Total pages in book: 30
Estimated words: 28702 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 144(@200wpm)___ 115(@250wpm)___ 96(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 28702 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 144(@200wpm)___ 115(@250wpm)___ 96(@300wpm)
As she enters, I call out softly, “Emma, when you get up in the morning and your mom asks what happened, you should tell her that it was a work incident. It’s more believable.”
Her silence is extra loud. After a long moment, she finally says in a small voice, “Good night, Vincent.”
“Night, babe.”
I watch as her dark form moves past the kitchen door and then down the hall out of my sight. I’m not going to be able to sleep tonight. Who cares if Frank belts me? Better that than to stay up and stew. I walk around to the back of the ranch house and find Frank’s bedroom window. I give it a sharp rap and count to ten. He’s at the glass in seven.
“What the hell are you doing?” he growls.
“Some reconnaissance. Come outside.”
Frank trusts me on most things. You can’t be as successful of a team as we’ve been without trust. He nods and holds up five fingers to let me know he’ll be out in five minutes. It takes him less time to appear at the side door dressed in all black, much like his sister.
I explain the situation to him. “Who do you think gave her the split lip? Old boyfriend?” Emma was a virgin, so it’s possible that an ex gave her a knuckle sandwich because she wouldn’t put out.
He shakes his head. “She’s never dated anyone.”
“How do you know? You’re not home for long periods of time.”
“Mom would tell me.”
“Could be someone that she didn’t want you all to know she was seeing. The type of guy who had hit her.”
Frank rubs his chin as he considers this. “Yeah, I guess that’s a possibility. The one person who would know is Melody, but she’s not speaking to me.”
“Would she talk to me?”
“No. She thinks you’re Asshole Number Two.”
“You being number one?”
“Right.”
“What about her ambulance partner? We know a shit ton about each other. He’s bound to know something.”
“Yeah, that’s a good idea. It’s late, though.”
“Then give me the address and I’ll go by myself.” I hold out my hand impatiently. I’m not sleeping until I figure out who needs to die.
“Nah, I’ll go. I'm up.” He gives a huge, jaw-cracking yawn and then motions for me to get into the car. Sam, the partner, lives only a few miles away. The lights are out in his small box of a house.
I'm halfway up the walk when Frank catches up to me. “Let me call him first before you barge in. He could shoot you thinking you’re an intruder, and then what will I tell my sister?”
“I thought you wanted to off me for even looking at her and now you’re trying to keep me alive because you don’t want to make your sister mad?”
Frank shrugs and holds the phone to his ear. “Times change. Yeah, Sam, Frank Charles here. Sorry to wake you. It’s Frank. I mean, Biscuit. It’s Biscuit, Emma’s brother. Can you come out for a sec or let us in?”
A bleary-eyed Sam steps out on the porch several long minutes later. Long enough that I considered storming the gates, so to speak. The EMT shoves his fists into his navy terry cloth robe and glares at the two of us. “Why in the fuck did you wake me up at two in the morning?”
“It's about Emma.”
The angry expression turns to apprehension. He comes halfway down the stairs. “What about her?”
“Know anyone who has a grudge against her?”
Sam’s not dumb. He closes the distance between us. All traces of sleep are gone. “What’s this about?”
I tell him about her busted lip. Sam heaves a big sigh. “It’s probably Chief Finley. She’s kind of been messing with him in small ways like putting salt in his coffee some days or puncturing his tire on another. He must’ve caught on to her. I figured this would happen, but she’s been secretive about her one-sided revenge against him, so I never said anything. Besides, you know how she is. When she has her mind set a certain way, there’s no changing it. Chief Finley is always abusing his position, but no one in this town can do anything because he’s the chief and his dad’s the mayor.”
I tighten my jaw. “Guess it’s a good thing I’m not from this town because I’m doing something. I’m most definitely going to do something.”
CHAPTER 18
EMMA
“Emma.” Vincent groans my name when I wrap my hand around his cock. I know I told him I needed the night alone, but after about an hour of tossing and turning, he ended up back in my room.
He hadn’t said a word. Only stripped off his shirt and climbed into my bed with me. Once he’d pulled me into his arms, it was lights out for me. That restless feeling I had disappeared. I don’t think I would have ever been able to fall asleep with the way my mind was racing. I’m honestly not sure if I couldn’t sleep because of everything that happened with Blake or because I missed Vincent.