Total pages in book: 113
Estimated words: 109086 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 545(@200wpm)___ 436(@250wpm)___ 364(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 109086 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 545(@200wpm)___ 436(@250wpm)___ 364(@300wpm)
The uniform was confused, but Vivianna heard and tipped her chin back, a raucous laugh trailing out of her throat. Jesus. She was all skin and bones, wearing . . . I didn’t even know what she was wearing. Leather leggings with some animal-print corset top? And were those feathers wrapped around her like a shawl? I had no idea. She looked ridiculous. But she continued to laugh, annoyingly, before she finished it with, “Not Jakie.” She snorted, still laughing. “You’re joking, right? Everyone knows that was just a joke. A whole farce—” She cut off, seeing my face. She stammered, the blood draining from her face. “S-sorry, Cuz. I, just—you’ve always been a cop. I mean . . . though, Justin was the golden boy of the two of you—”
“Shut up.”
She flinched, going white again, looking as if I’d slapped her. “Sorry, Jake. I—just—”
I turned my back on her, focusing on Laila. Knowing—feeling—the subway woman watching the whole exchange.
I heard Vivianna add behind me, quietly, “I loved him too.”
I cringed, but not the time or day. I asked through gritted teeth, “I’m assuming you have strings attached?”
Laila had been watching me carefully, but her face blanked a moment. “Uh. Yeah.” Her forehead wrinkled as she thought. “Rehab.”
“What?” Vivianna croaked. “No fucking way—”
I leveled her with another look.
She was my cousin, one of my many cousins, but we were not close. Our relationship consisted of this. Of her getting high, getting arrested, using my name to get out of trouble. I tended to come down and haul her out of here more for favors since she used to be buddies with people that I needed information on sometimes. That was before I turned in my resignation. I didn’t need those favors anymore. I was thinking my cousin was forgetting that part of our relationship.
I was here for one reason alone. Because my brother would’ve wanted me to help her.
I said to Laila, “Not a problem.”
“What?” Viv screeched again, her eyes darting around the room, looking for someone else to come in and stop this from happening.
I raised an eyebrow.
Laila was waiting too.
My cousin wasn’t seeing anyone else there to help her out, until her gaze fell on the woman from the subway. It stayed there.
I asked, “Unless you want to be charged?”
Laila jumped in, not missing a beat. “They’ll send you to rehab too. It’ll just cost more.”
Viv was still staring at the subway woman, but she snorted again, rolling her eyes. “Money is something we have. Our family is rolling in it.” She paused, remembering me. “Or some of us are, if we choose to roll in it.”
I’d had enough. Reaching for her arm, I growled, “Let’s go.”
Vivianna tensed, resisting. “Wait!” Her gaze was still trained on the woman, and I was about to jerk her after me, because I didn’t like how she was looking at the subway woman. My cousin could spot a mark a thousand feet away. Our family might’ve had money, like she said, but I knew Vivianna had been cut off long ago. The money she got was handed to her from the family’s lawyer, a lump sum given on the same day every month, and she didn’t get any more or any less. It drove her nuts, but it also kept her in check. Otherwise she’d blow millions on drugs as fast as she could snort it without overdosing.
Vivianna jerked her chin toward the bench where she was sitting. “What’s her story?” She looked to Laila for the answer. “She’s been here the whole time I’ve been here, but I’ve been watching. There’s no one back there processing her, or even looking like they’re going to process her.” She looked back, her tone warming. “What are you here for, sugar?” She pulled her arm out of my grip and went over, easing down next to the subway woman.
I didn’t want to look, but I couldn’t not anymore so, lifting my gaze, I let my eyes fall on her. And fuck. I drew in some air, drinking in the sight of her. I could look all I wanted now. She was like nothing I’d seen before. She made me think of rose petals. Lips that were made just for me. She had eyes deep like the ocean, a heart-shaped face. She was slender, but not too slender. There was strength in her bones. In her eyes. In the way she fucking sat there, thinking whatever fucking thoughts that were going round and round in her mind, but she was above it all.
I didn’t know what brought her here.
I didn’t know what made her hands wring themselves.
I didn’t know what was holding her back, making her chew on her lip, but I knew that I took one look at her and I wanted to sweep it all away.