Total pages in book: 82
Estimated words: 81584 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 408(@200wpm)___ 326(@250wpm)___ 272(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 81584 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 408(@200wpm)___ 326(@250wpm)___ 272(@300wpm)
Something was seriously fucked, but I was too concerned that I’d make it worse if I asked what the hell was going on.
Frankie’s arms wrapped around me snugly as I pulled out onto the road. We were ten minutes from her place, and she didn’t let go or shift at all the entire ride there. She sat still as a statue, her fingers curled into fists, gripping the edges of my cut.
The neighborhood was quiet as I pulled onto her street. Cian’s bike and Myla’s car weren’t outside their place, and Frankie’s driveway was empty, too. Lou must’ve been at work. Made sense.
I parked close to the front door and turned off the bike.
“Climb off, baby,” I said gently, peeling her fingers away from the leather when she didn’t move.
Watching over my shoulder, I tracked her as she climbed down and stood next to the bike. There was barely enough room for me to swing my leg off, and she still didn’t move.
Reaching into the purse that hung across her chest, I felt around in the bottom until I found her keys.
“I can get them,” she said flatly just as my finger caught on the key ring.
I handed them to her and followed as she carried them to the door.
I’d gotten her home safe, and there really wasn’t anything left for me to do, but I found myself following her anyway. She left the door wide open as she shuffled into the house. Inside, she hung her purse on a row of hooks by the door and dropped her keys inside without looking. She wasn’t speaking to me or giving any indication she even realized I’d followed her as I trailed her down the hallway to her room.
When she got there, she didn’t hesitate as she moved straight for the bed. Crawling onto it fully dressed, she rolled onto her side and pulled the blankets up to her chin.
I stood in the doorway as her body relaxed inch by inch. Her eyes were wide open, staring at nothing.
“You want me to call Lou?” I asked, crouching next to the bed so I was in her line of sight. “Or Myla?”
“No,” she replied, her eyes finally focusing on me. “They’re both at work.”
“Someone else, then? Bas?”
“No thanks.”
“What do you need me to do?”
“Nothing,” she replied dully. “I think I’m just going to take a nap.”
“Yeah?” I brushed the hair out of her eyes.
“I’m tired,” she replied with a weak smile. “Thanks for the ride.”
Rising to my feet, I moved to the end of the bed and pulled the blankets back. She’d climbed in with her boots on. I gently pulled them off and set them next to the bed before tucking her back in.
She was wearing neon pink socks with cats all over them that said You’re Purrfect. The sight of them was a strange juxtaposition from the mood in the room. She’d put them on that morning, probably for a little brightness in her day, and between then and now, something had gone really wrong.
When I moved back to the head of the bed, Frankie’s eyes were closed.
I grabbed the keys from her purse as I left the house and locked the door behind me. Pulling my phone out of my pocket, I opened my contacts and made a call.
“Hey, honey,” my mom answered.
“Hey, Ma. You busy right now?”
“Just sitting in my pajamas working on some stuff for Grandpa,” she replied. “So no, not really.”
“You think you could come pick me up and drive me over to get a friend’s car?”
“I’ll never refuse time with my favorite son,” she joked. “Are you at home?”
“Nah, I’m at Myla’s.”
“Is it Myla’s car?”
“Nope.”
“Hmm. A mystery,” she teased. “Give me about ten minutes.”
“See you then.”
I took my time walking over to Myla and Cian’s place. I was trying really hard not to speculate on what the hell had happened at the doctor, but I was worried. What the hell could’ve happened that had made the normally unrestrained Frankie so subdued? Had they found something wrong with her? My chest felt tight as I sat down on Myla’s porch steps to wait.
Mom pulled up just a few minutes later, rolling down the passenger window as she stopped at the curb.
“My boy,” she called out happily.
“Hey, Ma,” I greeted as I walked toward the SUV. “Thanks for pickin’ me up.”
“Are you kidding?” she asked as I climbed in. “I live for this shit. You never ask me for anything anymore.”
“Untrue.”
“You used to ask to come in the bathroom with me while I was pooping,” she told me with a grin. “Now where am I going?”
Her brows lifted in surprise when I told her.
“You have something to tell me?” she asked, a little nervousness threading through her voice as we drove out of the neighborhood.
“Nothin’ to do with me,” I replied, reaching out to tug on the end of her long braid. “Just doin’ a favor.”