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)
Cars looked as if they had been picked up and tossed. Mine was completely gone. A red Jeep was upside down in the church parking lot. The sign for the church appeared as if someone had taken it and twisted it like a piece of paper. Vapiano’s roof was peeled back like a can of sardines, and every window was shattered. There were store signs, a trampoline, lawn furniture, bicycles, and other random items littering the streets, the front lawn of the church, even on the roof of the bank on the other side of Vapiano.
From where we stood, it seemed like most of the church’s windows were intact. I only saw one that appeared shattered. But there could be more around the side and back.
The only vehicle not affected was the black Escalade that was parked beside us. The one that I knew belonged to Linc Shephard. It had bulletproof windows, the tires reinforced with Kevlar, and it could drive on its steel rims if needed. It was used for business. Family business.
“As you can see, we were fucking scared shitless,” Gathe said behind me.
“We need to take you home. Your mother is bordering on hysterical, and your father wants to see you,” Linc informed me.
“I’ve sent a text to Gannon.” Bane spoke for the first time. “They know she is safe, but are expecting her.”
Her. He was talking about me as if I weren’t standing right here.
Jude turned to me. “I have to go check on things at the church. Then parishioners. See who needs help.”
There it was again. He was shutting me out. Just like at his house on Sunday. The guilt and regret in his expression gutted me every time. I didn’t want to be a regret. I wanted to be…special. Cherished. Wanted.
I wanted to be loved.
I nodded my head, but said nothing more.
He looked back at the men behind us. I hadn’t even introduced him.
“I’m sorry that you were scared. It happened fast, and there was no time for Saylor to make any calls or even grab her phone.”
Linc stepped forward. “Thanks for getting her to safety,” he said. Then added, “Father.”
Jude’s smile didn’t meet his eyes. “It’s Jude. No need for the formalities.” He shifted his eyes to Gathe. “Gathe. Good to see you again.”
Gathe smirked.
Why was he smirking? I was going to slap that smirk right off his face.
“Father. Oh wait, Jude.”
The tension in Jude’s stance as he nodded his head, then turned to walk back toward the church without looking at me again only made the ache in my chest sink further into my stomach. I didn’t want to leave. I wanted to go help him. There would be a lot of cleanup. But did he want me to? He’d acted like I was the last person he wanted to see.
When he was far enough away, I turned to look back at the men behind me. “I need to stay and help clean things up.”
“No,” was Linc’s one-worded response.
He was NOT my father, and I was NOT in the Mafia. I was a daughter who had been born into it.
I placed a hand on my hip and gave him a challenging look. “Listen. I am fine. See?” I held up both arms, then put my hand back on my hip. “I didn’t need the calvary. I was safe.”
“In a closet with Father Jude.” Locke’s tone wasn’t teasing. It was accusatory.
I swung my gaze to him. “Does that matter?”
“He’s a priest.”
“And you’re not Catholic. What do you care?”
He cut his eyes at Bane.
Bane shook his head once at him and said nothing. What was that about?
Gathe took a step toward me. “Look, we are worried about you getting hurt. Sure, I teased you about it before, but I didn’t know things had escalated beyond the eye-fucking.”
“How do you know things have escalated?” I shot back at him.
He raised his eyebrows. “Because we just walked in on two people who had just gotten off. Even if your faces hadn’t been flushed, your shirt was all crooked, and there was a slightly darker shading on the crotch of the Father’s jeans. Plus, it had been over twenty minutes since the tornado had passed over here. And you were just coming out of the closet.”
Shit.
I let out a heavy sigh and rolled my eyes. Could I not have anything to myself? Did they all have to know my business?
The military-grade Hummer that belonged to Luther Levine pulled up.
Great. More people I did not want to see.
The back door opened, and Than Carver climbed out.
Luther rolled down the driver’s window. He looked from me to Linc. “Everything good?”
“Fuck, Saylor, that shit ain’t funny,” Than scolded me like a child. “When a motherfucking tornado is coming your way, you answer the phone and reassure us that you’re safe so we don’t lose our shit.”