Total pages in book: 78
Estimated words: 77106 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 386(@200wpm)___ 308(@250wpm)___ 257(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77106 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 386(@200wpm)___ 308(@250wpm)___ 257(@300wpm)
If Coast had a reason even somewhat similar to that, or if he was trying to save his own life, could I really hold that against him?
“Ugh,” I grumbled. “I just keep going round and round about him, baby girl,” I told Lainey. “When he’s made it very clear he doesn’t want to be with me.”
I blinked back the ridiculous tears that burned my eyes.
I barely even knew the man.
We’d slept together once.
I was being absurd.
“What do you think, kiddo? Tonight is an ice cream night, right?”
Thanks to everything Coast had bought, I had some extra money lying around. Maybe it was time to treat myself to a pint of dulce de leche and some mindless TV to try to get my mind off Coast once and for all.
“I get the feeling that’s going to be easier said than done,” I told Lainey as I lifted her out of her seat and put her on my hip. “But we can try, right? Ready for your first lesson in trying to drown your emotions in ice cream?” I asked her as we walked down the block toward the convenience store.
“Busy night tonight,” I said, glancing down the street toward the bowling alley. “Must be a tournament or something. Hopefully one day, we can go bowling. And you will try not to judge your mother too hard for being absolutely crummy at it even with the bumpers on, okay?”
“Ooh,” Lainey agreed.
“You and me against the world, babe,” I said, kissing the side of her head as I opened the door to the convenience store.
The fluorescent lights in the store stabbed at my eyes as I walked down the aisles, trying to see if there was anything else that was calling to me before I made my way back to the freezer section.
I couldn’t tell you what it was that made me look over—if I saw a flash, if there was just some gut instinct.
But that quick glance over my shoulder?
That might have been what saved our lives.
I looked out the plate glass window and saw them.
Two men.
Familiar suits.
Looking for something.
Someone.
Me.
I ducked down below one of the aisles, duck walking away as they moved into the store. The little ding-dong of the door sensor had my heartbeat tripping into overdrive.
My blood whooshed through my ears, making it hard to hear as I desperately tried to listen for footsteps, to know where they were, if they were right on top of us or not.
I paused, cursing the song that I’d been singing to Lainey just a moment before. Back before our whole world threatened to shatter.
“Gotta be around here somewhere,” a voice said, making my belly flip.
“Bathroom?” the other asked.
I glanced over my shoulder, seeing how close I was to said bathroom.
Shit, shit, shit.
I crouch-walked away from the sound of the voices, hoping they were coming from the other end of the aisle.
My shoulder brushed a snack-sized chip bag, making it slide in slow motion toward the floor.
There was no time to look to see if they saw me or not.
I lifted up slightly, walking ducked instead of crouched, in case I needed to quickly break into a run.
I was choking on my heart as I moved around the end cap.
One quick glance said there was no one on the next aisle, so I moved down it a few feet, praying I couldn’t be seen as the men moved down the aisle I’d just moved away from, heading right for the bathrooms.
My breath was coming in frantic huffs.
I glanced up.
Right into the eyes of the man behind the counter. Who had to have been watching me as I passed him.
His head turned toward the bathrooms, then to me.
He jerked his head quickly toward the door.
I didn’t stop to think.
Or even thank him.
I just stood and ran like hell.
The ding-dong was unavoidable as I flew out the door.
All I could do was pray they didn’t hear, that they were still in the bathroom, that they couldn’t see me bolting down the sidewalk in the dark.
But as Lainey let out a cry, that hope was dashed.
“There!” a man yelled.
Damnit.
I swallowed down the whimper growing in my throat.
I’d outrun them once before.
I could do it again.
I had to do it again.
At least this time I was running toward my car.
My keychain was still looped around my finger, and I reached for it with my fingertips as I clutched Lainey to my chest.
It wasn’t that far.
I’d turned the corner toward the side street.
Another half a block, that was it.
Though I swore I could hear them gaining on me, practically breathing down my neck.
My legs burned, and Lainey suddenly felt like she weighed fifty pounds as I forced my body to go faster, to put more space between us.
Twenty more yards.
Ten.
Five.
I bleeped the locks.
Then flew at the passenger seat just behind the driver, ripping the door open, throwing us inside, slamming it, and bleeping the locks.