Total pages in book: 83
Estimated words: 78350 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 392(@200wpm)___ 313(@250wpm)___ 261(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78350 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 392(@200wpm)___ 313(@250wpm)___ 261(@300wpm)
“Casey Richards, don’t you dare,” his mother said.
He knew better, and he quickly let go of the slide and slid right on down, rubbing his face across the dirt.
Bolt pulled out of the memory, as that day, he lost a tooth and was never able to find it. Of course, his mother dragged him to the nearest dentist to get him checked. As for Morwenna, she searched the mud and handed him the tooth, as he’d been pissed he wasn’t going to earn some money from the tooth fairy. She didn’t want him to be out of money either.
He showed his mom what he’d gotten, and for his troubles, he got five dollars, which was high. Usually, he only got a dollar. Of course, he would later find out that his mother had sneaked into his bedroom and put the money there, as she felt bad.
At the time, they’d gone to the local park, as there was no park built at the clubhouse. He and Morwenna would meet up, and that was where Willow and Storm would get along.
That was like a lifetime ago. He had so many memories of Morwenna. Their first day at kindergarten, a couple of guys tried to bully Morwenna. The time Morwenna hit a girl, for hurting a younger girl. They had been together through thick and thin, and he’d messed it all up. Now, he stood with his son that should have been her baby, not his and some other woman’s.
“Are you all right, son?” Storm asked, pulling on a jacket to stand outside with him.
Kyle was happy being swung, and Morwenna was still playing on the slide.
“Yeah, I’m fine. I’m just keeping them entertained, because they’re driving people crazy.” He sighed, running fingers through his hair. “Didn’t really anticipate being on lockdown.”
As for Nathan, he was strapped in front of him, as he took care of all three of his kids. If he’d been with Morwenna, he just knew it would be different. She would be happy and they would still be together.
“Once all of this is over, you’re going to have to consider putting him into a school,” Storm said.
He sighed. “You mean if we all survive this.”
“No need to be so morbid.”
“Mom, you’ve heard the stories.”
“I know, and do you think this is the first time we’ve heard stories? Trust me, it’s not.”
He turned to look at his mother. Her hands were on her hips, and there was a glare to her gaze. Bolt wanted to believe her. It was his mother, after all, and she’d been trying to guide him all his life. Most of the time, he listened, but not when it mattered most.
“Mom, you know this time is different. Dad’s got everyone on patrol. We’ve got guards all over, and this lockdown is more serious than anything we’ve ever experienced. No matter how we try and dress this up, this is bad.”
“Does it make you feel better knowing there is nothing you can do?” Storm asked.
“No, it doesn’t. I don’t like hiding.”
His mother sighed. “This is not hiding.”
“What would you call it then? Hanging out and having a party?” he asked.
“We’re regrouping,” his dad said, coming to join them.
Bolt looked between his mother, then to his father and back again. “Regrouping.”
“This is what Romano is doing. Everyone else who has faced the Karamazov did not live to tell the tale. They ran off, they tried hunting. We’re not running, nor are we hunting. For now, we’re biding our time and waiting for the monster to strike.”
This made Bolt laugh. “You’re kidding, right?”
“Sometimes, monsters lose their patience, Bolt. You’ve got to learn to be patient, and time helps to heal all wounds.”
He was still terrified and pissed off, because Venom had told him Morwenna was staying at her parents’, which he didn’t consider to be safe. Everything was a fucking mess, and he didn’t know how to fix any of this. It was a total disaster.
Yet, Kyle looked behind him, gave him a smile and a giggle, throwing his hands up into the air. He loved his son. He loved all three of his children, but he couldn’t help wishing he’d been patient enough to have them with his wife.
****
Venom didn’t like company.
Lockdowns were a personal nightmare, unless he was alone. Solitary lockdown he could handle. It was easy for him, not company. Surrounded by a bunch of moaning men who didn’t want to be cooped up and kept going around the women, it was a disease waiting to happen. So, instead, he sat in his bedroom and read. It was all he could do.
His thoughts were not on himself, though. They were on Morwenna. Gus kept him updated via text each day, letting him know they were okay. The threat was real, and he knew the fear ran rampant in the club.