Total pages in book: 74
Estimated words: 73756 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 369(@200wpm)___ 295(@250wpm)___ 246(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 73756 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 369(@200wpm)___ 295(@250wpm)___ 246(@300wpm)
“Control your dog,” David ordered, hands clenching.
My brows rose. “He’s excited to see me. I’m sorry if I don’t control him. Now, if you wouldn’t mind…”
I gestured toward the curb where his car was parked.
“Why are you even here?” Dillan asked.
Her voice cracked, reminding me that a few days ago she was nearly strangled again.
She’d done a very good job in hiding the bruises today.
“I was here to make contact with Asa,” David said. “And this one won’t let me see him. Shall I wait for him to get off the bus then?”
I tossed the ball across the yard and Moses shot off after it.
In the process, pieces of grass flew out from behind him and got onto David’s shoes.
He hissed and kicked the grass off his feet.
“You will not be seeing Asa,” Dillan agreed with me. “I’m sorry, but none of us will have any further dealings with you. Now, if you wouldn’t mind, I’d like you to leave.”
David shook his head. “Technically, this is still my property. I don’t have to leave.”
“What are you talking about?” Dillan snapped. “This is Delanie’s and my house. We own it.”
“You don’t own anything,” David disagreed. “I’ve spoken with a lawyer. Since you purchased the house under my accounts, technically speaking, these are all co-owned by me. And since this place hasn’t yet been paid off, I’ve gone ahead and done so. It’s mine just as much as it’s also yours and your sister’s.”
That wasn’t how it worked.
“That’s not how it works.” Dillan shook her head. “Our names were on the accounts. And we only used a small amount as a down payment. Which you gave us permission to do, might I add.”
“Yes,” he said. “But I have the money to tie up lawyers in this for a while… do you?”
The answer was no. They didn’t.
Neither did I.
I mean, I had a pretty hefty chunk of money in my bank account, but it wasn’t enough to buy a house. Nor was it enough to even pay off a car.
Let alone buy off Mr. Moneybags.
I looked over at Dillan and could see that she was fuming.
“Sit out here for as long as you’d like,” I said as I gestured for Dillan to go inside.
Dillan did, followed by Moses and then me.
I shut the door on David’s face.
His smug, I’m going to win this, needs a good punch, face.
“That…” Dillan said the moment the door closed. “That bastard!”
There was a chuckle from the other side of the door.
“He’s trying to buy his way into Asa’s life,” she said. “He knew we wouldn’t do this the easy way.”
“No,” I agreed. “But we don’t have to let him win.”
“He’s right,” she said. “Neither Delanie nor I have the ability to fight him. I’m in the black, but barely. I’ve only recently started turning a profit. And I know that Delanie’s turning a profit, but barely. We pay this place once a month in half, and we’re not even a quarter of the way in to paying it off yet. I’m honestly not even sure how he finds out the stuff he finds out. But, just sayin’, he’s not going to give up. This is only going to get worse.”
David started to knock on the door, and Dillan growled at it in frustration.
I pulled my phone out of my pocket and dialed the number by heart.
“Yeah, can you send a blue and white out to…” I gave the dispatcher Delanie’s address.
“It won’t stop him,” she said. “He’ll just come back.”
“It’ll stop him for now,” I said. “Which is all I really need.”
Dillan’s eyes narrowed. “What’s wrong?”
I pressed my hand to my chest.
“Someone that I knew died today,” I said. “Umm, do you want to let the dogs out and let them run for a bit, or do you want me to do it?”
Dillan’s eyes softened. “That’s why I came over.”
I nodded. “I’ll wait for the cruiser to come. Have him show your adoring father the boot. Then I think I need to take a nap. My head hurts.”
My head wasn’t the only thing that was hurting, but it would be the only thing that I admitted to Dillan.
As much as she looked like her sister, she didn’t inspire me to have any heart to hearts. She also wasn’t the love of my life.
“Okay,” she said. “I’m sorry to hear that about your friend, Bourne.”
I nodded once, thankful when I heard the knock at the door.
I walked to it and looked through the peephole, grinning wide when I saw Jonah Crew.
Jonah was a motorcycle cop for Kilgore Police Department.
He was also one of my not friends, per se, but acquaintances.
He was also a take no prisoners kind of guy and hated dealing with assholes like David.
“Jonah,” I said, holding out my hand. “And you met my unwanted yard ornament.”