Total pages in book: 132
Estimated words: 124923 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 625(@200wpm)___ 500(@250wpm)___ 416(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 124923 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 625(@200wpm)___ 500(@250wpm)___ 416(@300wpm)
“Jesus Christ.”
The voice belongs to the last person I want to hear as I’m trying to fuck my girl. I open the side of my jacket, shielding Valen from his view. He’s facing me, still inside the house, so he can’t see much of her, if at all, and I want to keep it that way.
Instead of leaving us to it, he spits out my name like an accusation.
“Get the fuck out!”
“Wrap it up. Party’s almost over.”
The second he’s gone, Valen’s pushing me away, scrambling to cover up and gather her things, saying she needs to leave. I tuck my dick back into my pants, which is a feat in itself with how hard I still am, even as I try to assure her that it’s not as big of a deal as she’s probably thinking.
“Relax, Valen. That was my dad. He’s not going to say anything. Your dirty little secret is safe.”
When she spins around, I can tell by the panicked look in her eyes that it was not the right thing to say. I’m pretty sure I just made it worse.
“Your dad?” she screeches.
“He didn’t see you.” I’m going to kill the bastard for interrupting and scaring Valen off. She shakes her head, not hearing me or not wanting to hear me, I can’t be sure. She bends over to grab her purse, then shoves her arm through the strap, and she’s gone.
“Fuck.” I take a minute to zip my pants and button my shirt. I’m getting tired of getting interrupted. If I could take her ass back to the cabin right now, I would. I walk back inside to find my father waiting for me, eyebrow raised. In the center of the room, my uncle takes the floor once more, thanking people for coming, which is code for I’ve got your money. Now get the fuck out.
“What are you up to?” my father asks, suspicion clear in his tone. Why does everyone keep asking me that?
“I think you just had front-row seats to what I was up to,” I say, walking past him. He falls into step next to me.
“Not that. What were you and your brother doing snooping around upstairs?”
I stop, facing him. “Finding answers, since evidently that’s not something you can seem to accomplish on your own.”
“I told you, I have it handled.” His voice is low, but firm. Deadly. The voice he saves for rare occasions when he wants us to take him seriously.
“Yeah, well, I’m sick of waiting. You’re okay with letting your nephew get away with murder?” I pause, then let out a bitter laugh when I realize the irony. Back when all signs pointed to Grey being the one to kill Danny, my dad covered for him, too. Seems it’s becoming a pattern of his. “Of course, you’re okay with it. You protected the guy who you thought killed your own son,” I spit. “Gotta preserve that family name at all costs, huh?”
“You don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about,” he seethes, getting in my face before he considers our surroundings. He straightens, composing himself. “There are so many things you don’t understand, and while you’re over here playing detective, you’re putting everything I’ve worked for at risk.”
“At least I’m doing something.”
“Yes, Holden. Sticking your dick into some run-of-the-mill whore at your uncle’s house in between snooping around like you’re in an episode of Scooby Doo is certainly something. You’re really cracking the case.”
My fingers curl into fists and my jaw pops from clenching so hard. I’m itching to hit him, but then I think better of it. Instead, I stride up to where my uncle stands, slinging an arm around his neck. He smiles at me, but I see the barely restrained anger behind his eyes. The silent warning in them.
“Thank you all for your generous contributions to—” I pause, stage whispering into my uncle’s ear. “What’s this for?”
There’s a chorus of laughter and nervous chuckles.
“At-risk youth,” he answers out of the corner of his mouth, not letting the smile slip. Mine only grows at the irony of it all.
“Right. At-risk youth. Which is especially important to us, with the passing of my brother, Daniel, and with my cousin, Christian, being a missing person for the past year.”
A chorus of gasps and confused murmurs fill the room, and I can practically feel my uncle’s blood boiling as he bristles next to me. I look him dead in the eye. “I can only hope that no other family will ever have to go through what we have ever again.”
If I can’t get answers, why not use the public to pressure him into giving them? I look around, taking in the various expressions in the room. Most people look shocked, and some don’t so much as bother to hide their entertainment at this juicy little slab of information I just dropped. A bright flash, followed by the sound of a camera’s shutter, breaks the silence. My father is furious if his red cheeks and clenched fists are anything to go by. Shayne looks horrified. Thayer is unreadable, as always, but if I’m not mistaken, he’s trying to conceal a smirk. Well, at least there’s one person I didn’t piss off.