Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 80957 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 405(@200wpm)___ 324(@250wpm)___ 270(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 80957 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 405(@200wpm)___ 324(@250wpm)___ 270(@300wpm)
Just hours ago, I was in my new apartment, and my heart was full of hope and excitement. Now, my father was gone, my world was in utter chaos, and all I had was a promise from a man who didn’t understand what I’d just lost or what I stood to lose.
5
SEVEN
“Igotta admit. It’s not half bad.”
“So, all good?”
“Yeah, I think it was pretty damn good. Even better than I’d hoped.”
I wasn’t exaggerating. Shep had really outdone himself. The new route was just what we needed. It was smooth and quick. There were no unnecessary stops or overly sketchy crossroads that were hard to maneuver. Most of all, it kept us under the radar and away from any prying eyes.
“Tomorrow’s the run. We’ll see then if anything changes.”
“Sounds good. You and Prez have a crew ready?”
“Yeah, Ghost and Memphis are taking the lead with Skid and Smitty. I figured we needed a little more muscle on this one, so Rusty and Goose are gonna follow behind. I think that should cover us.”
“Oh, I got all the muscle you need,” a familiar voice chimed in from behind us. We turned and found Goose strolling up behind us with his trademark smirk. “And plenty of good looks, too.”
He flexed his bicep for good measure, and Shep and I both chuckled. “Yeah, you and all that muscle will be what saves the day. Just make sure you keep your eyes on the road and off the mirrors.”
“Don’t worry about me, brother.” Goose leaned against the side of the SUV, still grinning. “I’ve got it covered.”
“I’m gonna hold you to that.”
The words had barely left my mouth when my phone chimed with a text message. I grabbed it from my pocket and absent-mindedly glanced down at it, expecting it to be some random notification, but then, I saw a name I hadn’t seen in over six years.
Rooks:
Hey, man. I know I’m the last person you want to hear from, but…
Struck by disbelief, I looked away from my phone and out into the parking lot. I hadn’t even read the entire message, and I’d already broken into a cold sweat. I gritted my teeth, trying to brace myself as all the old rage and hurt started boiling up in the pit of my stomach.
I couldn’t believe it. After all this time, he’d messaged me. I couldn’t believe he had the nerve. I hadn’t spoken to him since the day I left for Afghanistan, and it wasn’t exactly a cordial exchange.
He’d come to see me off and wish me well. He wanted to pretend like nothing had happened and that he hadn’t watched me fall apart and completely ignored me when I discovered Tallie was gone. I’d asked him a hundred times how I could get in touch with her. It was the only thing I wanted from him, and it was the only thing he couldn’t give me.
I pushed and pleaded for answers, and when he refused, I punched him. I punched him again and again. I wanted him to know the pain I was feeling—the pain I’d been carrying with me since the day I discovered Tallie had been taken from me.
I probably would’ve killed him if my lieutenant hadn’t pulled me off him and forced me onto my plane. I stewed over that fight for almost a year, and it almost ate me alive. Eventually, I had no choice but to put it behind me. Only I hadn’t really put any of it behind me.
And deep down, I knew I never would.
I was fighting the urge to toss my phone across the parking lot when Goose waved his hand in front of my face. “Hey, brother. You good?”
I didn’t answer.
I couldn’t.
My throat felt like someone had put a vice around it. My fingers gripped the phone so hard I thought I might snap it in half. After several moments, I forced myself to look down at the message again, making sure I hadn’t gotten it wrong.
I wasn’t.
It was definitely Rooks.
After letting out a disgruntled breath, I clicked on the message and read:
Rooks:
Hey, man.
I know I’m the last person you want to hear from, but I thought you should know that Dad was murdered last night.
At first, I thought it might’ve been some stupid joke. I thought maybe Rooks was just fucking with me, but I knew better. Rooks would never joke about his dad—not like this.
This was real, and I had no idea what to do about it.
Me:
Damn.
I hate to hear that.
Rooks:
We both know that isn’t true.
Me:
Any idea who did it?
Rooks:
They’re still looking into it.
Tallie was there when it happened.
Me:
Didn’t realize she was back.
Rooks:
Yeah, she and Ford are living in Hot Springs.
Me:
Who’s Ford?
I was too impatient to wait for his response, so I called his number. It rang and rang and, eventually, went to voicemail. I drew my hands into a fist as I growled, “Fuck.”