Total pages in book: 86
Estimated words: 97696 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 488(@200wpm)___ 391(@250wpm)___ 326(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 97696 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 488(@200wpm)___ 391(@250wpm)___ 326(@300wpm)
I thought she was over that jealousy shit. I’d sent the woman packing halfway across the country and haven’t even seen another female if she was standing on top of my head. What the fuck?
“Are you crying? You better not be crying babygirl. Listen to me. I waited almost ten years for you. I didn’t do that shit to fuck it away for a piece of ass.” She sniffled and calmed her ass down and I was trying hard not to be pissed.
“How’s my kid?”
“He’s good, but you’re not gonna be here to hold my hair in the morning when he makes me sick.” I could hear the pout in her voice but at least she was over that crying shit.
“I’ll make it up to you. I stocked your little refrigerator with ginger ale and your crackers are in my nightstand. Just make sure you have both before you get out of bed and you should be fine babygirl.”
We fucked around on the phone for a little bit until her voice cleared and there was no more worry there. I got to wondering why the fuck women always think their man don’t miss them as much as they do when they have to be away from them because I had a bitch of a time getting to sleep without her next to me.
CHAPTER 10
CORD
***
“Cord, someone’s in the house. I think they’re heading for Susie’s room.” There was fear in the kid’s voice but he was holding it together. I knew I shouldn’t have let her leave me. There was no time for recriminations now though; I had to move.
“I’m on my way.” I hit the ground running. I tightened the waist on my drawstring pajama bottoms, pulled the socks off my feet for better traction, and picked up my glock in one hand and my phone in the other.
I used the mechanism on my watch to open the gate as I ran flat out. I used my phone to call Lo, he’ll alert the others. But I was sure I’d be done by the time they got there. “Lo, someone’s after my girl, I’m almost there.”
“Fuck, I’ll get the others. Cord don’t…”
I hung up before he could try to talk me out of going in alone. I know my brothers very well and Lo’s first priority will always be one of us. He’d want me to wait, even though we’d just learned that they were the old man’s, he’d still put my life before hers.
I paced myself and controlled my breathing as I ran through the night to get to her. I didn’t let my mind go anywhere else. I didn’t give in to the anger that was gnawing at my gut, or the self-loathing for going against my mind and letting her leave. I just focused on getting to her, making her safe, and then killing the fuck that had broken into her house.
The night was still, as if waiting to be shattered. One of those nights where not even the trees moved in the breeze and the stars were hidden in the clouds. I took it all in as I made my way through the dead of night with my heart lodged somewhere in my gut and my mind on autopilot.
The little house came into view up ahead. It was in total darkness as I crept around the side. I knew which room was hers and which was her brother’s. I’d made it my business to know. I kept my eyes and ears pricked for any movement but all was still. The house next door was in total darkness, nothing moved over there.
There were no cars on the street, why would there be? In our little sleepy hollow everything shuts down by dusk and most law-abiding citizens are in bed by this hour. I checked the house for a way in without alerting whoever was inside. I didn’t know how much time I had. Either way, I wasn’t about to fuck around. I couldn’t let myself think about the terror she must be feeling, or whether or not she’d already been hurt. Did she cry out for me?
Davey, who has been hanging around us for the last little while, was starting to think like us. He’d opened his window for me to climb through. I knew the only reason he hadn’t tried to defend his sister himself was because we’d taken his piece that first night we met, which now seemed like so long ago.
If I’d been thinking, I would’ve armed him, but that was a mistake I wouldn’t be making again. Not that I was ever letting her out of my sight after this.
I climbed quietly through the window and found him by the door about to open it. I made the slightest of sounds behind him so he’d know I was there, and had my finger up to my lips as soon as he turned around. I hoped he could see me in the moonlight that streamed through the window.
The slump of his shoulders in relief told me all I needed to know as I made my way towards him. I could see the fear in his eyes, hear the shallowness of breath, but there was no time to reassure him. Now that I was here, the bitter taste of fear gave away to anger. Someone’s asshole son was gonna lose his life tonight.
I ushered him away from the door silently, and waited until he was out of the way before cracking it open the barest fraction, being sure not to let it squeak. I cautiously looked down the darkened hallway, nothing. Taking my time, I took another quick glance in the opposite direction, clear.
I turned back to him with a swift motion to stay put and away from the window before leaving the room. There was no sound coming from anywhere. Whoever was here was good, good enough that he knew how to control his breathing. I was trained to pick that shit up down to the lowest decibel.