Total pages in book: 193
Estimated words: 184001 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 920(@200wpm)___ 736(@250wpm)___ 613(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 184001 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 920(@200wpm)___ 736(@250wpm)___ 613(@300wpm)
“I doubt it.” When Aurelia’s frown only deepens, I realize being recognized isn’t the only thing that troubles her. “Talk to me,” I beg.
Leaving Aurelia to fill in her own blanks is never a good thing. “Have you fucked her?”
“No. Never,” I answer honestly.
“But you could have.”
“Is that a problem?” I ask, genuinely confused.
“I don’t know. I thought…I thought when you guys took me, it was because you were desperate and had no options. And I don’t even know why I thought that. I mean look at you.” She gestures at me. I don’t take my gaze away from her. “I thought—” She stops before she can voice her deepest insecurities.
And if it hadn’t been for Karla, I never would have known that this was in the back of Aurelia’s mind, feeding whatever doubts that lingered.
“You thought any ol’ pussy would do,” I finish for her. Aurelia doesn’t even look surprised that I’d read her mind. “Well, now you know. And I’m glad we can clear this up. It was more than wanting to fuck you that made us desperate to keep you. Your soul called out to us, Goldilocks.”
“I was literally dying, unconscious, and covered in filth.”
“Exactly. That should tell you everything.”
“That men are disgusting?”
“That’s two strikes, Goldilocks.”
“Strikes?” she squeals. “For what?”
“Earn a third and you’ll find out when we get home,” I tease.
Aurelia and I make a few more stops to pick up supplies and whatever other useless things Aurelia swore up and down she desperately needed before we finally make it to the depot where the mattress I ordered a month ago is stored.
“Are you sure you don’t need any help with that?” she asks for the second time as she trails me to the truck. “It looks really heavy.”
With a great heave and a grunt, I toss the queen-size mattress onto the bed of the truck while she stares on in astonishment. I’d already loaded the box spring, which was much lighter and easier to carry. I turn to face Aurelia once the mattress is in position to be tied down. “You were saying?”
“Wow, you’re really strong,” she says as if she’s only just realizing it for the first time. “Show-off.”
Grinning, I grab the cords from the lockbox and hop onto the bed of the truck to get to work tying it down for the journey up the mountain. Aurelia leans against the side of the truck and doesn’t offer her help again once she sees how much trouble it’s giving me. She tunes out my cursing while singing softly to herself. I’d be amused at her change of heart if I wasn’t ready to set the fucking mattress on fire and demand she sleep in my bed only for the rest of her days.
I’m wrangling the final cord into submission when I hear her curse and see her tense out of the corner of my eye.
“Khalil? Incoming,” Aurelia warns under her breath.
I immediately stand to my full height and see the sheriff approaching. There’s tension around his shoulders and mouth, so I know he’s in a foul mood before he even speaks.
“Aurelia. Khalil,” the sheriff greets tersely. He’s made no secret that he’s unhappy with us after we betrayed his trust. Still, he hasn’t arrested us even though his sense of duty is probably telling him that he should. “I was just about to head your way.”
I glance at Aurelia who’s nibbling her lips at an alarming rate. “Is something wrong?”
“We need to talk. Meet me at the station in ten minutes.” The sheriff walks off without another word.
“Any clue what that’s about?”
Aurelia has her look of pure bewilderment perfected. “How would I know?”
“Right. Come on.”
Once I’m sure the mattress won’t fall off, Aurelia and I hop in the truck and ride back to Main Street where the station house is. When we walk in, one of the deputies immediately shows us to the empty sheriff’s office and tells us to have a seat.
The sheriff walks in a couple minutes later carrying a file that he throws onto his cluttered desk and a steaming cup of coffee that he hands to Aurelia, who smiles gratefully.
I don’t miss the slight, but the man overestimates how much I give a damn. “All right, Sheriff. What’s this about?”
“I think the four of you should know that Aurelia’s uncle paid me a visit.”
“My uncle was here?” Aurelia’s question comes out in a terrified squeak. “In Hearth?”
“Yes.”
“When?” I demand.
The sheriff exhales a harsh breath, and I know I won’t like the answer. “A few days ago.”
“And you’re just telling us now?”
“I didn’t have to tell you at all. You’ve already lied to me once. I haven’t forgotten that.”
“Okay. Let’s focus on the actual problem at hand here,” Aurelia says before I can tell the sheriff to kiss my ass. “What did my uncle want?”