Total pages in book: 91
Estimated words: 86841 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 434(@200wpm)___ 347(@250wpm)___ 289(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 86841 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 434(@200wpm)___ 347(@250wpm)___ 289(@300wpm)
“And some drive-bys, and after dark, someone will be watching. That’s a must. It’s not safe for any female.”
“I can pull a gun and pull the trigger just as fast as you can,” I replied.
“I was sixteen when we took you to the shooting range last. I’m lethal now, babe. I play with the big boys.”
I shook my head and let out a laugh. “Whatever.”
“Do we have a deal?”
“Yes. But whoever is watching me and standing guard at night, they need to stay hidden. I don’t want the church folks, who come here for something every freaking night, to see them and get scared. It’ll cause issues.”
“You won’t know we are there,” he assured me.
I would. I’d be able to spot them immediately. But that wasn’t a problem.
“I’m hanging up now. I have mopping to do.”
“I’m on my way. I will stay out of sight.”
“Seriously?” I asked, scowling at the wall.
“Is it night?” he quipped.
“Fine!” I snapped, then ended the call.
I swung my glare to the windows. Luckily, they weren’t floor-to-ceiling storefront windows. Just three regular-sized windows on each side of the door. The metal front and back doors would make Gathe happy at least. Explaining the locks to Jude and Sister Mena was going to be tricky.
Eleven
Jude
Standing at the office window, I watched as Saylor bent over, pulling out a box of something from her trunk with her butt in the air. The shorts she was wearing rode up so I could see the bottom swells of her ass cheeks. I would give anything for binoculars right now, which made me a sicko creeper. I tried to stop looking.
Just one more minute—that was all.
“You need longer shorts, Dimples.”
She stood back up and started to walk toward the door when a tall, muscular guy with tattoos approached her. I tensed. Grabbing my phone to call the cops on my way to the door, I kept my eye on her. The guy took the box, and she threw up her arms and appeared to be telling him off while he stood there, holding it. Then, she stalked around him and went to open the door.
She knew him.
I slipped my phone into my pocket, but decided I was going to check things out. Sure, the guy looked big from this distance, but she wasn’t very big. So, that wasn’t a good comparison. I wasn’t small.
How did she know the guy though? Why was he here? Her ex was dead, and that was the only guy she’d ever dated. Was he a relative?
By the time I reached the door, I’d come up with several different scenarios. I was hoping for the relative theory. Opening the door, I started to go in and noticed there was something new. A steel plate had been added to where the latch had been. I slowly opened it and bent down to see there was a thick square rod where the latch used to be.
Was this a dead bolt?
I straightened and glanced down to see there was another steel plate near the bottom. I squatted and ran my hand along the door to find a hole big enough for the bolt to go through.
What the heck?
“Father Jude!” Skylar’s voice was overly chipper as she pulled the door open.
I stood back up, letting my gaze scan the rest of the door to see what was new.
“Oh, yes, that,” she began.
My eyes snapped back to her. She had done this?
She gave me a hesitant smile. “I hope it’s okay. I just…I have a cousin who owns a lock and security company. He offered to come install new locks on the doors for free. He said with me working here late, it would make the family feel safer. Is that a problem? I should have asked. But he beat me here.”
The guy. Relief came immediately. He was family. He had been worried about her. As he should be. She was a gorgeous woman, working alone out here late at night.
“They look impressive. It’s fine. I might store the valuables here from now on,” I teased.
She let out a small laugh, but I could tell she wasn’t happy about this. From the window, I had seen she was clearly angry with him. I could only imagine how much her dad worried about her. Men looked at her everywhere she went. All heads turned. Some psycho could see her and stalk her.
Maybe get a pair of binoculars, Jude. Be careful about judging psychos when you are verging on becoming one.
She reached into the front pocket of her shorts and pulled out a key, then held it out to me. “This is yours. It opens both doors,” she told me. “Again, I am sorry. He mentioned it, and I said I would ask, and then he just showed up and did it. He did say a kid could have broken the other locks and gotten in here.”