Total pages in book: 70
Estimated words: 68515 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 343(@200wpm)___ 274(@250wpm)___ 228(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 68515 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 343(@200wpm)___ 274(@250wpm)___ 228(@300wpm)
Jeremiah snorted. “You make this business run in your dreams,” he grumbled. “What in the actual fuck happened, Erich?”
“What?” Erich asked, sounding confused.
“If I’m not mistaken, that shit was aimed at you,” Jeremiah growled.
“That wasn’t aimed at me. It nearly got my ex-girlfriend. Not me!” Erich denied.
I looked at Erich, then at Rachel who was glaring at me, then at Jeremiah.
I also wanted to point out, even if it was only in my head, that calling me his ex-girlfriend was a stretch. There was no way in hell that I could be considered that, with how little we saw each other.
But he was laying it on thick in front of his mother.
Meaning, Jeremiah was pulling farther and farther away by the second.
Which meant he was accomplishing what he’d wanted accomplished.
Jeremiah looked at me, then looked at the two people in his office, then grumbled out, “Get out of my office. Go to yours. The police should be here in a little bit.”
Hearing the sirens right then, I knew that his statement of a ‘little bit’ was very likely true.
His ex looked at me with a cat ate the canary smile, then flounced out of the office as if she hadn’t just witnessed a near murder.
Jeremiah waited until they were gone before looking at me with concern.
That concern didn’t affect me anymore, though.
No, because I was seething.
Nothing like him treating you like the plague when his ex-wife comes along to let him know what he really thinks about you.
I was so mad that had he been close to me in that moment, he would’ve known not to say what he said next.
“Are you all right, baby?” he asked, moving forward.
Baby.
Baby?!
“Just fine,” I snapped, marching across the room and heading for the door.
I almost made it, too.
I practically could feel the cool metal in my hand when my arm was caught.
I yanked it out of his grasp and actually got my hand on the metal, twisted it, before it was caught again.
And… I just snapped.
I whirled around and was already swinging my fist.
Jeremiah easily caught that fist, turned it, and pinned me to his front while securing my arm at my back, pinning me to the door.
“I don’t want to do this right now, Jeremiah,” I panted.
God, I was mad.
So. Fucking. Mad.
And, honestly, it wasn’t altogether at him.
I was mad at myself, too.
“No,” he ordered. “We’re doing this now. I’ve let you pout enough.”
There was a knock at the door.
I practically felt the vibration against my face as he pinned me there.
“Saved by the bell,” I grumbled, pushing away.
He went, but only because he wanted to.
I had no doubt in my mind, had he wanted me there, I’d still be there.
I would’ve let him get away with it as well.
He gently pulled me from the door, gestured to me on the edge of his desk where a wingback chair sat and said, “Sit.”
I sat.
But only because I wanted to this time.
The next thirty minutes went like this: who shot at you? Do you think you might have wronged someone? Who do you think they were shooting at? Have you seen anything weird lately?
Blah, blah, blah.
On and on the questions went until I was so tired of talking and answering that I just stopped.
Eventually, the cops that came in got the picture and sighed.
“She needs some time,” Jeremiah said. “Please, go speak with my ex-wife and Erich. They can hopefully tell you more.”
“We might need to talk to her more if we have any more questions.” He looked at me then. “You’ll be at home?”
Was he asking if I was going to run?
What reason would I have to run?
“She’s coming home with me,” he ordered. “I don’t know what the fuck happened, who it was aimed at, but until further notice, if you need her, she’ll be with me.”
Jeremiah opened the door to his office then and escorted the police officers out.
I was so happy to see daylight that, before I could think too hard on it, I slipped out of the office and headed right for the front door.
I got about two feet outside before a hand caught around my waist.
He pulled me back into the office and slammed the door closed.
With him on the opposite side of where I expected him to be.
CHAPTER 16
Sometimes I wonder if my motorcycle is thinking about me, too.
-Jeremiah to Haggard
JEREMIAH
“Where’d you put her?” Shine asked, knowing that just by doing so, he was opening a can of worms he may not be able to come back from.
Those words had me glancing up at my niece.
She gestured behind her and said, “The last cabin that I got done. The one that’s all the way around the back set of trees, closest to the lake.”
The group turned to look at said cabin.
It was the newest cabin she had, and the best. It was also the bestselling.