Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 75152 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 376(@200wpm)___ 301(@250wpm)___ 251(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75152 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 376(@200wpm)___ 301(@250wpm)___ 251(@300wpm)
As soon as we were out in the hall, Stitch came over to me and asked, “You good?”
“Been better.”
“It might not feel like it, but you did the right thing.” I’d heard some of the horror stories Stitch had told about his youth and his grandfather, so I didn’t question him when he said, “A man like him never changes. Trust me. I know that better than anyone.”
“Yeah, I know, but killing him didn’t change anything. It didn’t take away what he’d done.”
“No, but now, he won’t be able to hurt anyone else.”
“This is true.”
“Why don’t you go take a shower and meet us in the bar? You look like you could use a beer.”
“Yeah, a beer would be good, but I think I’m just gonna call it a day and head home.”
“Thought so.” He gave me a brotherly pat, then said, “Get some rest, and we’ll see ya tomorrow.”
“What about him?”
“I’ll get Ink and a couple of the other prospects to come and take care of him. Probably just bag him up and dump him.”
It wasn’t the first time we’d had to dispose of a body, so I knew they could handle it. I was ready to put the day behind me, so after a quick nod, I headed out to my truck.
I took my time driving home.
I rolled down the windows in my truck and let the cold wind rush in. I hoped it would help clear my head, and while it helped, I was still feeling off-center. When I got to the house, I tossed my bloody clothes, then headed straight for the bathroom and turned on the shower. I took a long one, hoping it would ease the tension in my muscle, but I didn’t start to feel like myself until Jules peeked her head around the shower curtain and asked, “Can we get a dog?”
“What?”
“Can we get a dog?” She crinkled her nose in that goofy way that she did, then shrugged. “Or maybe a cat? I don’t know. What do you think?”
“I think a pet would be fine, but you gotta decide which one you want.”
“How am I supposed to do that?”
“I’m sure you’ll figure it out.”
“We’ll see.” Her eyes drifted south, and a wicked smile crossed her face as she asked, “You up for a little company?”
“Absolutely.”
Seconds later, Jules was in the shower next to me, and I finally felt like myself again. We spent the night making love, and the next morning, we got up and drove down to the local pound. After going back and forth, Jules had decided on a cat, thinking it would be easier to take care of, and I agreed with her—until we spotted Roscoe, a gray and white French bulldog.
Jules immediately fell in love. She sat down by his kennel and started loving on him through the wire bars. “Isn’t he just precious!”
“He’s pretty cute.”
“We gotta get him.”
“I thought you wanted a cat.”
“I did.” She pursed her lips into a pout. “But he’s so sweet and ‘wittle.”
“You’ll have to potty train him.”
“Okay.”
“Gotta kennel train him, too.”
“Okay. I can do that.”
“You’re sure about this?” I pushed. “You really want a dog and not a cat?”
“Yeah, but only if you want him, too.” She pulled her hand from the cage and stood. “I mean, I don’t want him to just be my dog. I want him to be our dog.”
“You gonna be willing to keep the name Roscoe?”
“Well, yeah. I think it suits him.”
Her smile got me right in the gut, and I knew there was no way in hell I was leaving that pound without that dog. “Then, I guess we’re gettin’ a dog.”
“Yes!”
Jules jumped up and wrapped her arms around me, hugging me tightly. I was about to hug her back when she released me and knelt back down to Roscoe’s kennel. She opened the door, and the second she lifted him into her arms, he started licking her face. “I love him!”
“Something tells me I’m gonna regret this.”
We left the pound and went straight to a local pet store, where we spent a small fortune buying everything we’d need to house a dog. I might’ve complained if it hadn’t been for the enormous smile on my girl’s face. Seeing her so happy made me forget about all the bullshit with James—almost.
I wanted to check in with Wyatt and Big and make sure no issues had come up with James and his sudden disappearance. As I’d hoped, no one seemed at all concerned about his whereabouts, and no missing person’s report had been made.
I was feeling pretty good about things as I headed into the bar to find Smokey and Stitch. When I walked in, they were sitting at the counter with Rooster and Cotton. As soon as I sat down, Cotton slid me over a beer and asked, “How’s it going, brother?”