Total pages in book: 86
Estimated words: 81245 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 406(@200wpm)___ 325(@250wpm)___ 271(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 81245 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 406(@200wpm)___ 325(@250wpm)___ 271(@300wpm)
14
DAKOTA
“Why did they chase him?” It’s been a few minutes since Stiff and Jackal ran off, and I don’t know what to do with myself while we wait to find out what happened.
Lash shrugs. “He ran.”
“That’s not a real reason. They aren’t greyhounds.”
He leans against the sink, laughing. “Shit, I think I need to share that observation with the class. It’s sorta true, though. He didn’t just see us and get a little nervous, he took one look and booked it. Even if we didn’t have other reasons to be suspicious, that would probably earn anyone a bit of a chase.”
If I had to take a picture for ‘effortlessly confident’, Lash would be it. At first glance, I understand why people are nervous around men like them. They look like they could do a lot of damage, and they’ll tell you straight up it’s true. I can see why women find it attractive. We grow up watching movies and reading books where the villains are infinitely cooler than the heroes. Not because they’re prettier, but because they’re interesting.
But the more time I spend with them, the less I notice the shock of tattoos, piercings and general badassery, and the more I see the quirks and charm that make them them.
I tear my gaze away and check my phone. “I need to pick Logan up in an hour.”
“No problem. They’ll be back way before that.” He glances out the window and down the street. “Stiff said you think the boyfriend had something to do with your sister’s death. Do you know something, or do you just hate his guts?”
“I don’t like him,” I admit. “But it’s not just that. Georgia wouldn’t admit he hurt her, but she was scared of him, and scared of what he would do to Logan when he was a baby. It makes sense to look at him first, right? I’m going to go finish checking the bedroom while we wait.”
There’s a book on Georgia’s bedside table. A beat up old romance book with a pirate captain holding a busty damsel on the cover. The pages are yellowing and dog-eared, and when I flip through them, it’s to all the spicy scenes. Go figure.
“Pirates, huh? The bikers of the sea.” Lash flashes that handsome lopsided smile at me.
I find myself smiling back. “I guess that’s kinda true. We were obsessed with The Princess Bride when we were little. Since we couldn’t both be Buttercup, we used to take turns being Westley. And then when she saw Pirates of the Caribbean, she was hooked.”
“Not you?”
“Oh, I liked it. Pirates are pretty cool, right? But Georgia was full on obsessed. Mom made her a pirate outfit for Halloween one year and Georgia wore it three years in a row until it finally couldn’t be adjusted any bigger.” Thinking back, Mom died before the next Halloween, and Georgia never bothered dressing up after that. “I suppose having a little spicy pirate romance on her bedside table shouldn’t surprise me.” I stroke a hand over the cover, trying to find a connection to my sister through the cheesy picture. I know her, but I don’t. The realization hits all over again, punching me in the gut.
Lash takes the book and starts flipping through the pages. “I have a brother, Eric. He’s a couple years younger than me.”
“Are you close?”
He shakes his head. “I guess we were when we were younger, but I don’t remember shit like Halloween or watching movies. We were tight because surviving our parents was a team effort. He was a rude little shit, could never keep his mouth shut. I got the crap kicked out of me so many times trying to keep him alive.” Lash’s grin is infectious. “But he was way better at the tricky stuff, like knowing exactly how many pills we could steal from our parents without getting caught. We’d save them up, and then sell them to a guy who worked at the gas station and stay up all night eating junk food until we puked.”
I must not be doing very well at covering up the look of horror on my face because Lash takes one look at me and laughs.
“That sounded funnier in my head. Little siblings, huh? Pains in our asses. Just like one to go and get themselves killed so you can’t even get the last word.”
I slap both hands over my mouth, but it doesn’t stop the twisted laugh that bubbles up, and once I start, it’s hard to stop. “Oh my God.”
“And you want to know what’s even worse? He grew up, went to fucking college on a turned into a fucking accountant.” Lash shakes his head like he can’t imagine a worse fate.
“You must be so disappointed. How old is he? Maybe there’s still time.”
“Twenty-eight. Sadly, I don’t think it’s a phase.”