Total pages in book: 160
Estimated words: 155798 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 779(@200wpm)___ 623(@250wpm)___ 519(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 155798 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 779(@200wpm)___ 623(@250wpm)___ 519(@300wpm)
The buttery and slightly burnt smell wafted over me.
I felt it all again.
The fear. The desperation. I didn’t know what was right back then. I only knew how to survive.
She drew back inside her trailer. The door shut. A long minute later, she came back out and extended me a piece of paper. “Once you get there, you burn that.”
I took it, seeing a street name. It was enough. I could find him from this.
“It’s nice seeing you, Little Monster. I’ve no doubt you’ll do what you need to do.” She went back inside, shut the door, locked it.
The outside light turned off.
62
BILLIE
I still wasn’t quite sure who the guy was driving me to Roussou. Chan…d—no. I was blaming the wine still. I couldn’t ask his name again, but he told me he knew Brett from school. I’d asked if they were friends and he just laughed at me. He might’ve mentioned something about that, but he’d not elaborated on the laugh. I hadn’t asked any more questions.
We drove the rest of the way in silence until, as we entered Roussou, which Brett was right, was so much smaller than Fallen Crest, when his phone rang.
He hit accept. “Did you find him?”
Another male voice said, “Got a couple calls from different sources. He was at his sister’s trailer, but the last tip said he’s parked out front of a house, down on Boll. Shannon’s current boyfriend lives there. Cory Hughes. He’s got a bad rap sheet. Domestic violence. Restraining orders.” The guy got quiet before clipping out, “He’s a drug dealer.”
“Text me his house number.”
“No problem. Texting now.”
They ended the call, right as another beep came through his phone.
Since entering Roussou, he’d grown harder and harder. He’d been hard to begin with and I was surprised at how I could sense that considering I’d only gotten irritation from him, but this was different. The call helped, adding a cold feeling that would normally have my alarm-senses tingling, except they weren’t. The only thing I was alarmed about was getting to Brett now.
I surveyed the street as we slowed and took another turn.
He was slowing down, looking from house to house.
I picked up his phone, swiping the screen to see the last text.
“Hey,” he balked.
I let go of the phone, now searching with him, telling him the house number.
I saw Brett first, pointing at him without saying a word.
He pulled in, parking next to Brett’s rental and as I rounded the truck, I heard Brett’s tone. “Why the fuck did you bring my woman, Monroe?”
I faltered, not recognizing that voice from him. I’d heard Brett when he was angry, happy, about to release. I’d heard his growls. His savage curses. His fear and alarm when I’d almost been taken.
That was not this person. I didn’t know this person.
He was so far from human that a part of me broke.
I paused, just slightly, before I surged ahead.
Monroe didn’t respond. Smart of him.
Brett almost stopped me in my tracks, “I wouldn’t, Little Billie.”
My heart clenched. He had no idea why him saying that name, how it came from him, affected me so much. I would need to rectify that.
“What are you doing, Brett?” I kept going to him.
“No,” a savage growl burst from him, and it stopped me in my tracks, but only for a second.
I leveled him with a look and surged forward. My hands went into my sweatshirt, pulling his hoodie tighter around my frame, but my eyes were on his. They weren’t moving from him. I could feel the other guy lingering behind me.
“Stop.” I closed the distance. If I swayed just a little toward him, we’d be touching. My front against his knees, since he was sitting on the top of a picnic table, his feet on the bench between us. A baseball bat was beside him. Seeing that, my heart sank. “What are you doing here?”
“Go away, Billie. I mean it. You gave me an ultimatum and I’m choosing.” His eyes sliced through me. “I’m not choosing you.”
My chest swelled, and I let myself sway the rest of the way. We both stilled at the contact. I savored it. He was here. He was solid. He hadn’t gone anywhere. He hadn’t done anything yet. I could take back my words. He couldn’t take back his actions. “Don’t do this.” I moved in closer, pressing harder against him.
“You have no fucking idea who I am.”
“You’re Brett Broudou—”
“No fucking idea who I really am.”
I leaned back, cocked my head to the side and repeated his own words. “Your twin’s in prison for attempted rape. Your mom never left the trailer park. Your dad was a drunk all your life. Your sister—”
“My sister is going to prison for letting her daughter be around a drug dealer and whatever fucking else she failed to protect my niece from because I know this is just the beginning.” His words were so ugly, filled with hate. “And, baby, it’s about time you realize something because I’m just tuning in myself.” He shoved in against me, ignoring my gasp as he quickly reversed our positions. He jumped down, caught me, and lifted me up so I was on the top of the picnic table, and Brett shoved my legs apart, moving in and leaning over me. His hands went down to the table on either side of me. He was pushed up so close to me, I could feel his dick, feel him hardening for me.