Total pages in book: 135
Estimated words: 139088 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 695(@200wpm)___ 556(@250wpm)___ 464(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 139088 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 695(@200wpm)___ 556(@250wpm)___ 464(@300wpm)
I sat perfectly still.
Jacques woofed in shock at this revelation (okay, maybe it wasn’t shock, more like confusion as to why Knox was hanging and I wasn’t getting out so we could all hang together).
“Another problem she and I had,” he said. “And another reason she knew I was still hung up on you.”
My mind was blank, unfortunately, so this gave him the opportunity to murmur, “See you tomorrow, baby,” straighten away from the car, walk up his walk (he had a limp, but it wasn’t that bad) and disappear into his house.
Throughout this, I didn’t pull out of his driveway.
Jacques and I sat in the car and stared at his front door.
It took some doing, but I pulled myself together, put my dog in the seat beside me and reversed out.
I didn’t fuck Cheyenne.
He was with her for months, he was a man with a very healthy libido, and he didn’t sleep with her.
I was still hung up on you.
Shit.
Shit!
We so had to have our talk, because I had no idea what exactly was going on, but something was going on.
And it was time to get things straight.
Then move on.
However that was going to occur.
TEN
CONTINENTAL FLAIR
“It’s relentless, and I don’t know what I did,” I said to sum up the hour-long history I’d just shared with Knox about me and my sister.
“She has damage, baby, that’s certain. And your folks are full of love, so I don’t get it. Also haven’t noticed you doing anything but being you around her, so I can’t make a call about what that damage is.”
“She and Dad can get into it. Mom mostly gives in when Dream’s up to something. But honestly, it seems her biggest problem is me.”
He smoothed a hand up my back and started playing with my hair at the same time pulling me closer as he murmured, “Wish I had answers for you.”
“I wish there were answers, but I’m not sure there are.” I cuddled even closer. “Still, it’s nice you listen.”
“Anytime.”
I believed that, and I loved it that I could.
But now that I’d laid my heavy on him, and he shouldered the load, it was time to let him know I could shoulder his too.
“You mentioned your brothers…”
I let that trail off when I felt his frame get tight.
“You don’t have to tell me,” I hurried to say. “I just want you to know you can tell me.”
He might have reacted poorly to me bringing it up, but he didn’t beat around the bush in giving it to me.
However, I wasn’t a fan of the way he started it.
“We’re happening so I might as well come clean.”
Come clean?
“My brothers, both older, sold pot to the weedheads, and uppers to the overachievers so they could pull all-nighters. In other words, they started dealing in high school.”
This was not even close to what I expected him to say.
Sibling rivalry.
Yes.
Some form of overall, but relatable, family dysfunction.
Yes.
Both his brothers being drug dealers?
In high school?
No.
“Whoa,” I whispered.
“They also broke into teachers’ desks and stole test answers and had a huge file of completed essays on a variety of subjects, and they sold those too.”
Yikes.
No wonder he didn’t like them.
I didn’t know what to say, but I was me, so my first choice was levity. Though, considering the subject matter, I went carefully with that levity.
Thus, I joked hesitantly, “I suppose in every profession it’s good to diversify.”
Levity worked, sort of.
He touched his nose to mine.
Then he went right back to it.
“As for me, I was into sports. All sports, and anything about sports. Watching. Playing. Football. Soccer. Baseball. Basketball. Tennis. I even watch the Tour de France. Since Crew and Poe were following in the family business, and Dad was so proud they were, me and my little sister, who was first into dolls, and then into nothing but boys, were the disappointments.”
The family business?
Well, hell.
This crap was even more messed up.
“You have a sister?”
“Gypsy. She’s a couple of years younger than me.”
Right, that was the easy question.
Now for the hard.
“The family business?”
Knox didn’t hesitate.
“My dad isn’t a dealer. Or, at least he worked hard for his various promotions, so he used to be, but he isn’t anymore. Now he makes a fuck ton more money, though he also takes a fuck ton more risk. That isn’t exactly true. He doesn’t personally, because Crew and Poe are on his payroll, so they do.”
“Risks?”
“Transport, warehousing and distribution with direct ties to cartels.”
“Ah, risks.” That came out strangled because, seriously, that was a lot.
“Yup.”
“And you went into the army,” I noted.
“Yeah. My pops can pitch one helluva fit, but I’d never seen him so furious as when I told him I’d signed on.”
I couldn’t believe that, but there it was.
“Oh, Knox,” I said softly.
“He told me he hoped some Al Qaeda member shot me in the head.”