Total pages in book: 118
Estimated words: 108709 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 544(@200wpm)___ 435(@250wpm)___ 362(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 108709 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 544(@200wpm)___ 435(@250wpm)___ 362(@300wpm)
Watching out the window, I focus on the cars passing, making sure that’s all they’re doing, when Aria strides in after appointing herself the designated food scrambler. “Okay, that was a huge fail,” she says, after having just spent the last twenty minutes ransacking the warehouse directly opposite us. It’s after hours, and the last employee went home a little over an hour ago, and after spending the whole day psyching herself up and putting together a plan to break in after dark, she’s finally come back . . . almost empty-handed. “Apart from a moldy sandwich in the break room, we’re out of luck. All I found was a bag of outdated chips.”
“Shit,” I mutter, gazing over to another warehouse on this street. It’s not ideal. There are still workers inside, but it’s bigger, and the chances of feeding Aria are much better. But I’ll be damned if I send her in. Not when there’s no guarantee of her safety. But come tomorrow, we’re going to have to find somewhere new to camp out. This warehouse isn’t sustainable for us. We need better access to food and water, and preferably clean clothes.
Aria walks straight into my arms and tries to hand me the little bag. “Here. Eat them.”
I shake my head and push her hand away. “I’m good, Menace,” I say, hearing her stomach rumble and feeling like a piece of shit for doing this to her. “They’re yours.”
She lets out a heavy sigh, glancing down at the bag with a cringe. “There’s really no telling how long these have been sitting in that cupboard.”
“Your call,” I say with a smirk. “But remember, we haven’t got running water, and your stomach isn’t exactly made out of steel. An ill timed hiccup could bring you to your knees.”
She gives me a hard stare. “Not that it’s any of your business, but I’ve solved my digestive issues, thank you very much. I’m not a prisoner to my guts like I once was. I just can’t eat gluten. Or anything with dairy. Oh, and I have to have my morning coffee at least two hours before I leave the safety of my home, because well . . . you know.”
“So, basically anything good is off the table.”
“Yeah, pretty much.”
“Hate to break it to ya, Menace, but if you can’t have a coffee while on the go, you’re still a prisoner to your guts. But it’s fine, we can invest in an orange jumpsuit. Ladies’ size, fucking tiny?” I tease. “I can rip a hole in the ass, make a little flap, you know, for those emergency moments, and then you’ll be free to have a coffee anytime of the day.”
“Wow,” she says, beaming up at me with a big, fake grin. “And to think this is the kind of genius I’ve been missing out on all these years. It’s a miracle I’ve even survived to tell the tale.”
“Don’t you forget it, babe.” I grin right back. “Oh shit. That’s kinda your personality now, isn’t it?”
She sucks in a loud gasp, nailing me in the ribs again. “Low blow, Stone Blackthorne. Low blow,” she says, just as her eyes sparkle—the only warning that I should brace for whatever’s about to come out of her mouth. “Though, if you weren’t quite so forgettable, maybe I wouldn’t have forgotten you in the first place.”
My jaw drops. “Well shit, Menace. Don’t hold back.”
Aria laughs. “You may be able to physically beat me in every facet of our insane lives right now, but hear me and hear me good, Stone Blackthorne. You will never outwit me. It’s not possible. You can certainly try with your little lactose intolerance jokes, but I’m a stone-cold killer when it comes to a verbal smackdown. You’ll never win.”
“Noted,” I grin, knowing she’s right. This woman has always had a way with words, and no brain injury and memory loss is ever going to take that away from her. “Would you like a trophy? Maybe something with an inscription?”
“Absolutely,” she says, stepping out of my arms and moving toward the window, glancing out at the passing cars the same way I’ve been doing for the past three days. “I expect you’ll get right on that.”
“Of course. It’s not as though we have any other pressing matters that need to be dealt with. Tell me, when I place the inscription order, should I book it under your name or mine?”
“Yours, obviously. And don’t forget to leave a contact address, you know, just in case.”
I roll my eyes and watch her as she gazes out the window, but when she falls silent, I sense a shift in her. I give her a moment, waiting to see if she’ll tell me whatever’s on her mind, but when the silence grows heavier, I step in behind her, my hands falling to her waist. “What is it, Menace?”