Total pages in book: 40
Estimated words: 38276 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 191(@200wpm)___ 153(@250wpm)___ 128(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 38276 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 191(@200wpm)___ 153(@250wpm)___ 128(@300wpm)
What kind of guy loans a girl a Mercedes if she’s nothing more than an easy lay?
I make a 9-1-1 text to Emilia, asking her to come get me while speed walking away from Callan’s house. We arrange for her to pick me up from the Shop-N-Go on the main drag on the way to his house. Only when I’m a block away do I allow my tears to fall. When they do, I can’t get them to stop. I’m a blubbering mess. My heart is broken, and I don’t think it will ever be whole again.
Chapter 22
Zoe
Emilia came up with a genius plan to go hide out in St. Augustine. With her father out of town with Niko, she was afraid her family would constantly barrage her with bullshit. She decided to take advantage of our combined issues and get us a room where we couldn’t be traced.
I agreed easily. Hell, the truth is, I wanted somewhere to hide and wallow in my shame. I feel like a fool, and I don’t want to face anyone. To ensure that no one could locate Emilia—it’s not like anyone would be looking for me—we’ve been using cash for everything. Emilia had some. I withdrew some of my savings so I could help too.
I thought Callan might try to call me at least once, but he didn’t. I’ve called my house daily, telling my dad I’m just on a short girl’s trip. Each time I fished for information to see if Callan had called the house, but Dad keeps saying no.
God, it hurts every time I realize what a fool I’ve been. It’s been three days since my world ended and that time has healed nothing. I don’t feel even an ounce better than I did when I left Callan’s. If anything, I’ve slowly sunk to a point where everything hurts worse. Even lying here on the beach with my best friend leaves me miserable.
The sun is shining. It’s a beautiful day. I should be happy. Instead, I just hurt. Emilia is reading, but I just stare out at the endless ocean.
I replay that day at Callan’s in my head and I can’t hold it in any longer. “He had a freaking list, Emmie! A list! What do you suppose is on the list? Is it things he likes in the bedroom? A bucket list of things he wants to do to a woman? We fucked like rabbits, and he never showed me a list. Did I suck in bed so much he didn’t want to give it a shot?” I ask, throwing my arms out in exaggeration.
“Zoe!” Emilia whispers harshly.
“I’m serious! Why couldn’t he have given me the list? I’m sure I could have rocked his world. I know I could. I’ll tell you what I ought to do. I ought to find out exactly what’s on his list and give it to him so good I ruin him for any other woman and walk away. I’ll tell him to go fuck himself and shove his list where the sun doesn’t shine. That’s what I should do.” I cross my arms over my chest and heave a heavy sigh.
“I don’t know who he is, but I can show you my list, baby,” a man calls out.
I look over at Emilia and see a group of men standing near us, listening to my outburst. Some of them are actively gawking at me.
“Ew!” I grimace.
“I tried to tell you,” Emilia says.
“Move along!” I shout. “There’s nothing to see here.” I wave them away. Emilia is beet red as she starts laughing.
I’m glad to hear Emilia laugh, even as sad as I am. Her family has all but driven her insane. They are trying to talk her into backstabbing Niko and help them get rid of him. They are always pulling this crap when her father isn’t around. As much as she’s not crazy about the idea of marrying Niko, she isn’t conniving like the rest of her family. Usually, Niko has them scattering like money hungry cockroaches, but he hasn’t talked to her in almost a week, which is unheard of.
Emilia insisted that we don’t use anything but cash for food and the room because we could be traced here. I agreed because I didn’t want Niko to find us by following Emilia’s credit card receipts. I don’t know if Callan would try to find me at this point, but after his silence, I don’t want him too.
“I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to relax in the room with takeout,” I suggest, trying to ignore the loneliness I feel from being separated from Callan.
“That sounds good to me, even if it will be pizza,” she says, picking up her things.
We aren’t huge fans of pizza but it’s cheap and cheap is the key word for our week here. It takes a while for us to walk the stretch of the beach, up the sidewalk, then cross the road to the parking lot of our crappy motel. Not using credit cards and hiding means not staying in the kind of place Emilia normally would. I’m fine with it. Oddly enough, she doesn’t seem to care, either. It’s a chain hotel where the rooms are accessible from outside the building. The white plaster of the building is dirty. Niko would probably kill me if he knew Emilia was staying here. We chose to be on the ground level so we wouldn’t be bothered to walk up and down the stairs to get to the beach.