Total pages in book: 115
Estimated words: 109695 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 548(@200wpm)___ 439(@250wpm)___ 366(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 109695 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 548(@200wpm)___ 439(@250wpm)___ 366(@300wpm)
“I guess she thinks I ruined her life, and she swore she’d get back at me.” He shrugged. “It’s worth checking out. But the bar won’t be open for a few hours. In the meantime, we could head to the game store and talk to the leader of the South Side Gang.” He motioned in the direction of my butt. “Do you think you could ride the bike?”
“Yes.” I nodded before really thinking about it. Even if it wasn’t the most comfortable place to sit, I couldn’t pass up a ride. It made me realize that riding with him could become an addiction. But there were worse things to be addicted to, right?
With a slow smile, he nodded. “Great. Let’s go.”
“Sure… but I left my gloves in the kitchen.”
“That’s fine. I need to get a couple of things from the apartment myself.”
I followed him down the hall and waited while he unlocked the door. Inside, I went straight to the table and grabbed my purse and gloves.
Stone hurried to his room and came out wearing his shoulder holster and gun. He slipped his leather jacket over it and grabbed his keys. “Let’s go out the back way.”
“Hey… I have a gun. Should I bring it?”
“You do?”
“Yeah. It’s in my luggage, but it fits in my shoulder bag.”
His brow crinkled. “You have a concealed carry permit?”
“Of course.”
“And you know how to use it? I mean… I don’t mind having backup, but I don’t want to get shot by accident.”
I huffed out a breath. “Jeez. I would never… I know what I’m doing.”
“Have you ever shot at anything that’s alive?”
My lips drew in. “No. But I’ve still gone through all the training.”
He shrugged. “Okay. Then go get it.”
Scowling, I hurried to my room and pulled the gun case from my luggage. After taking it out, I slid the loaded clip into the grip, flipped the safety on, put it in a holster that I could wear if I needed to, and stashed it in my shoulder-bag.
I hurried back into the kitchen, finding Stone drinking another cup of coffee. He raised his mug. “You want some?”
“No, I’m good.”
My phone began to ring, and I pulled it out of my purse. Glancing at Stone, I raised my brows. “It’s my sister. Do you mind if I take it?”
“No, go ahead.”
I swiped to answer. “Hi, Felicity. Sorry I didn’t call you yesterday.”
“That’s okay. I figured you got the job.”
“Yeah. I did.”
“So how’s it going?”
“It’s good.” I swallowed, not about to tell her I barely escaped death last night. “Not quite what I expected, but the pay’s a lot better than I thought… which is a good thing since I found out that Brandon’s suing me.”
“What? I thought it was all settled. What does he want now?”
“I guess he wants more money, because he’s suing me for mental cruelty that occurred after the accident. He’s claiming the divorce is my fault because I changed. It just makes me so angry I could scream.”
“That asshole.”
“Yeah.” I contemplated telling her about bumping into Brandon last night, but decided I didn’t have time to go into it. I glanced at Stone, and found him eating a bagel, so I hoped he didn’t mind if I kept talking.
“Well… hang in there. I know you’re busy, but I just wanted to make sure you’re bringing the chips and dip to Gracie’s birthday party tomorrow.”
My heart dropped. I’d totally spaced it. “Oh… yeah… uh… I’m not sure I can make it. This is one of those jobs where I can’t leave my client… alone. But… maybe I’ll have the case solved by then.” I winced, knowing that was a lame excuse.
“What are you talking about? You can’t miss Gracie’s seventh birthday party. She’s expecting you. I get that you’re busy, but… can’t you take a couple of hours off?”
I squirmed. “Well… I’m a little stuck since I agreed to being on the case twenty-four seven. With the way things are going, I don’t think I’ll have a choice.”
Felicity huffed out a breath. “I can’t believe what I’m hearing. Sen… you have to come. Think about Gracie. You’ll break her heart.”
I closed my eyes. “I know… you’re right, but this job is not like the others. It’s a lot more intense. But listen… I’ll try and get away for a half hour or so. I know that’s not much, but it’s better than nothing, right? When this case is over, I’ll do something fun with Gracie. I promise.”
I glanced at Stone and found him leaning against the counter, his brows dipped. Was he mad that I was still on the phone?
“Uh… I’ve got to go. Why don’t I call you tonight when we can talk. I’ll explain everything then.”
“Fine. But you have to come tomorrow. No excuses, so figure it out, okay?”
“Sure. I’ll do my best.”