Total pages in book: 71
Estimated words: 71625 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 358(@200wpm)___ 287(@250wpm)___ 239(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 71625 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 358(@200wpm)___ 287(@250wpm)___ 239(@300wpm)
“They’ll want overtime,” Tough offered.
I shrugged. “Then give it to them.”
And, hours later, after reviewing the tape myself, I was sure that I could identify at least two of them.
One of them was wearing a pair of sneakers that I remembered seeing at a certain fight a few weeks ago. None other than Matt’s new stepson, and the girl with the red hair that was his girlfriend.
I’d start with that in the morning, then go from there.
***
“Steel?”
I woke up instantly.
I’d been asleep an hour at most, but the moment Winnie said my name, I was wide awake.
After raising my son, then staying in this house with the woman I was falling fast and hard for and her kids—who I also cared about—I never slept deep.
“Yeah?”
It was still dark.
Really, really dark.
In fact, the only light that we had in the entire room came from the computer that Winnie had in her lap.
“I was thinking about something that I needed for Cody’s Halloween costume, so I got on Conleigh’s laptop because it was the first thing I saw. When I opened it, I saw this message on Facebook—the first thing that popped up when I opened the computer—and saw this.”
I blinked the sleep from my eyes, and cleared my throat.
“What is ‘this?’”
She turned the laptop around and showed me, causing my stomach to lurch.
“Who is that?” It was a picture of some guy’s dick. “Some guy is sending her dick pics?”
She scrolled down more. “Keep looking.”
The chat feed went on for what felt like hours. The beginning came about fifteen minutes later, and I finally realized that this all had started about two weeks prior.
“Andy. Did he send any other pictures other than his dick?” I asked.
Winnie shook her head. “No, nothing. His profile is bare, too. Just says his name is Andy Anderson.”
The name Andy Anderson made my radar ping, and I was just about to come to an epiphany when Winnie interrupted my thoughts.
“How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days,” Winnie suddenly blurted.
“What?”
“Andie Anderson is the heroine off of How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days,” she repeated. “That’s where I know that name from. It’s one of my favorite movies. That’s her. This guy spells his name differently, though.”
My eyes flicked to the screen, and I slowly started to read over what was being said on the screen.
Andy: Hello. You’re gorgeous.
Conleigh: Hi. Thanks.
Andy: You remind me of someone I used to know.
Conleigh: If you are from around here, it was probably my mother. We look exactly alike.
Andy: Haha, I don’t know your mom. I’m only nineteen.
Conleigh: She works at the ER in town. Your profile says you’re from Mooresville so you might’ve seen her there.
Andy: Maybe, I was in there last month for a cut that almost needed stitches.
My radar pinged again, but I continued reading, hoping it would come to me.
Andy: I’m okay. Just a minor cut. Didn’t even need stitches.
Conleigh: I’m glad. Your profile picture is cute. I want a dog. When did you graduate from Mooresville?
Andy: Last year. Mid-year. I’m in college now. I’m going for my engineering degree. They make us attend bible classes here.
Conleigh: I’d fail. I haven’t been to church since my grandmother took me when I was young.
Andy: You can always go with me. I could use all the help I can get.
Conleigh: Anytime. You never said you were on the football team!
Apparently, I was missing part of this conversation.
“Did you check to see if they were messaging on their timelines?”
“No,” Winnie shook her head, the harsh white light off the computer screen lighting her face. “I haven’t had a chance yet.”
Normally, I wouldn’t be so upset about this. But Conleigh was only sixteen, and this guy was nineteen and in college. Three year’s age difference wouldn’t be so bad if she was older, but she was so young, so the age difference here wasn’t just a big deal, it was a huge deal.
Huge!
I read the entire length of the conversation between Conleigh and this boy, Andy, as it went from just talking about their daily lives to whether Conleigh had ever had an orgasm or not. The last entry was from last night at 11:59 PM.
Andy: Can’t wait to see you again. Tomorrow. LY.
“LY,” Winnie said. “Does LY think what I think it means?”
I felt sick to my stomach. “Love you, would be my best guess.”
“So was this meeting for tonight or tomorrow night since it was almost twelve in the morning when he sent that last text?”
I got out of the bed and reached for my jeans that I’d discarded when I got into it.
“Only one way to find out,” I admitted.
She scrambled up beside me and snatched the underwear that she’d left discarded next to the bed.
Then she followed me closely as we made our way through the house and down the length of the hallway toward Conleigh’s room.