Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 91748 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 459(@200wpm)___ 367(@250wpm)___ 306(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91748 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 459(@200wpm)___ 367(@250wpm)___ 306(@300wpm)
He nodded. “She needs to be informed. Although I’m going to make sure she doesn’t say anything to Calvin through her letters. It needs to be kept under lock and key.”
“All right,” I said with a sigh. “And how is Lula Mae involved in this exactly?”
Oz cut his eyes at me as if that was a stupid question. “You’ve seen her. She got Telos’s right-hand man’s attention at a club on Bourbon Street six months ago. He’s been pursuing her.”
“Great. So, we are banking on getting to him through his sidekick’s need for pussy.” I didn’t think that sounded solid to me.
“You don’t understand the control a cunt can have on a man. You’ve not had that cunt yet. But when it happens, you’ll get it,” Oz told me as he headed back to the door.
No, I wouldn’t get it. But if this dipshit was stupid enough to fuck around with Lula Mae Davidson and get attached, then so be it. Whatever got us in contact with Telos Kris.
Tonight’s gathering in the great room was different. Gathe, Than, and Ransom were all at Than’s, handling tonight’s bets. Noa was there, visiting with Montana while they watched the games. Bane was at his parents’ with Halo and Hawkins. Linc was here, but Luther had stayed at their house with Branwen, Stevie, and Lace.
Hale was here, representing the Carvers since his sons couldn’t be. Locke Bowen and his father, Mal, were both here. Kash, Oz, and I were also waiting on the arrival of the Davidsons while Winslet and Cressida kept Elsie distracted with baking shit in the kitchen and a bottle of wine that Winslet couldn’t help them drink.
No one else was aware that Elsie knew what the fuck we were, except Gathe. That was why Oz was keeping her out of this until she needed to be included. I was close to just fucking telling him that Calvin had clued her in before she ever arrived. But I didn’t want Oz interrogating or trying to intimidate her.
I wasn’t sure, but if he scared her, I felt like I might throw a punch, and I’d never done that with Oz. It was a strange realization. Kash and I had tied up a few times in our youth, but his crazy ass had always started it. But Oz? He was the calm older brother. Sure, he was a stalking psycho, but otherwise, he was the most relaxed of the three.
My phone buzzed, and I looked down to see a question from Than about the spread. Shit. I was not going to be able to help him handle this. Why hadn’t Oz come up with a better solution? Glancing up at Oz to see if he was getting texted, I found him talking with Linc while his brows were drawn together, as if it was something serious. Okay, fine. I’d handle it.
Getting up, I started to head to the kitchen.
“Where are you going?” Oz demanded.
Rolling my eyes, I turned back around and held up the phone. “Than has questions about adjusting the live odds. You and I are busy. I am handing it over to Elsie.”
Oz nodded in agreement, as if I had been seeking his approval on this. He was the one who had put Ransom and Than on the job tonight. Not me. Hell, Elsie could have handled it alone in my opinion. But I wouldn’t want that put on her.
“Elsie?” Linc asked with his signature scowl.
Oz turned back to him. “Finance major. She’s fucking good at it. Better than Forge.”
I didn’t argue. She was. I smirked as I continued on toward the kitchen. There was a trace of pride that I couldn’t nail down. She wasn’t mine to be proud of. Maybe it was because I wanted her to find happiness again. I hated the pain she had lived through. I didn’t know exactly, but I was fucking smiling about it by the time I reached the entrance into the kitchen.
Pausing before any of them saw me, I did a quick scan of the room. Cressida’s red hair was pulled back in a ponytail as she pulled a tray of cookies from the oven. Winslet was eating what looked like a cupcake with no icing while talking about a puppy. Were they getting a dog? She seemed giddy about it.
Then my eyes went to Elsie. Her inky-black hair was pulled back into a messy bun as she stood, slightly bent as she slowly covered a cupcake with icing from the bag she was squeezing it from. Her bottom lip was between her teeth, and her brow was puckered in concentration.
Dammit, did she have to be so fucking adorable too?
“Are you coming to swipe a cupcake?” Winslet asked.
My eyes snapped to her. She smirked as she took another bite of hers.
“Uh, well, I am now, but, no, that’s not the reason I’m here.” I swung my gaze back to Elsie, who had stopped what she was doing and was watching me. I held up the phone in my hand. “Could I give you a burner and you answer some questions for Than? He’s asking me shit about the live odds.”