Total pages in book: 149
Estimated words: 140604 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 703(@200wpm)___ 562(@250wpm)___ 469(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 140604 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 703(@200wpm)___ 562(@250wpm)___ 469(@300wpm)
What the hell had gone wrong now? She was supposed to be in the hospital.
His fingers wrapped around the bars, and he leaned forward. “What are you doing? She shouldn’t be in here. You let her go. She did nothing wrong.”
Jimmy looked weary, like the night hadn’t gone the way he thought it would. “I was taught violence is always wrong, but that girl probably deserved the smack she got. Pretty sure she’s shady. Move back. I’m putting her in.”
“This is the men’s side.” They couldn’t put his sweet Olivia in a cell with men. There were other guys in here. Oh, they were drunken philosophers, but he didn’t know them. He had no idea what they were capable of.
Astro’s arms raised, and his face lit up. He didn’t seem to care that his shirt was covered in blood and his nose was obviously broken. “Livie! Girl, who’d you take down? I thought your daddy’s money protected you from everything. Sheriff must be getting bold.”
“She’s not under arrest,” the deputy said, pulling his keys out. “She wants to be here. She’s lost her damn mind. She slapped the shit out of Jessica Fellows, who might have been lying, and then she demanded I arrest her and put her in here with this guy instead of taking her to the women’s cell. Which honestly is probably the right call because Ruth is in there. Again. And she’s covered in spoiled milk. Guess Old Nan got tired of having her porch pirated. I understand it, but it’s quite the stink.”
Ranger chuckled. “Jessica thinks she’s better than everyone else. She probably deserved it. I know Ruth deserves it. What does she get from Old Nan’s deliveries? I’m pretty sure she stole her fiber pills.”
“Didn’t Jessica steal that city boy from Livie?” Astro asked. “Not that he was a catch or anything. I actually think she did you a favor.”
“She did,” Olivia said. “Trey, Marty, how’s your night going? What inning did you get to before the police came? Anyone spoil the game for you?”
Both men shoved their hands over their ears and walked back, shaking their heads.
Keane didn’t care about any of this. What the hell was Olivia thinking? He needed to show her there was no saving him. Her father hated him. He could cut her off. She couldn’t lose her family because of him. “Olivia, you are not coming in here.” The words formed in his mouth, and he could taste the bile of them. “Stop making a fool of yourself.”
She stared at him with wide, innocent eyes that kicked him in the gut.
But he had to do this. He knew where to shove the knife in. He knew how to force her to let him go.
“Olivia, I put the drug in your drink. I wanted some fun before I leave. Garrett didn’t know. He’s in love with you, but I don’t like to stay in one place for too long.”
She was so still, her hands in cuffs. “You don’t love me? I know you never said it, but I felt it.”
“Is this happening again?” Astro whispered. “Poor Livie.”
She ignored him, spending all her focus on Keane.
He was not going to be sick. He was going to do the right thing and save his subs. That was his job. And when he went in this time, he wouldn’t take visitors. He wouldn’t take calls. He would accept that he was alone. “You were never anything but fun for me. I don’t want to get married. I wanted to have a little fun with a rich girl who thinks way too much of herself.”
Tears dripped from her eyes, caressing her cheeks, and there was nothing he wanted more than to drop to his knees and tell her it was all a lie.
But that would put her entire future at risk.
“You need to get out of here. Go find Garrett. He’ll take care of you.”
She sniffled. “I thought you were a team.”
He hoped there was none of the ache he felt on his face. “I’m tired of playing around with cattle. I only stayed with Garrett because I came out of prison with no money. He was useful.”
She shook her head. “No, you love him.”
Ranger leaned over, whispering, but he was loud. “Wait. Is that like love love? Like Jack and Sam man loving?”
Olivia frowned.
Astro held up a hand. “No disrespect, Livie. If I were to bend that way, I would be all over Sam.”
Ranger snorted. “Obviously Jack is the hot one.” He cleared his throat. “If one liked men.”
Jimmy seemed more sympathetic now. He closed a big hand around Olivia’s arm. “Come on, Liv. I’ll take you back out. It’ll be okay.”
She shook his off, moving right up to Keane, the bars the only thing between them. “You’re saying you don’t love me and you don’t love Garrett.”