but hold him back. She was doing exactly like I’d asked. Her tiny form looked even smaller when she was sitting on him. Bloodline was big, but Zephyr was a beast. She hadn’t been intimidated in the least. The smile on her face was fucking insane. I had a hard time looking away from her. The pull she had on me seemed to be getting worse.
“She’s got the Belmont Derby Invitational next week with Bloodline,” King said as he came to stand beside me. “He’s leaving Sunday to head up there.”
I didn’t bother looking at him. “Yeah,” I replied as annoyance began to ruin my mood.
“Don’t you think she should be focused on him and the race?”
I was gonna need a smoke. Not saying anything, I straightened and reached for the pack in my pocket. Fucker was starting to piss me off.
“She wanted on Zephyr,” I told him, then put the cigarette in my mouth and lit it up.
“The entire fucking ranch is scared to even breathe her air. She’s noticed it too. Miller barely looked at her yesterday, and she’d shaved off almost half a second on Bloodline’s best time,” King informed me.