Total pages in book: 67
Estimated words: 80391 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 402(@200wpm)___ 322(@250wpm)___ 268(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 80391 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 402(@200wpm)___ 322(@250wpm)___ 268(@300wpm)
Loki followed me to Adeline’s school where we both pulled up to the red fire lane before turning our bikes off.
School had let out over an hour ago, so we were alone in the parking lot, which was why Loki said what he said next.
“After this next assignment, I’m thinking about going nomad for a while. I can’t breathe here.” Loki said, surprising the shit out of me.
I looked over at him sharply, taking in his appearance, the bruises on his arms, scrapes on his fists, and finally, the way his clothes were starting to get loose. They weren’t fitting anywhere near how they used to.
Therefore, I said the only thing I could, knowing Loki was going to do what he wanted to do, no matter the consequences. “Do it.”
His head hung, as if having the support of another brother took some hidden weight off his shoulders and made him limp with relief.
“I met someone. She hates cops.” Loki admitted a few silent minutes later.
I leaned forward, resting on the gas tank and asked, “Why?”
Loki studied the brick facing on the schools outer walls and shrugged. “I should’ve never taken this job. I knew going into it that it’d be my last. I was tired of playing somebody else. The girl, Channing, lives next to my ‘house’ and looks at me as if I’m the scum of the earth. Scared shitless of me. Anyway, I have all the evidence on Varian Strong that I’m going to need and this case will be wrapped up by the weekend. I’m going to talk to Silas once it’s all done and probably take off after the run this weekend; they’re going to need me to stay gone until the trial. Might go visit my momma in Florida for a while.”
“You love her, don’t you?” Adeline’s sweet voice said from in front of us.
My eyes snapped forward, surprised to see Adeline standing in front of us. She had a bag over her shoulder, and the sweatshirt I’d let her borrow was tied around her waist, allowing the tattoos on her arms to be seen clearly.
And her face looked stricken.
For my brother.
Something about her being concerned for one of my brothers, my family, made a piece of my jaded heart start to burn. I didn’t know with what, yet, but I knew it was something important.
My brothers meant the world to me.
When my father kicked me out of the house, I’d joined the Army since I had no other options. I didn’t have anybody I could turn to; no close friends or family that might be able to help me. Over time, though, I’d made good friends and gained a family. Consequently, it was important to me that Adeline liked my family and that my family liked Adeline.
Loki shrugged. “Doesn’t matter. I’m not pursuing anything with her. She’s already made up her mind about me, and I have a feeling that finding out I’m a cop might make it even worse.”
“I think you’d do better giving her the benefit of the doubt. You don’t know what she’d do until you ask her.” Adeline said softly before handing her bag to me.
I stowed her bag and smiled when I saw her place a soothing hand on Loki’s shoulder before she came to me, gave me a soft kiss on the lips, and mounted the bike behind me.
“Ready to go to your sister’s?” I asked as she wrapped herself around me.
At her nod, I handed over the helmet that was resting on my lap, causing her to squeal in excitement. “Woo hoo! It even has my initials on it!”
I rolled my eyes, winked at Loki’s amused expression, and started my bike.
The road to Adeline’s sister’s place was one of the less traveled ones, and when I got onto the grounds that the complex was located on, I was surprised.
The complex was one of the newer ones in between Benton and Shreveport, and I’d only seen it from afar.
It was new, and had live in staff to help those that needed it, but allowed the residents to have some sense of self-reliance.
Adeline had told me that this complex was booked full for nearly a year in advance by those that were blind, deaf or both. There were a few people here that would’ve never been able to make it on their own otherwise.
I didn’t need directions to which house was Viddy’s, because I could see her lying on her couch. The couch that was outside the apartment building sitting on the front lawn of the closest condo.
I could see Adeline out of the corner of my eye shaking her head, and had to suppress the thought that I knew Adeline wouldn’t appreciate.
But the facts were glaringly obvious; they were exactly alike. I could see Adeline doing the very same thing at her own place when she moved in.
We pulled up to the parking spot that was directly in front of Viddy’s couch and shut the bikes off.
Viddy didn’t even stir.
If I didn’t know better, I would’ve assumed she was deaf because she never even flinched when two huge Harleys came within three feet of her face.
Adeline jumped off the bike as soon as I set the kickstand down, going from one fantasy to another in a split second.
“Oh, my God.” Loki said. “I’ve never had twins before.”
I punched Loki in the shoulder hard enough to make him fall back a few steps. Hell, the same thoughts had flashed through my own head the first time, too.
Loki laughed at my reaction, taking a step backward so he was out of punching range, just in case.
Adeline had flipped over the back of the couch to where she was smashed up between the back of the couch and Viddy. Their bodies were plastered together and, for some odd reason, my dick thought that it was just the best idea in the world to have two hot sisters on the same couch together, entwined around each other.
Three hours later, we’d moved in Viddy’s couch, bookshelf, dresser, and wrought iron bed that weighed nine hundred pounds.