Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 75015 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 375(@200wpm)___ 300(@250wpm)___ 250(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75015 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 375(@200wpm)___ 300(@250wpm)___ 250(@300wpm)
“Okay. Let’s see.” I snatched my phone out of my back pocket and took a photo from where I was. I took another photo of the front, a picture of the license plate, then recorded a video to show proof that I was inside James Reed’s garage. I could probably get charged for this, but he’d never know it was me who’d taken the footage.
It shouldn’t have surprised me to see a Confederate flag pinned to the wall where his tool cabinet was. Once I had what I needed, I was ready to hightail it back to the kitchen and put everything back where it belonged. But then I heard a car door close on the other side of the garage gate. I heard heavy footsteps and a deep cough. Heart pounding, I rushed for the garage light and turned it off just as the gate began to open.
CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR
There was only one thing I could do.
Hide.
The only problem? There was nowhere in the garage to hide. If I hid in his truck or Eve’s car, he’d probably spot me. So instead, I dashed back into his house, closed the door, and hustled to the pantry.
It wasn’t a very large space, but there was just enough room between the shelves and the door for me to fit. I had to suck in to close the door completely. The shelves dug into my back, but I held steady as I heard a door open. I prayed he wasn’t the kind to look for a snack as soon as he got home.
Those same heavy footsteps thudded through the house after the door slammed. A deep sigh filled the quiet. I settled my breathing as best I could, then took out my phone to switch it to silent. My hands shook so badly while doing it, I was glad it hadn’t slipped out of my hands and dropped on the floor.
The footsteps started up again and were lighter this time. I assumed the person was barefoot now. The fridge opened. I heard a loud pop, like a can opening. Loud gulping. Then silence.
“What the fuck?” a deep voice growled. It was definitely James.
His feet thundered through the house, and it sounded like he’d slid the patio doors open. It was now or never. If I could make a run for it now, I might be able to sneak out through the front door.
I cracked the pantry door open and looked to the left. He wasn’t there. Pushing it open wider, I looked toward the kitchen and saw the top of James’s head on the other side of the kitchen window.
“You’ve gotta be fucking kidding me,” James hissed.
I stepped out and bolted for the front door. My hands shook violently as I fumbled with the locks.
“Hey!” he shouted.
I swung the door open, ran out as fast as I could, and didn’t stop until I made it to my car. I yanked the door open, climbed in, started the ignition, and reversed out of the cul-de-sac just as James came storming out of his house. He glared right at my car, despite my headlights flashing forward. He may not have seen my face, but he knew exactly who I was. I swear the menacing scowl on his face was constructed by the devil himself.
CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
I had a feeling James was going to reach out to Alex and Damian after seeing me. Call it a hunch, but it would likely be the case. He realized I was on to him. He knew I was searching for answers and only those men had them. Now was the time to send his warnings and get his ducks in a row.
I drove quickly, making sure to get a good distance away from James’s neighborhood before stopping in the lot of a closed grocery story and sending the photos I had to Kennedy. Afterward, I typed in the address for Twilight Oaks in Maps. Once I had it, I put the car in gear and drove in that direction. My phone went in and out of service to the point of frustration. There was an email from Nico with an attached document that I couldn’t open because the server kept failing. The photos I sent to Kennedy failed.
I should’ve gone straight to the diner and used the Wi-Fi. Instead, I wanted to get more proof that James and the Reed brothers were hiding something. There was only one person harmless enough to feed me more details. It was now or never. I took the rocky, winding path that led to Twilight Oaks but didn’t park at the house. I decided to park along the main path, wedged between a line of trees just out of sight.
It was about a minute walk to reach the Reeds’ house from there. I collected my gun and attached the holster to my waistband, my phone, tossed my hood on again, and marched along the gravel. It wasn’t until I’d neared the house that I asked myself exactly what the fuck I was doing. Why was I breaking into houses and sneaking onto people’s property for a woman who’d betrayed me? For a friend who likely wouldn’t have been doing the same for me if she suspected my life was in danger.