Total pages in book: 177
Estimated words: 163209 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 816(@200wpm)___ 653(@250wpm)___ 544(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 163209 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 816(@200wpm)___ 653(@250wpm)___ 544(@300wpm)
He was turning the last page over when Laila said, “Dog.”
Jeremy looked over his shoulder immediately, but Laila was staring at her paperwork still. She put a finger on the relevant paragraph and said, “It’s a pet-friendly building. One animal per lease.”
“Is it?” Cat asked, flipping to see. “Oh, wow.”
“What if—” Laila faltered.
Cat was as gentle as she could be: “Let’s revisit the idea after everything’s calmed down.”
Laila subsided, but she didn’t look happy about it. Owens took their papers back to the office when the girls were finally done, and Browning lingered only long enough to hand Jean his business card. To Laila he said, “A maintenance crew will be by this afternoon to install the cameras on your floor. They won’t need entry to your apartment, so it doesn’t matter if you’re home, but try not to draw attention to their work.”
“Seattle,” Jean said before Laila could answer. “Not Baltimore?”
Browning glanced from him to his card. “I’ve been transferred to Washington until the trial. It was where Wesninski was first arrested, after all,” he added, “and it means I’m not even a three-hour flight away should I need anything else from you. I will be in touch.” Jean wasn’t sure whether to take that as a promise or a threat, but Browning wasn’t waiting for a response. He caught up to Owens at the front door, and the agents slipped out without a look back.
“I don’t trust him,” Cat said.
“No,” Jean agreed.
Laila’s expression said she concurred, but all she said was, “Let’s head up.”
Their welcome package had their apartment listed as being on the second floor. Laila got the front door unlocked, and they filed one at a time down a narrow entryway. The first door opened into a bathroom, and then the rest of the odd apartment unfolded before them.
The living room, kitchen, and dining area were one giant, shared space, with two bedrooms neighboring each other on the nearer wall. The third bedroom was past the kitchen, with its own private bath attached. Half of the walls were painted, and the other half were exposed brick. The windows gave it a fair bit of light, but it was so empty and open it felt sterile. Jean noted the narrow glass door at the far end of the room that opened onto a square balcony, but he could tell from here the view would be uninspiring.
The four drifted apart as they inspected their new home. Cat opened every kitchen cabinet like she half-expected to see it stocked with goods. Most of the appliances looked newer than what she’d lost, but she seemed more distressed than impressed by the upgrades. Laila ended up by the living room window, silent and grim. Jeremy stuck by Jean’s side and said nothing, knowing his opinion on the place was the least important.
“We will have to get some basics,” Laila said, in a tone that said she was wearied by the prospect. “Toilet paper, toiletries, something to change into that doesn’t smell like a bus...” She plucked at her dirty shirt but made no move to step away from the window. “Thought I saw a sign for a grocery store when we made that last turn. We could start there.”
“Divide and conquer after that?” Cat asked, before remembering, “One car.”
Jean glanced between them. “I haven’t sold mine.”
“Absolutely not,” Laila said. “I’m not riding around in a Raven car after their fans torched everything I own.”
The silence that fell after that flat rejection was heavy, and then Laila pushed away from the window and approached him. She took his hands in hers and stressed, “Thank you, Jean. I know you’re trying to help, and I know it’s the smart thing to do. I just can’t do it, I’m sorry. I’d much rather you stick to the original plan and get it out of your life as soon as you can.”
She waited for his nod before backing away from him. “Maybe you and Cat can go by the dealership tomorrow? I know she’ll wither away to nothing if she doesn’t replace her motorcycle as soon as possible.”
“I liked my bike,” was Cat’s quiet protest, but she rallied herself with a bit of forced cheer: “The next one will be even better. Maybe we’ll get a matching set.” The smile she sent Jean was almost real, but it was her sly comment afterward that made her seem most like herself: “And then you two will go on a celebratory ride with us to help cheer us up, right? I’ve always wanted a biker bitch.”
“I’ve always wanted to live to seventy,” was Laila’s dry response. She glanced toward Jeremy and asked, “Are we going to regret this?”
“Only if we survive,” Jeremy said.
“You’ve got a little time to steel yourselves,” Cat said, waving off their lack of enthusiasm. “Jean and I need to figure out what kind of ride he’s looking for, and then I’ll want him to practice with my weight first. Now let’s get going, all this talk about the lack of toilet paper is making me need to pee.”