Total pages in book: 78
Estimated words: 73537 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 368(@200wpm)___ 294(@250wpm)___ 245(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 73537 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 368(@200wpm)___ 294(@250wpm)___ 245(@300wpm)
“YES! He threatened him and everyone he knows. That is not the point. He said…things. He sounded sincere, too, and that is what worries me. I believe him, but it doesn’t make it okay. It actually makes this worse.”
“What did he fucking say, Pep?”
She sighed heavily into the phone. “That he is working on getting you the money for the guns he took. He…he apologized to me. And, well, he…I think he has feelings for Dolly. I don’t think he wanted to, but he was around her, and Dolly has that effect on people. She’s hard not to love. I think she got to him, Micah. And he seemed real upset about how things went down with her at the bar yesterday. He had dark circles under his eyes, like he hadn’t slept. I just—”
“Bullshit. Don’t be naive. He’s trying to save his ass. The family being in our corner has him running scared. Lock your damn door. Keep Anson there with you until you leave. I’m heading to pick up Dolly.”
There was a pause.
“Okay,” she finally replied.
I ended the call and shoved the phone into my back pocket. I wasn’t sure what I was more pissed about. The fact that the motherfucker had had the audacity to walk into my sister’s bar or that he had claimed he had feelings and shit for Dolly. He was a criminal. A fucking liar. I had no doubt that Dolly could draw his attention. She had that thing about her that grabbed a man’s attention and made him want to own her. But that wasn’t what Canyon was after.
I headed to the library to let Ringer know I needed him to take Dolly home and to stay outside her door until I could get there. I needed to handle something first.
11
Dolly
I normally spent Saturdays at home—cleaning, doing laundry, homework—or sometimes I’d visit my momma. Filling in for Zander at work today had thrown me off my schedule. However, seeing as I no longer had a boyfriend, my night was free, except for helping Jeremy with his art project.
I put the homemade pizza in the oven while Jeremy set up all his supplies on the kitchen table.
“How many of those guys like that do you know?” Jeremy asked me.
Ringer was camped outside my door and refused to come inside. It seemed Micah had ordered him not to come in my apartment. I thought that sounded unfair to him, but Ringer seemed fine with the situation. Micah’s orders sounded silly to me. I intended to make sure to take Ringer some pizza when it was finished, as well as take some to Harold. He loved my pizza, but then again, he loved any food given to him.
“Not many,” I replied. “Micah thinks I need some protection right now. It’s a long story and not important.”
Jeremy’s brows furrowed in a frown. “Seems important.”
Smiling brightly, I walked over to the table. “Well, it ain’t. Now, let’s get started,” I said, hoping he would drop the subject.
“Is it about that other guy who was coming by here a lot?” he asked.
I paused and glanced at him. I’d never introduced him to Canyon, but it didn’t surprise me that Jeremy had noticed him coming by.
“It’s really not important. We need to get started on this project. If we start gluing now, it can dry while we eat,” I said with a smile.
He didn’t seem happy about my response, but he nodded, and we began putting the pieces he had already cut out together. While I held them in place, he glued them. I asked about his classes and the girl he had mentioned who was new this year. After a little prodding, he began chatting away, seeming to forget about the biker standing guard outside my apartment.
When the pizza was ready, I sliced him a large piece and made him a glass of chocolate milk before preparing some to take to Ringer and Harold. Telling him I would be right back and to get another piece if he needed it, I headed for the door with my two plates of pizza and a bottle of water tucked under each of my arms.
When I stepped outside, Ringer was leaning against the wall, texting on his phone. He lifted his head and looked at the pizza, his eyes lighting up before meeting mine.
“Hungry?” I asked, handing it to him.
He took it. “Yeah, that looks great. Thanks.”
I took a water and gave that to him too. “Enjoy. I have more if you are still hungry when I get back.”
“Where are you going?” he asked, straightening his stance, suddenly alert.
“Just to walk this down to a friend. He is one block over. No need to go with me.”
He smirked. “You go. I go.”
I sighed and shook my head. “Eat your pizza while it’s hot.”