Total pages in book: 141
Estimated words: 143382 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 717(@200wpm)___ 574(@250wpm)___ 478(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 143382 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 717(@200wpm)___ 574(@250wpm)___ 478(@300wpm)
Javi, Jeff and Clarice, who were all standing in my living room, stared at the toothbrush.
I stared at them.
Then, mouth full of foam, I shouted, “What the fuck!”
They all looked at me. Jeff was laughing. Javi was smiling. Clarice put her hands on her hips like I’d personally wasted her entire morning.
I went to the kitchen sink, rinsed, spat, grabbed a towel to dab my mouth then headed to the living room to retrieve my toothbrush.
I turned it off, slammed it down on the coffee table, and instead of asking if any of them had heard of a telephone or knew how to ring a buzzer, I asked a more pertinent question of my brother.
“Are you okay?”
He pulled me into a tight hug.
“Man, I needed that laugh,” he whispered in my ear.
Oh.
Well then.
Whatever.
Jeff let me go, and I was about to ask Javi how he was doing when Clarice butted in.
“You sleep late.”
“Excuse me, but I was up at three fifteen to go stake out a homeless camp.”
“Your man has been at work for the last two hours,” she pointed out.
So, clearly, tabs were kept on the Nightingale men.
Hmm.
I wondered if they knew.
I socked that away to mention to Eric and addressed Clarice.
“That’s because I think he’s an immortal god who actually doesn’t sleep. He’s like Apollo or Zeus or somebody, existing among us mere mortals as a way to alleviate the boredom of eternal life. We just haven’t advanced in our relationship far enough for him to confide that in me,” I returned.
“I’d always wondered how that one was in bed,” Clarice muttered. “Think I have my answer.”
I wasn’t going to verbally confirm, but…she did have her answer.
I caught my brother making a gaggy face.
I took no offense. I got it. I didn’t want to think about how any woman he saw would be in bed either.
Moving on.
I turned my full attention to Jeff. “Not that I don’t want to see you. But what are you doing here?”
“I didn’t want you to worry, so I’m here to let you know we gotta vanish for a while,” Jeff explained hesitantly, and the hesitance was probably concern I would lose my mind, which would be the precursor to me lapsing into a lecture about this Shadow Soldier business.
Since Eric suggested them laying way low was the way to go, I didn’t.
And seeing as Jeff didn’t want me up in his shit so much that he took a half a year break from me, that was another reason why I didn’t.
That said.
I looked to Javi. “I take it you didn’t get it into the grapevine that raid wasn’t on your order.”
He shook his head but said, “I did. They’re just assholes. They went after our last brother. We got him safe. Now we gotta ghost.”
This wasn’t the best news in the world considering my brother had been ghosting me for a while. But since I had him back and didn’t want some aggressive, illegal narcotics organization to take him away from me forever, I’d have to deal.
To do that, I drew in a breath and let it go before I looked to Clarice. “What’s your part in this?”
She tipped her head to Javi. “I’m Javi’s attorney.”
Of course he had an attorney.
And of course she was his.
“And I have access to a safe house in the mountains,” she finished.
Right.
Taking in the slick, winter-white business dress with matching blazer she was wearing, I wondered if her safe house had fur rugs, and Waterford crystal for all your beverage needs.
I didn’t ask.
I went back to my brother. “Can we talk for a minute?”
He nodded, so I took his hand and led him to my bedroom.
“Gross, Jess,” he muttered. “It even smells like sex in here.”
I sniffed.
It smelled like rosemary, cedarwood, lotus blossom and pepper (the latter two were from my perfume) and…fucking.
Ah, happy memories.
“Jess,” Jeff tore me from my happy memories.
“How did yesterday go?” I asked gently.
Surprisingly, sorrow didn’t hit his face. Anger did.
“Jamal’s people were wrecked,” he shared. “They knew how it went down before they asked that first question, because they know Javi…and they know Joaq.”
“Okay,” I replied.
“Joaquim’s people were assholes. All up in Javi’s face that he killed their son and brother. Totally blaming him. Javi didn’t say dick. Just let them pile it on him.”
“Did you tell them it wasn’t his idea?” I asked.
“I started to, but Javi gave me a look to shut me up.” His head ticked angrily. “I get it. He’s willing to shoulder the blame that isn’t his when they’re grieving. But Joaq spent half his time growing up at Jamal’s house because his parents make Mom and Dad seem functional and loving.”
Yikes.
I winced.
“Yeah,” he agreed.
“I’m sorry that was even less fun than it was already going to be,” I said.
“I am too.”
Taking us out of that…
“Okay, not that I’m going to text you every hour, but while you’re in the mountains laying low, can I contact you? Just to check in.”