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)
Those weren’t quite the words that he’d been wanting, but they were genuine all the same.
I wanted to believe in him.
I wanted to love him unconditionally.
But, sadly, I just wasn’t programmed like that.
“We are not done talking about this!”
Erich just had to ruin the moment, didn’t he?
“You know,” Jeremiah said, not moving anything but his eyes so he could address Erich. “Maybe you should consider selling. I heard no less than three people as I walked in. Your goddamn steak was dry.”
There was a long moment of silence, then Jeremiah’s eyes turned to me, gleaming. “Let’s go.”
Haggard exited not too long after Erich, pushed past him, and then headed to his bike that was on the other side of Jeremiah’s.
Easton must’ve decided to stay behind with Price, because Haggard jerked his chin toward us, his eyes filled with mirth.
Jeremiah caught up my helmet and helped me with it, then got on before helping me on after him.
All the while Erich stood at the door of his restaurant, fuming.
“I’m not sure if he was more offended by you finding his drug stash, or you calling his steak dry,” Haggard mused as he got his bike situated underneath of him.
“Why’d y’all even want to go there?” I asked curiously.
“Because we had word that shit was goin’ down out of the restaurant, and we wanted Jeremiah to find it so that we could shut it down.” Haggard hesitated. “There have been five deaths in the last week due to a cocaine overdose laced with fentanyl. All of them were linked with Erich’s place.”
I pinched the bridge of my nose and said, “That man needs some brain scans to make sure that he wasn’t deprived of oxygen or something that gave him brain damage.”
Both men were chuckling as they started their bikes.
With both of them occupied with pulling out of the parking lot, they didn’t see the look on Erich’s face as we left. Nor did they see the gesture he made toward me.
He lifted his hand and sliced his fingers across his throat, making his meaning very clear.
He would fight, and he wouldn’t care who he took down with him in the process.
CHAPTER 21
Don’t speak to me when I’m mad. Do you really think that I can have a rational conversation with you while the power of Satan is within me? Give me a moment to calm down.
-Gracelynn’s secret thoughts
GRACELYNN
Jeremiah looked torn.
But I wouldn’t allow him to freak out too much.
“Jeremiah,” I said. “It’s four in the morning. The bakery opens up in an hour. I’m here. I have an alarm. And Peter and Noel will literally be here in less than two hours. It’ll be perfectly fine, I promise.”
Jeremiah pinched the bridge of his nose. “If this wasn’t important…”
If the entire town wasn’t without power, and he didn’t own a power company with his ex-wife, then sure, I knew he’d be here with me.
“I can handle this,” I promised him.
And I could.
Would.
I’d done it before.
“The generator should run as long as you need it to.” He paused. “But if it turns off, leave it. Don’t go try to fix it. I’ll send someone over to take a look. Don’t leave. Don’t answer the door. Don’t do anything stupid.”
I gave him the look.
Jeremiah’s lips twitched.
“It’ll be okay,” I urged. “Go. Let me get back to baking.”
So that was exactly what he did.
He left. I set the alarm.
And I baked.
I baked until there was a kid’s scream outside the door.
As in, a kid that sounded hurt, and in a really bad way.
I yanked open the door without disarming the alarm.
It immediately started to shriek, but I didn’t notice or care.
My eyes took a look in the alley, and then the movement right beside the dumpster caught my eye.
Erich.
And a little girl.
He took one look at me and smiled.
“Go back to your mother.” Erich yanked the kid hard, pulling her hair so badly that pieces of her long brown locks came with his harsh yank backward.
The girl fell hard to the ground. Seconds later, she got up and ran off as fast as her tiny little legs could carry her.
Erich turned to me just as I started to slam the door closed.
But I was too late.
He caught the door and threw it backward in my direction as hard as he could.
The door hit me square in the forehead, and the next thing I knew, I was dead to the world.
• • •
I woke to my hands hurting so badly that I could hardly catch a breath.
And there was Erich, sitting on the edge of a seat, staring at me with a look of pure glee on his face.
“It’s nothing personal,” Erich said. “I’m not upset that you left me. Or that you took my business away from me. It’s just, for the first time, I’ve found something he really loves. And I’m going to use that to my advantage.”