Total pages in book: 67
Estimated words: 80391 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 402(@200wpm)___ 322(@250wpm)___ 268(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 80391 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 402(@200wpm)___ 322(@250wpm)___ 268(@300wpm)
“Jet fuel? Where the hell would you get jet fuel?” She asked, mirroring my own question I’d had when I’d heard Sebastian and Kettle talking about it that morning when I’d walked outside to find them on the dock together.
“I don’t know.” I replied truthfully.
“And what is all this with Jefferson? He hit you over the head, Adeline. Did you press charges against him?” She asked sharply.
Again, she was mirroring my own worries. “I don’t really know anything, Vid. I’m just as in the dark as you are. In fact, more so. I have all of this swirling around me, and I haven’t the faintest fucking clue what the hell is going on.”
“I don’t know what to say.” She said after a while.
I didn’t either. In fact, I was utterly flabbergasted that any of this had touched my life. I was a teacher for God’s sake. What did I ever do to warrant this? The worst thing I’d ever done was steal a couple of animals from a testing facility.
“Me neither.” I replied.
Looking for a change of subject after the silence ensued for too long, drew circles in the air with my foot and asked, “What did he get you for Christmas?”
I heard her murmur something in the background, but it was so low and garbled that I had to have her repeat it three more times before I actually understood.
“What was that?” I asked for the last time.
“He got me a picture of him.” She snarled.
I couldn’t help it. The laugh that burst free from my gut had me falling backwards in glee. I was wheezing and tears were streaming from my eyes. I could hear my sister snarling at me, and then the click of the phone as she hung up, but I still didn’t stop laughing.
“A picture!” I wheezed. “What the fuck is she gonna do with a picture of him?”
A large pair of boots stopped where they were straddling my head, and I looked up. Past a pair of blue jeans, past the most glorious package on earth, and then up further until I could see Kettle’s face. He looked happy. Smiling widely at my laughter.
“What are you laughing at?” He asked from above me.
I snorted. “Paul got Viddy a picture of himself for Christmas.”
Kettle rolled his eyes and held his hand out for me. “Dumbass. What’d your sister have to say about it?”
I reached for his hand and he yanked me up, making my body crash into his.
Breathlessly, I said, “She hung up on me. I wouldn’t know.”
“I like seeing you laugh like that.” He rumbled, eyes zeroing in on my lips.
“I like laughing like that.” I replied, moving up on my tiptoes until my lips collided with his.
Both of us were breathless by the time we pulled apart. His smile was soft as he disentangled our bodies until he had a hold on my hand and pulled me towards his back door.
His mother was in the kitchen putting away the copious amount of groceries when we finally made it inside. She had a delighted smile on her face when she saw the both of us together, and I couldn’t help but feel the same way. I was glad that she was here, and that Kettle had her back in his life again. I just wished it wasn’t under such horrid circumstances.
“Alright, I have to get ready for work. We had three call in’s and I’m next on the list. Mom’s going to hang out with you and run to the church later on to help you with the final details. Is that okay?” He asked me with a raised eyebrow.
My eyes turned from his mother to him, and I nodded in affirmation. “Yep, that sucks that you have to go to work though. Do you have to stay the full 24 hours, or is it just until one of the others can get there?” I asked.
He shrugged. “I don’t know, but I’ll call when I find out, okay? The funeral is still on for tomorrow afternoon, though. I’ll be done in plenty of time.”
I nodded in understanding. “Wait, what about uniforms? You don’t have anything to wear!”
“Jeans and a t-shirt. They’ve ordered me some more this morning. They should be here by the time I have to go back on shift Saturday morning.” He explained before walking out of the kitchen.
Not before he gave me a kiss on the cheek, followed by one for his mother.
I watched her as she watched him walk out of the room. She looked broken. Torn.
“You okay?” I asked in worry.
She nodded. “Yes. I’ve made some huge mistakes in my life. That boy wasn’t one of them, though.”
“And for that, Mrs. Spada, I will thank you for the rest of my life.” I replied.
She smiled at me sadly. “Call me Helene.”
***
Kettle
“She thinks you’re at work?” The man sitting across from me asked.
The man was big. Not as tall as me, but his muscles could definitely compete with mine.
He also looked so much like Sebastian that it was uncanny.
Which made sense. Sebastian was his brother after all.
I nodded firmly at Sam. Sam was the head of an organization that helped women get out of abusive situations. He owned a bike shop where he customized bikes, as well as repaired them. He used his business, Free, as a front. To all intents and purposes, he was just another mechanic who’d gotten out of the military and started up a shop to make a living.
To everybody else, especially the women he helped, he was a goddamn hero.
“Yes,” I nodded. “I have until noon tomorrow before she’ll start asking questions. Did Silas fill you in?”
Sam nodded. “Jack did a little poking around to see if he could get anything else. He hit the same wall though. Amadeus was thorough if nothing else. The transfer went through earlier this month. Absolutely nothing is in his name anymore. Even his house is under a different name. He had every bit of it transferred to his woman. Everything except for the funeral home. That was transferred into Platt’s name. It was like he was tipped off somehow. Like he knew it was coming. We’ve got absolutely no legal leg to stand on.”