Total pages in book: 70
Estimated words: 69927 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 350(@200wpm)___ 280(@250wpm)___ 233(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 69927 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 350(@200wpm)___ 280(@250wpm)___ 233(@300wpm)
Turns out, it was a lot more soon than I’d intended because Sabrina refused to allow me to leave her. Neither would Daniel nor DS.
“I’m going with you, and that’s final.” She stomped her foot. “Now, you’re wasting time. You can either go, or you can drive away, and I’ll just follow you.”
I’d fucked up.
How did I fuck up?
I’d told her that something was wrong, and I’d needed to leave right then.
She’d asked why. I’d explained that something was going on at our property. And now I was stuck between a rock and a hard place.
I could either tell her why she wasn’t allowed to come, or bring her with me and hope that it wasn’t anything big setting off the cameras.
“You don’t have a car,” I denied.
“You wouldn’t leave me here. You’d drop me off at the house first, and there I have the truck.” She called my bluff.
Goddammit.
She was right.
I wouldn’t leave them stranded, and she would just follow me.
“What I’m about to show you… to take you to… it’s something that you can never, ever share.” I looked from Sabrina to DS and back to Daniel. “This is something that’s going to ruffle your feathers the wrong way.”
In the end, they chose to go with me.
In the end, I chose to give them every bit of my trust.
Because this could not only ruin me, but it could ruin my entire family.
And we had a whole lot to fucking lose.
When we arrived, everything seemed okay.
The gate was fully functional. Nothing was wrong where we entered.
Then we got to where I could see the house in the distance.
As well as the car parked out front.
And my heart dropped.
“Isn’t that Cannel’s car?” Sabrina asked.
I felt bile rise up the back of my throat.
“Yes,” I confirmed. “It is.”
I didn’t wait for them to get out of the car.
I also didn’t wait for Easton.
I walked straight into the small building and came to a halt right inside the door when I saw Cannel standing at the bank of monitors.
Only one such monitor held her attention.
“How could you not tell me?” she asked.
I glanced at the monitors that were placed to face the road, the gate, and the front walk.
Watched as Sabrina, her dad, and grandfather walked up the length of the walk before they disappeared inside.
I didn’t say anything for so long that Cannel turned to look at me.
And the devastation I saw on her face was enough to make my knees go weak.
CHAPTER 22
It’s called almond milk because nobody can say ‘nut juice’ while keeping a straight face.
-Price to Jeremiah
SABRINA
Cancer.
My dad had cancer.
My grandfather had cancer.
I… didn’t know what to say.
Didn’t know what to do.
Didn’t want to think of anything or anyone. I wanted to go home. I wanted to forget this day had ever happened.
Except, we were at this weird place in the middle of nowhere, and Cannel was staring—or had been until Price had said something to make her turn around—at a bank of monitors.
A few of those monitors were views of outside. A few of them were of empty cells. But there was one single one that was occupied by a man that was lying, curled in a ball, on the concrete.
I moved closer, not liking the look on Cannel’s or Price’s faces.
“Isn’t that the missing doctor that had everyone flipped out?” Dad asked curiously.
“He’s not a doctor,” Cannel hissed. “He’s a chiropractor.”
I didn’t point out to the woman that a chiropractor was still a doctor.
Instead, I wondered at the anger in her tone.
“That guy is also the guy that held my sister captive for over a year,” Price said softly. “He bought her, imprisoned her, and then went into WITSEC—witness protection—when he saw the writing on the wall. I.e., he was going to prison. To counter that measure, he flipped, promised to help in any way he could. Then ended up getting a new identity—as a chiropractor like his old profession—and no jail time for what he did whatsoever. All because he didn’t rape my sister. Only held her hostage.”
Cannel stiffened even more at the explanation.
“So when we found out where his relocation was going to be via our club brother, Easton, who resigned his commission as an FBI agent, we went and picked him up. And he’s been a guest at Crow B&B ever since.”
“I’m not too sure this place counts as a B&B,” my grandfather supplied. “This looks like a prison. Though, a very nice one at that. I’m not complaining about what you’ve done. I’m just thinking that you probably shouldn’t have told us. You should’ve probably left us behind.”
Price tossed me a look that had my face turning up into a small smile.
Okay, so maybe I should’ve listened.
But… at the time… yeah, I probably should’ve listened.
“When you are married,” I found myself saying, “you can’t incriminate your spouse. So we’re good.”