Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 76812 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 384(@200wpm)___ 307(@250wpm)___ 256(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 76812 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 384(@200wpm)___ 307(@250wpm)___ 256(@300wpm)
The tint on the SUV isn't legal, but it isn't one of the things Cerberus has to worry about where Farmington police are concerned. It helps that Sophia, Kincaid's niece, is married to one of the homicide detectives, but the club has been supported by the police department for decades. They can see the value Cerberus brings to the town even when there are groups of citizens, mostly ones who have criminal records, that wish Cerberus would pack their shit and move to a different town.
"Tug got a tiny dog?" I ask, disbelief in my tone.
"Jasmine wanted a puppy," Jinx clarifies.
Those four words tell me everything I need to know.
Jasmine is Sophia's older sister. Their dad, Dominic, is Kincaid's older brother. Jasmine is also in a triad relationship with Tug and Max, and those two men worship her. Whatever she wants, she gets without argument, and, honestly, it's that way with every couple in Cerberus.
"I’ll be damned," Jinx mutters. "Either she's crazy or she's the bravest woman I've ever met."
I look out the window and see Brielle walking toward the center of the park.
"Why wouldn't she run?" I mutter, seeing the set of her jaw.
The woman is trying to be brave, but there's also a level of fear wrapped around her as well. I recognize the facade she's hoping no one else can see. I've used the very same one for years. Facing your fears doesn't always mean you're brave. Sometimes, it means you have no other choice. But Brielle did have a choice. She could've hitched a ride out of town when she left the shelter. There was nothing keeping her here unless her connection to Beth was greater than any of us actually realized.
She sits on a bench, her eyes directed to the far side of the park, but it doesn't look like she's expecting someone to approach her from that direction. She looks lost, as if she's just staring off into the distance because she has no other choice.
"Xan," Jinx says just as a man in a long, dark coat approaches at her back.
"What are we going to do?" I ask, my heart kicking up when the man speaks and Brielle doesn't jolt in surprise.
"He came alone," Boomer says, bending down to pet the dog as if he's speaking to the animal.
His voice comes through the radio Jinx has sitting on the center console of the SUV.
"We'll follow them from the park," Jinx says into the radio.
I want to run to her, to tell her she's making a mistake, when she stands to face the man.
Her arms are locked down at her sides when Xan Adair pulls her to his chest, his arms around her for a hug.
I'm disgusted by the way he lowers his mouth to hers as if they're long-lost lovers and not stepsiblings.
We know from the dossier that she was abused by the two men, but even Brielle has never gone on the record to discuss the things she suffered at their hands. She honestly hasn't given the police much of anything in order to prepare a case against her stepfamily, but I understand the reluctance. When you're in a her-word-against-theirs situation with no physical evidence, then any case built against them would be thrown out with the help of any attorney worth their weight. Nathan Adair has an amazing legal team. They've managed to get every case brought before the courts thrown out, and there are suspicions that the crime lord has judges in his pockets as well. Brielle is smart to not open her mouth against Xan and Nathan.
The woman doesn't look around as she walks toward the parking lot, but that doesn't stop Xan from darting his eyes in every direction.
I don't know enough about the man to know if he has a sixth sense of being watched or if he's always a little paranoid.
For some reason, I want to jump out of the SUV and rip her from his grip, but I know I can't do that. Brielle has put herself in the middle of this situation, and although we'd never formulate a plan to use the woman as bait, we also have an obligation to Beth and Oracle.
I feel helpless as I watch Xan open the passenger side of the car for Brielle, curious as to what he tells her to make her nod.
I hate the fake smile on her pretty face, but it's another thing I recognize as a defense tactic. The woman is playing along. She's being exactly who this man wants her to be. I know it's so she can help Beth, but I also see the defeat tugging at the corner of her eyes when Xan walks around the back of the car to climb behind the wheel. For the briefest of seconds, she lets her eyes dart around as if she's hoping someone will pop up and help her.