Total pages in book: 98
Estimated words: 93312 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 467(@200wpm)___ 373(@250wpm)___ 311(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 93312 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 467(@200wpm)___ 373(@250wpm)___ 311(@300wpm)
Sometime after the sun goes down, there’s a knock on my bedroom door. I blow out a breath, swinging my legs over the side of my bed and trudge toward the door. I open it, fully expecting to go another round with Grey, but instead, I find a bowl on the floor. Oatmeal with brown sugar. And a slice of toast.
My chin wobbles. I miss my brother so much it hurts, but how can we even begin to fix things if he won’t be honest with me? I take the bowl and toss it on top of my dresser. I have no appetite to speak of.
I crawl back into bed, put some Netflix on my laptop, and eventually pass out.
Thayer
“Are you gonna tell her?” Holden asks, elbows leaned up against the kitchen counter.
“Eventually.” I have to. I just haven’t figured out how. When she found me in Danny’s room, I was still raw and half-drunk. I couldn’t talk to her, not in there, of all places, even if I was coherent. I stayed up all night thinking about what the fuck that nine-one-one call means for us. I went from resenting her for Grey’s part in Danny’s death to trying to protect her from the truth in a matter of weeks. The last thing I want to do is hurt her, but judging by the look on her face, I ended up doing it anyway. I could practically hear her heart breaking, and I just sat there, not knowing what the fuck to say or do to fix it.
I knew I fucked up when I saw the barn key on my bed. Shayne loves the barn as much as I do. Maybe even more. The fact that she gave it up tells me all I need to know. She’s done. And I can’t even blame her.
“You should’ve seen her face, man. I’ve never seen her like that.”
“Not what I want to fuckin’ hear.”
If there’s one thing I’ve learned about Shayne, it’s that she hates being vulnerable. Especially in front of people. She acts like it doesn’t bother her that her mom’s never around, that her brother went from being her best friend to a stranger in a matter of months, but I know it does. I see her. When we lost Danny, I still had Holden and Christian. Shayne had no one. Every single fucking one of us turned our backs on her, all for reasons that didn’t have shit to do with her.
Sad blue eyes pop into my mind and I swipe my keys off the counter. Fuck it. “I’ll be back.”
Shayne isn’t Grey. Shayne is innocent. And she’s mine.
Without another word, I stride through the house and out to the Hellcat. Holden doesn’t need an explanation. He knows exactly where I’m going. I jump in, start the engine, and speed off toward her grandmother’s house.
I don’t give a fuck what happened. I lost her once. I’m not doing it again.
Shayne
The sound of Thayer’s Hellcat pulling up the drive sends a jolt of fear straight through me. Not for me. For Grey. I run out of my room and out the front door, thankful for the fact that Grey’s truck is parked in the garage.
Thayer’s slamming the door shut, prowling toward my door when I step onto the porch. When he looks up and sees me, he stops short, a surprised look crossing his features. He probably expected me to hide away in my room, which I would’ve if Grey wasn’t somewhere inside.
I’m a mess. My hair was never brushed after my shower yesterday, my face is puffy and swollen from crying and it’s free of makeup. My hoodie hangs past the bottom of my sleep shorts, and I’m wearing socks that reach the middle of my calves, but Thayer’s eyes roam my body, looking at me like he hasn’t seen me in months instead of two days.
“You need to go,” I say, folding my arms over my chest.
“No.”
“Yes.”
“Not until you talk to me.”
“There’s nothing to talk about.”
“I disagree.” He takes a step toward me. “Last night—” His eyes drift over my shoulder, focusing on something behind me. His face contorts with anger, his entire demeanor shifting. “What the fuck is he doing here?”
“What am I doing here?” Grey asks, his tone challenging as he comes to stand in front of me. “I live here, motherfucker. What are you doing here?”
“Grey, go inside,” I say, coming around to stand in front of him, planting my hands against his chest to push him toward the door. He looks down at me, his eyes flashing with understanding.
“Is he the reason you’ve been crying all weekend?” He looks over my head at Thayer. “Did you fucking touch my sister?”
“You killed my brother. It’s only fair I fuck your sister.”
“Thayer!” I snap. What the hell is he thinking? Humiliation courses through me, my face getting hot. Grey takes advantage of my stunned state, charging past me, and judging by the look on Thayer’s face, that’s exactly what he was hoping for.