Total pages in book: 141
Estimated words: 143382 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 717(@200wpm)___ 574(@250wpm)___ 478(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 143382 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 717(@200wpm)___ 574(@250wpm)___ 478(@300wpm)
“Hardy do it for you?” Persia asked Skyla.
“He doesn’t do it for you?” Skyla asked Persia.
“I’d give him a freebie, for certain. Did you read that letter he wrote to his dead dog?” Persia asked Skyla.
Skyla put both hands to her chest. “Ohmigod! Melt!”
That letter was sweet and all.
But…
I really needed my burger.
Raye reined it in. “Okay, let’s move on to the situation with the people going missing from the homeless camps.”
Jinx shook her head. “Heard nothin’ about that.”
Persia shook her head too. “Me either.”
Skyla just shook her head.
Divinity sucked up some drink, and after she swallowed it, around her straw, she said, “That’s sad, though. They got enough problems without someone cruisin’ in and pickin’ ’em off.”
She was right about that.
“You’ll keep your ear to the ground?” Luna asked.
Jinx lifted a hand and circled a finger at the table. “You pickin’ up this bill?”
They’d ordered food too.
“Yes,” Luna said.
“Definitely,” Raye said.
“For sure,” Harlow said.
“It’s on me,” I said.
“Then, yeah,” Jinx said.
I knew the girls would keep their ears to the ground even if we didn’t buy them lunch.
But everyone needed to keep up appearances.
This was their version of that.
No skin off our noses.
In the end, it was Arthur who’d pick up the tab.
We’d learned he was good at reimbursement.
I’d been there enough times, I knew before we even stopped at the camp, shit was not right.
What I hoped was that it didn’t have anything to do with the line of shiny black Denalis at the curb.
Or, more precisely, the work vehicles of the NI&S team.
We got out of the Sportage and immediately heard shouted, “Help! Help! They’re kidnapping me! Help!”
Thus, we all, as a unit, reached back into the car to nab our Tasers.
And then we all, as a unit, raced into the encampment.
Last, we all, as a unit, skidded to a halt when we got to the screaming old lady who was surrounded by a semi-circle of hot guys standing with feet planted and hands on their hips.
Eric, Cap and Knox had been joined by Mace, Roam, Gabe, Liam and Brady.
The whole Phoenix crew vs. one old lady.
Overkill, but even so, it looked like the old lady, huddled on top of a milk crate, clutching a scrawny tiger cat who had to be a hundred years old, was winning.
Homer and a bevy of other men from the camp had fanned out behind the lady.
A lady I assumed was Mary.
I pushed through the guys and demanded, “What’s going on here?”
Homer and all his buds looked at my Taser.
Mary pointed a bony finger at Mace and shouted, “He’s trying to kidnap me!”
I turned to Mace, who actually wasn’t very near Mary, and I processed the hit his extreme good looks dealt me (I had practice with this, I’d been doing it with all of them for months—as such, at that juncture, I knew not to take them all in at once, or I might not be able to function for days).
Having Mace’s attention, I asked, “What’s happening?”
“We’ve explained to her three times that we have temporary accommodation sorted for her until we can find something permanent,” Mace explained.
“I’m not getting in a car with a stranger, I don’t care how good looking he is,” the lady declared. I turned to her, and she finished, “I know what happens after that.”
She drew a line across her neck.
“Are you Mary?” I queried.
She squinted her eyes at me.
“She’s ours, Mary,” Homer mumbled. “This is Jessie.”
Mary stopped squinting, and her mouth dropped open.
She explained her reaction. “You’re a lot prettier than I thought you’d be. All the do-gooders got big butts, wear tie-dye, and don’t believe in deodorant.” She did a top to toe on me. “I take that back about your big butt. Still, you’re pretty. And no tie-dye.”
“Here we are!” I heard cried from behind us in a voice I knew.
I turned to see Luna’s parents, Scott and Louise, pushing through the hot guy arc.
And shit.
Louise was wearing tie-dye.
And I wasn’t that kind of sister, but there was no denying her vegetarian lifestyle didn’t quite keep her ass tight.
Last, Louise was definitely a do-gooder.
“Well, hi, sugar bun,” she said, kissing Luna’s cheek. “Sweet pea!” she cried and bussed Harlow. “Hey there, pumpkin.” And Raye got the treatment. “Aw. There you are, poppet.” That was for me.
Louise had a gift with endearments, and it was the kind that kept on giving.
She turned and smiled at Mary. “You must be Mary.”
Mary eyed Louise then looked at me. “See?”
Louise appeared confused and turned my way. “See what?”
Fortunately, Scott came forward and handed Mary a card. “We’re here to make sure you have everything as we relocate you and settle you in.”
Mary squinted at the card.
She then looked to Scott and waved it in the air. “This looks official.”
“That’s because it is,” Scott replied.
“You’re not taking me to a lab to experiment on me?” Mary asked.