Total pages in book: 75
Estimated words: 75240 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 376(@200wpm)___ 301(@250wpm)___ 251(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75240 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 376(@200wpm)___ 301(@250wpm)___ 251(@300wpm)
“Why isn’t he in jail for doing that to her?” I asked.
I’d wanted to ask Angie that last night, but the way she started shivering the more she had to talk about it made me realize that whatever was going on in her head wasn’t a place I wanted her to be.
If I could get the information elsewhere, then I wouldn’t have to see that look in her eyes anymore as she explained.
“He’s got the connections. Father is a lawyer. Mother a doctor at the hospital. Fuck, but he was a freakin’ coach for the football team. The man comes off as a squeaky-clean fairy if he wants to,” Alec grumbled.
“Don’t I know it,” I murmured. “He got screwed pulling the stunt he did last week, though. By assaulting me he assaulted a public servant.”
“Yeah,” Alec agreed. “But didn’t you just say that he was let out on bail? If that were true, wouldn’t you think that he would still be in jail?”
I nodded reluctantly.
“Fucker’s got millions of dollars burning a hole in his pocket,” Alec pushed off the car and lifted his arm up high over his head, massaging it as he did. “He practically stabbed me with a goddamn screwdriver when I refused to let him see Angie. But likely it’ll be ‘just an accident.’ He was never charged for shooting Angie. There wasn’t enough evidence, and it was her word against his. And he had an alibi.”
“Who was his alibi?” I asked, knowing I wasn’t going to like the answer.
“His wife.”
***
“You got a call today,” I held up the pad of paper where I’d written the note. “The woman asked that you call her back immediately. Something important about you having a spot if you wanted it.”
Her eyes went wide.
“Thanks,” she took the piece of paper gingerly, staring at the writing with longing.
“Here’s the deal,” I held my hand up to stop Angie’s objection. “I need a place to stay. I can’t stay at my place anymore until these headaches go the fuck away. Not to mention that I sleep about a million times better here. I don’t know what the deal is. Whatever. Just…I can’t stay there. Something’s telling me not to…my brain. I don’t know. But…I need a place to stay. You need the money. I get you an extra five hundred a month, drop my lease and save myself an extra grand, take over half of your utilities, and you can quit one of your jobs. That frees you up so you can take classes. Finish nursing school.”
She blinked.
“You’re…what?” she asked. “How long have you been thinking about this?”
She placed her hand on her hip, which would’ve worked better had Elise not been on the other hip.
“Your brother and I had a lot of time to talk today,” I explained. “And he said the only reason you’re working at the hospital right now, is because you want a leg up when you graduate,” I paused. “That’s all fine and dandy…if you actually graduate.”
“My brother and you, huh?” she muttered. “Did you meet with your friends?”
I nodded my head. “I did. They came and got me for lunch.”
A smile drifted over her face.
“How’d that go?” she asked curiously.
“The chief asked me to take over his classes while he takes over my shift. When I finally get cleared, we’ll switch back,” I explained, trying hard not to contain the excitement of actually being worth something other than a paperweight.
“And what about your doctor’s appointment that you didn’t want me to know about?” she raised her brows at me.
I laughed, then winced as nausea rolled over me.
My head still hurt.
Badly.
“It was nothing,” I said. “They were confirming what we already know. Testing my brain, running a scan. I won’t know the results of those tests for a week or so.”
She sighed and dropped down into the chair right across from me, turning slightly sideways to place Elise into the high chair.
“I’ll do it under two conditions,” she turned so she could look at me fully.
“Okay,” I waited.
She grinned.
“One, we don’t take this any further than friendly. I can’t deal with anything past friendship right now. I have too much on my plate to have to worry about what your intentions are.”
I inwardly cursed.
That had been my intention, although only a small part of the entire picture.
“Two,” she licked her lips. “If I tell you to leave, you have to leave. No complaining. No buying time. I tell you and you go.”
I thought about everything, and could only come up with one logical answer.
“Deal.”
Chapter 10
If you’re allowing it, then don’t complain about it.
-Angie’s secret thoughts
Angie
“I haven’t met you before,” the girl at my side held out her hand. “My name is Henrietta. You can call me Etta, since Henrietta is such a mouthful.”
I took her hand and shook it.