Total pages in book: 131
Estimated words: 122609 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 613(@200wpm)___ 490(@250wpm)___ 409(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 122609 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 613(@200wpm)___ 490(@250wpm)___ 409(@300wpm)
She took a whopping swig of beer, giving herself a big swallow of self-therapy, too. She fiddled with her cuticles, and began to gnaw on her nails, then stopped. Honey had treated her at the nail shop, so she got a full set of tips with a French manicure and ring finger design. It would be a shame to chew the shiny, flawless gel nails to ribbons.
What do I look like chewin’ on nails that ain’t even mine? These are bought and paid for. She huffed, then burst out laughing. Finishing up her beer, she thought about perhaps going to drug store and picking up some new lipstick and hairspray, or maybe taking a ride on one of Archer’s motorcycles. One was named Joy, the other he called Pride.
What he didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him. I haven’t ridden a bike in a long ass time. She wanted something to numb her mind, but not make her incapacitated. Something to take the trouble away, the edge off, chase the evil thoughts, the terrible memories from her childhood and her present condition. I miss my boy. It’s my fault I can’t see him. I’m a horrible mother… Her eyes watered up, and she choked back the tears. And then, she felt peace. She smiled at the thought of how much Archer and her son looked alike.
Tyler looks just like Archer when he was a kid. Funny how that sort of thing happens sometimes.
She began swaying back and forth in the white and silver leather bucket chair, feeling cold, isolated and glum. She picked with her nails some more, tempted to bite, but fought it.
What type of woman chooses the streets over her kid? Who marries a guy twice her age and expects shit to go right? I went to school, did good, and fucked it up. I’m nothin’ but a fuck up, anyway. I had good grandparents, but they couldn’t save me when I was living with them, either. What judge is gonna give a child to a woman who’s been in trouble with the law on and off, got a gamblin’ problem, and spent time in the fuckin’ nut house? I gamble all my money away. Even went as far as selling my grandmother’s wedding ring to go gamble that money up. I’m everything I hate. An opportunist. A manipulator. Ain’t nobody givin’ me my boy back! That’s why I can’t judge my own mother, ’cause at least she didn’t leave us. We got taken away. I saw my father dead on T.V. I’ve been treated like meat by men all my life. Used. Abused.
My first crush raped me. My brother’s best friend… Johnny. We grew up together, and he ain’t care… Then I regretted sayin’ anything ’cause Archer ended up in jail for beating him within an inch of his life. I lost my brother ’cause I didn’t take it to my grave like I should have! Archer still blames himself. I shouldn’t have said nothing… for it made me a target. I got assaulted in the mental hospital, too—molested, beat up… I hate myself!
She took note of all of Archer’s car keys sitting in a pretty bowl on the kitchen counter. Then, she slipped the credit card Archer had lent her to purchase the cameras and video equipment with, from her pocket, and read it. There was her big brother’s name on it, with a big ass credit limit. Jumping up, she grabbed the keys from the basket that went to his 1950 Buick and headed out the door to the garage.
I can’t be something I’m not. If I’m gonna be a piece of shit, better be the best piece of shit out in this messed up world that I can be.
So she went on her way, with nothing but thoughts of the casino on her mind…
What’s sadder? Knowing that your best friend betrayed you, or predicting he would before he even did it? Archer wasn’t certain of the answer to that question, but after being hurt about the situation for a good five or ten seconds, he hit anger mode in high gear and stayed busy, going a hundred miles per hour ever since. Anger was never something he stewed with, though. He always had been one to take action. Self-control and emotional intelligence was key.
Never immediately jump every time you feel disrespected. Always have a master plan. Never lose your cool in mixed company, or allow others to dictate how the fuck you feel and respond. It’ll be seen as a weakness. Sometimes, silence or playin’ the game are better options. Not action that warrants a reaction. Giving up control was for other people, not him.
Archer paced back and forth outside his warehouse, rubbing his arm as he moved. He had a lot on his mind. Entirely too much. Bannon’s behavior over the past few months had caused him to take some much-needed precautions in case his hunch was proven correct. For one, he’d changed the security in the warehouse without telling anyone, sneaking his sister in through a backdoor to get to work in the wee hours of that morning. She’d also taken care of the security in his home, and he took that time to ensure that Billy was removed from all company bank accounts, as well as moved his funds around so they would be harder to trace for his legit company dealings. And that wasn’t all—he’d taken care of a couple other things, too.