Total pages in book: 77
Estimated words: 72421 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 362(@200wpm)___ 290(@250wpm)___ 241(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 72421 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 362(@200wpm)___ 290(@250wpm)___ 241(@300wpm)
“I know.” Jax nods in understanding. “It might as well be your life.”
“Thank you.”
“No need to thank me.” He smirks. “I’ll take a hug.” I give him a dead-ass stare that only has him still coming in for a half-arm hug that I return. My brothers may annoy me, but I would actually die for them.
“Oh, hugs!” Nix says, bouncing down the stairs. Does she live in that cheerleading uniform? “I want in on this.” I don’t try to stop her. It would only prolong this hallway meeting, and in the end, Nix will get what she wants. “See, was that so hard? I can be included in things.”
“You really don’t let shit go,” Jax says.
“I’ll fuck that dead horse up.” Nix bounces on her heels, punching the air. “Now, who am I riding with?”
“Mom.”
Nix narrows her eyes on Jax. “You want on my burn list?”
“No,” we both say at the same time. Her paybacks can be a pain in the ass. Nix might not be patient with much, but for a prank, she can wait months to strike. You don’t see that shit coming.
“Come on.” Jax puts her in a quick headlock before releasing her partly, keeping an arm thrown around her shoulder, leading her into the kitchen. I follow after them, going to my girl. She turns her attention to me.
“You good?”
I don’t want to lie to her, and I also don’t want her to fret. “Anyone needs to worry about being good, it's you, Hellcat. No boys' locker rooms.”
“Oh man,” she says sarcastically with a smirk. “But for you, handsome. I’ll give you that promise.” I sink my fingers into her hair and kiss her, not giving a shit who is around. You’d think this kissing shit would get old, but it doesn’t.
“Keep your phone on you,” I say.
“I will,” she tells me. “Promise.” I give her one last kiss before she is out the door. I turn my hand over, holding the clip I’d stolen from her hair. I bring it to my nose. Her scent lingers on it. I tuck it into my pocket, waiting for a beat before I head out to follow them.
I can at least be certain she makes it through the gates of Golden Prep. See it with my own eyes. I wait another fifteen minutes, simply watching the vehicles coming and going. Clocking the people walking by. Golden Prep is located on the edge of the city, but it is surrounded by gates that restrict access. There are cameras inside and out. I know the place is solid, but now she's out of my reach. It gives me a sense of not having control.
There is a range of different types of kids that go here. You have the wealthy and some rich buying their way in. Not that we’re much better. The school library is named after the Marino family.
There are a few students who have famous parents, so they got in, and then you have the other side of wealth and riches. Last but not least are the geniuses or prodigy kids. They got in free because they make the school look good. It’s Golden Prep's way of fluffing their feathers. They count on them to do some smart shit that will put them in textbooks.
I give one last glance around before I pull off and head toward the warehouse. Our family owns a shit ton of them. The ones near the docks bring in killer money. It also allows us to control which products are brought in and ensures that some of them remain off the radar or are protected. It's not only drugs that people want shipped in. There is a ton of stolen stuff that comes through here.
Controlling the docks in any major city gives you power in every direction. It's often how you can tell who has a chokehold on the city. It's a nice place to start if you're trying to get the feel of a new area.
This warehouse is one of ours and has been taken over by all my cousins and family. It's our place to meet up when we're in the city. Some just come here to work or fuck around playing video games.
The sensor gate opens when I pull up, so I don't have to stop. One of the big bay garage doors is open so that I can pull in it. We are trying to make the place seem forgettable and empty to anyone passing by. Inside is a different story. The whole place was vamped up years ago.
I already know people are here because it wasn't me who opened the bay door. When I put my SUV in park, I spot Mac. That's who I figured would be here.
"How's it going?" I ask when I get out of my vehicle and head across the open flooring. There are only two floors, which is pretty standard for a warehouse.