Total pages in book: 59
Estimated words: 75754 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 379(@200wpm)___ 303(@250wpm)___ 253(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75754 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 379(@200wpm)___ 303(@250wpm)___ 253(@300wpm)
Then like freakin’ magic, he did a series of hand signals that looked nothing like mine, and Trance nodded in understanding, breaking off from the group with his K-9 unit, Kosher, and started our way.
He caught two other officers on the way, again with the hand signals, and surrounded the woman before she could even protest.
My mouth dropped open as they had the child out of her arms, and cuffs on her hands in less than thirty seconds.
“Holy cow,” I whispered in awe. “You’re hand signals are way better.”
“That’s because I was using hand signals and not made up shit that doesn’t do anyone any good,” Sterling muttered.
Okay, he was still pissy.
Duly noted.
“I’m going to get the officer,” he gestured to the woman officer I’d been speaking with earlier. “To take you to a hotel. If I can find time, I’ll stop by…but this may take all night.”
I nodded. “Okay.”
What else was there to say?
Nothing he needed to hear right then.
I knew he was worried about me…about my situation.
And I didn’t want to be that woman that threw a hissy fit because she wanted a freakin’ hug from her boyfriend. One that wasn’t out of anger because she’d gone into a burning building for something that didn’t matter more than her life.
Something I’d done…and probably shouldn’t have.
Would I do it again?
Yes.
But I hated that he was there to witness it.
“Don’t do anything stupid. Don’t order room service, don’t call anyone on the phone. Wait for me to get there. Promise,” he said briskly.
He didn’t deserve to have another worry added onto his plate.
Something I knew for a fact that he did.
Constantly.
He was a worrywart.
Which was also why I knew he’d overthink everything to death before he actually put any plans into action.
“Okay, Sterling.”
He nodded and turned on his heel, walking back to Sebastian and now that I looked closer, Silas.
Once he arrived back at the huddle, and intense conversation ensued.
And I was left chanting to myself.
Don’t cry. Don’t cry.
I didn’t cry.
At least not until I got to my hotel room, that was.
There I broke down.
There I cried for my lost things.
My only possessions in life.
The worry that I kept putting on Sterling and my friends.
Maybe…maybe it was time for me to leave.
Maybe that would be best for everyone.
I couldn’t say that my mind was in the best place…but the next morning, I had my answer. It was time to go.
Chapter 13
I hate you more than I love chocolate.
-Ruthie’s secret thoughts
Ruthie
“I’m sorry, Ms. Comalsky, but I can’t risk another one of my properties. You’ll have your deposit returned as of Monday morning, and I’ll be waiving your contract,” Carol, the woman I was renting the property from, said.
Tears stung my eyes as what I’d feared would happen, happened.
I opened my eyes as a sob tore out of my mouth.
“It’s okay,” I said. “Thank you for calling.”
Without waiting for her to continue, I pressed the red ‘end call’ button.
Then turned the whole thing off completely.
The new phone that’d been delivered to me about twenty minutes before hadn’t stopped ringing since I’d gotten it.
This one was much nicer than the one that burned up in the fire.
And I knew that Sterling was responsible for getting it, as well as the ten bags of clothes.
I just wished he’d been the one to deliver them instead of the biker prospect…something he’d called himself that I was extremely interested in understanding what it meant. But not in the right state of mind to handle a full-blown conversation about biker business and hierarchy.
With single-minded determination, I walked out of the hotel room with only the phone and one set of clothes I’d gotten out of the bag.
The cheapest thing in the entire bundle.
Sterling hadn’t skimped.
Or whoever had purchased the clothes on Sterling’s behalf hadn’t skimped.
It was all very expensive…or much more expensive than my Wal-Mart tastes.
With the door opened, I was unsurprised to find that there was a biker prospect sleeping against the outside wall.
He’d get reamed later for sleeping and letting me out of my room, but that wasn’t my problem.
Right now, what my problem was, was that nobody wanted me here, and my mind wasn’t in the right place to stay.
So, closing the door to my hotel room quietly, I headed in the opposite direction of the elevator since I knew it was loud and would probably wake up Mr. Biker Prospect.
Instead I took the stairs, and about had a freak out when I saw the wall of leather that was half way up the stairs I was about to go down.
I didn’t know him, though, and I was glad.
“Hi,” I said, passing him.
“Hi,” he muttered.
I didn’t wait to see what he did as I passed, only hurried down the three flights of stairs to the very bottom floor.
After scanning the lobby behind the closed stairwell door, I hurried out and took the exit at the side that would spit me out by the pool.
Something I’d noticed this morning…or last night.
Hell, I didn’t even know what time it was.
I skirted around twelve kids who were playing around the open area in front of the pool, threading in and out of the lounge chairs covered in colorful beach towels.
“Hey,” one of the mother’s on the lounge chairs said. “Did you hear about that baby being found?”
Another woman on the next lounge over made an affirmative noise. “Mmm-hmm,” she said, not opening her eyes. “Some lady found him at the scene of a fire. Wonder what happened.”
You don’t want to know what happened, because my life is depressing and is bound to put anyone in a horrible mood.
I kept walking, not making eye contact with any of them.
I finally came to a stop at the side gate and lifted up the latch that would allow me to exit out into the parking lot.
This was a really nice hotel, and yet another thing Sterling had to cover for me.
I didn’t have any cash or credit cards…only managing to grab the one bag that had nothing in it but my most important documents.