Total pages in book: 76
Estimated words: 76396 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 382(@200wpm)___ 306(@250wpm)___ 255(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 76396 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 382(@200wpm)___ 306(@250wpm)___ 255(@300wpm)
She surely couldn’t be so damned stupid.
“Oh,” I say, turning back as I start to walk away, “If you ever bad mouth my family again, you won’t just be dealing with me, you’ll be dealing with all of us. We all know you don’t want that, after all, we know far too much about you, don’t we Dex?”
Her cheeks burn.
Her and Damon have messed around, I know this. But she was also friends with Finn once, before she screwed him over, and so it isn’t a secret that we know a good lot about her, and she knows it.
“We clear?” I mutter.
She nods.
I turn and stride back to the truck, where Ellie is standing, staring at me, mouth agape.
“You’re welcome, darlin’.”
“I can’t believe you just did that, she’s going to hate me even more now.”
“No, she’s goin’ to leave you alone, I promise you that.”
Ellie slings her backpack over her shoulder, and stares at me, eyes narrowed. “Does this mean I don’t have to ride with you anymore?”
I grin at her, and lean in close, murmuring way too close to her ear, and loving how she shivers, “Absolutely fuckin’ not, I’m driving you to school every day.”
I lean back and take in the rosy color of her cheeks.
Oh yeah.
Fuck yeah.
“Have a good day, Ellie.”
I stride around to the truck, and get in, and she watches me, eyes wide but a small smile on her mouth.
“See you around, Slater Knight.”
I wink at her, and she grins.
Yep.
I’m fucked.
~8~
NOW – ELLIE
“Hey, Ellie, wait up.”
I’m just about out of the compound with Erin, after saying my goodbyes, when someone calls out to me. I turn around and see Finn coming towards me. I know it’s Finn, because I made it my mission to learn who they all were, that was the least I could offer them. I mean, it’s bad enough I don’t remember, let alone not knowing their names. That would be awful.
“Hey, Finn,” I say, rubbing my arms, my mind still spinning from the hazy memory flashing around and around in it.
“I know you don’t remember me, and that’s all good, but I wanted...can I talk to you?”
He glances at Erin, and she studies him, and then looks to me. I nod.
“I’ll meet you at the car.”
She nods and disappears towards the car, and I turn back to Finn. “I don’t remember anything, Finn, so if you’re going to ask me to, I can’t help you.”
“I’m not asking you to remember, I’m just...fuck, I don’t know what I’m doing to be honest. All I know is my brother searched for you for ten years, and in that ten years, we rarely saw him. He signed his life over to Shanks, letting us all go. I missed out on him, and fuck knows I needed him more than once in that time. But look, that isn’t what this is about. He is broken, even now, and he’s goin’ to get hurt. I know you don’t remember, but you’re the only one who can help him, I guess...I guess I’m askin’ you to.”
“Hurt?” I ask, narrowing my eyes.
Finn nods. “He’s fighting, and he’s good. He’s going to climb that ladder real quick, and Ellie, I’m afraid he’ll go darker and deeper, and start doing death matches. He’s got a lot of money on him, people makin’ offers, and he’s considering it. He doesn’t think he has anything left to work for, and he’s fading away.”
Death matches.
That’s a...thing?
“That’s a thing?” I whisper, horrified. “Death matches?”
Finn nods. “Yeah, it’s dark and fuckin’ twisted, and a world I do not wanna see my brother go into, but he’s considering it.”
“I didn’t even know he fought...let alone that.”
“I know you’ve been through enough, fuck knows, I know that, but I’m askin’ for your help. Please...”
“Finn...”
“Please, Ellie, I can’t lose him again. Those guys, they’re all I have.”
There is a broken emptiness in Finn’s eyes, and I wonder what happened to him when Slater was gone. It’s clear as day Lincoln grew hard, and Damon uses humor to cover up his pain, but Finn shows it, he wears it for the world to see. He is damaged, and I guess, in a sense, he’s not afraid of that.
“What exactly do you want me to do?”
“To understand. To talk to him. To... I don’t know, let him at least try and make you remember.”
“And if I don’t remember, that is leading him down an even more painful path.”
Finn sighs, and runs his hands through his hair. “Yeah, it’s a risk, but...you two...you had something. From day one. It’s there, and it’s a connection I’ll never understand. Maybe, even if you don’t remember, you’ll feel that again and you can...”
“You’re asking me to hope that I might fall in love with him again,” I whisper, confused. “That’s a big ask, and something that very likely might not happen.”