Total pages in book: 102
Estimated words: 96189 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 481(@200wpm)___ 385(@250wpm)___ 321(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 96189 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 481(@200wpm)___ 385(@250wpm)___ 321(@300wpm)
More than I’d ever imagined.
I guess when I say that boxing saved me, I should be more specific. Morry, the trainer, introduced me to boxing and that’s what kept me out of prison. If she told me I should murder the next guy who walked in the gym door, I would do it without asking questions. Talking to someone on the phone isn’t as bad as killing someone so I should easily be able to do this. I press the redial button and hold the device up to my ear.
“Tank, hey, thanks for returning my call.”
“What can I do for you?”
“What makes you think I want something from you?”
“Last time I talked to you was like six months ago and you said, don’t be dumbasses about your tech security and you won’t get hacked.”
“Well, was I wrong?”
“No.”
“Great. And I’m not wrong about this. My girlfriend’s roommate needs someone to walk her home.”
I squeeze the bridge of my nose so tight, I nearly burst the capillaries in my eyes. “You need someone taken out? I’m your man. You want someone’s kneecaps busted? I can do that in seconds. I’ll even burn down a house if you need it, but be some random’s escort? No. Ask me to do something else.”
“It’s just one walk.”
“No.”
Audley sighs. “Look, I know you have problems with women, but I promise this one is not a psycho. She is not going to climb into your apartment and try to steal your sperm like the last one.”
I take the phone away from my ear and stare at the screen for a moment before replacing it. “I’m afraid to ask how you know that shit.”
“She posted about her plans on her Insta story. But, like I said, this girl is shyer than a rabbit and probably as easily frightened as one. She’s not going to come on to you at all. Anyway, thanks for agreeing,” Audley says in a tone so cheerful I want to reach through the cellphone and smack the smile off his smug face. “I’ll text you the location. It should only take you about ten minutes. We are at a frat house which isn’t too far from the gym.”
He hangs up before I can think of some excuse or find a replacement. I stare at the phone screen in frustration. Of all the shit things he wants me to do, it has to involve a girl. It’s not that I hate women. I don’t. It’s just…they always want shit. They take one look at me and think I can do stuff for them and I don’t want to. I just want to box, make enough money to feed my cat, and make sure Morry has a good retirement. I don’t want to take them out on dates, buy them food, go shopping with them, give them babies. Fuck, the last one is so freaking wrong. That girl was not right in her head. I thought moving to a condo on the second floor would prevent that kind of shit from happening.
“What’s the favor?” Morry asks, coming up behind me and plucking the phone from my hand.
“Why’d you take my phone?” I scowl.
“Because you were about to crush it and you’ve already destroyed three this year. What did Audley want?”
“Bodyguard service for some woman.” Just saying the words puts a sour taste in my mouth.
Morry releases a howl of laughter. “Oh no, contact with a woman. How will you survive?” She slaps me on the back. “Go shower and change. I’ll pack up your stuff.” My trainer shuffles off toward my gym bag. “Use a lot of soap. You stink.”
“Like I care.” I slam into the locker room and strip off my shorts and jock, tossing them onto the metal bench in front of the row of five lockers. I have one foot on the tile floor of the shower when it hits me. I should not shower. Definitely not. The last thing I want to do is look good or smell nice. That’s what causes problems. I should smell like a sewer and look worse. Gleefully, I back up and pull open my locker. Inside, I have a couple pairs of sweatpants and shirts. I pull on the clothes, slick back my hair and don my glasses.
I take a quick look at the polished steel plate hanging over the sink areas and decide I look grubby enough. I raise an armpit and shake my head. “Phew. Morry’s right. I do stink.”
That puts a smile on my face. I wait in the locker room until the noises in the gym quiet down. A quick peek out the door tells me that Morry has returned to her office. Good. If she catches me, she’ll force me into the shower and ruin my plans to repel this girl.
I jog over to the frat house, eager to get this chore done. The place smells like spilled beer and vomit. I don’t know why anyone wants to go to these hellscape events. I glare at the crowd, looking for the Audleys, and ignore the long-fingered hands that grab at different parts of my body. There’s more than one fleeting brush of a palm over my ass. It’s too bad I can’t body slam a girl into a door. If I did that once, I think no one would touch me again. In the next room, I spot the tall, identical heads of the Audley twins. I push a couple of hands off my chest and plow forward. By the time I reach them, there’s only one Audley left.