Total pages in book: 72
Estimated words: 73043 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 365(@200wpm)___ 292(@250wpm)___ 243(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 73043 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 365(@200wpm)___ 292(@250wpm)___ 243(@300wpm)
I smirked. “Don’t like him?”
James didn’t bother to act like he’d misunderstood my question. “Can’t fucking stand him. He was the investigator for a shooting that I was involved in, and let’s just say things could have gone better.”
Interesting.
I’d be looking into that.
“Anyway, what I was saying was that I don’t want her involved. This needs to be done by someone that knows what they’re doing. She’s got skills, but she doesn’t have those years of experience that Jack has.”
“I can do anything that Jack does, if not better.”
Janie again.
I sighed.
I was really getting soft in my old age.
I hadn’t even heard the door open.
James’ lips quirked.
“Maybe y’all should go outside and have a talk. If you still need Jack, let me know.”
Then James practically shooed us out the door, following right behind us moments later.
I was standing on the sidewalk right outside the door when she said, “I’ll help.”
The problem was that I didn’t want her to help.
I didn’t want her anywhere near anything related to Layton Trammel.
What I couldn’t do was tell her no, especially not when she gave me those eyes that she was currently giving me.
“Fuck,” I muttered.
Something inside of me shifted, and I nodded once. “Give me your number and we’ll…”
“You don’t need her number. Get her email.”
Tegan the slime bag.
I rolled my eyes.
“You think you can give us a minute? We’re talking business,” I said.
Tegan’s eyes narrowed.
“A minute, Tegan,” Janie repeated, sounding nearly hostile.
My lips twitched at the anger I could read in Tegan’s eyes.
“This isn’t funny.”
I returned my eyes to Janie.
“What isn’t funny?” I hedged.
I know I hadn’t been laughing. Hell, I hadn’t even betrayed a smile.
There was no way she knew that I found it all amusing.
“I can see the laughter in your eyes. I know you, Rafe.”
My eyes narrowed. “Do you?”
Her mouth opened and then closed.
She didn’t say a word.
“Why won’t anyone tell me anything?” I asked.
Janie shrugged. “How’s your fiancé?”
The word ‘fiancé’ was asked so scornfully that I nearly laughed.
I almost said, ‘What fiancé?’ but was able to catch myself in time.
“Elspeth is fine,” I answered instead. “As I answered on the way in.”
Janie looked like she swallowed a bug.
“So, you need help?”
She wasn’t going to answer.
Which made me angry.
“I don’t understand why no one will tell me anything,” I finally said, raising my voice and waving my hands. “I just want answers!”
And I wanted those answers yesterday.
The not knowing what was going on thing was fucking frustrating.
And there was no telling if I’d get my memory back if they said something, but the least they could do was humor me.
I wanted to know my life.
It was fucking horrible living a life that I felt like a visitor in.
Tegan was at her side a moment later, scowling at me and wrapping one hand around her upper arm.
Janie didn’t bother to even look at him. She kept her eyes solely on me.
“Rafe,” she looked momentarily scared. “I…do you have a wedding date set yet?”
Why did she keep going back to that?
No, I didn’t have a wedding date.
There wouldn’t be a wedding, yet she didn’t need to know that.
The more people who knew my true intentions, the more people who could possibly screw it up.
I shrugged in answer. “I don’t know.”
“You don’t know…” Janie drawled.
My lips twitched at her obvious anger.
Goddammit, I wished I could remember!
This woman, she was making me feel things that I hadn’t felt in a really long time. Since before my father was outed, and I learned he was a bigger piece of shit than I originally thought.
Was this what happiness felt like?
Seeing her getting all riled up over a woman—one I didn’t even like, let alone plan on marrying—was just downright amusing. Making me tease her more than I probably should have.
Which obviously was the wrong thing to do considering what happened next.
“What do you know, Rafe?” she snapped.
All amusement fled.
“I don’t know much of anything, Janie,” I replied, suddenly angry. “Nobody will tell me a goddamn thing. Not one single fuckin thing, and it’s irritating as fuck. Do you have anything you want to tell me?”
I’d asked her already, and again, like before, she pressed her lips together.
“Janie?” Tegan started.
Janie turned, and then Tegan dropped down to one knee.
It was exactly like in the movies.
Janie looked flabbergasted that Tegan was asking, and she looked around to see who was watching.
Apparently, it wasn’t just me who got a front row seat.
It was her father, her stepmother, and a few other men and women who were doing various things outside.
All of them were solely focused on us—and Janie.
Apparently, my raising my voice had caused them to all stop what they were doing and stare.
Which then made them spectators of a show that they had no clue was about to happen.
And, out of all of this, I focused my attention on Tegan.