Total pages in book: 145
Estimated words: 146666 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 733(@200wpm)___ 587(@250wpm)___ 489(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 146666 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 733(@200wpm)___ 587(@250wpm)___ 489(@300wpm)
“He did?” Cash said in a hoarse voice. “How do you know he was Greer’s stalker?”
Hack eyed the other man with interest. Why did he look so ill?
“Because the cops raided his house in Savannah and he had a wall of photos of women from this website where they met. Greer’s photo was on the wall.”
“Pretty weird behavior for a stalker to pay for things,” Cash’s friend added.
“Who are you?” Hack asked. “Should you even be in here?”
“I’m Ralen. Cash’s friend. Been watching his back for the last ten years and that’s what I’m doing now.”
“Ten years?” Aidan asked. “So you were around before he went missing?”
“Yep. I left with him. We took refuge with my family in Mexico.”
“Refuge?” Sav asked sharply. “Mexico?”
“We should get back to Greer’s story,” Cash said hastily.
“But then we’re going to hear your story,” Sav told him. “You’re going to tell us what the fuck happened all those years ago. And what you know about what just happened to Greer now.”
“I don’t know what happened to Greer. That had nothing to do with me.”
Greer tried to move, stealing Hack’s attention. He turned back to her hastily.
“Lie still, baby. You’re going to hurt yourself.”
“I want to sit up.”
“Okay, let me raise the bed.” He moved the back of the bed up slightly. “Better?”
“Yes, thank you.”
“Anything for you, Ladybug.” He kissed the top of her head. “Now, keep going. You came back here for three reasons. Cash, the stalker and . . .”
“To push past what Matthew did to me. I was so tired of hiding. Of living half a life. And I was frustrated with not knowing why he hurt me. I thought if I could go back to where it all happened . . . then maybe it would jog my memory.”
Sav started swearing in a low voice. “God damn it, Greer! That was a stupid fucking idea.”
“Do not speak to her like that,” Hack warned. “I won’t tell you again. If any of you speak to her in anger or swear at her, I will not hold back.”
“Damn, that’s sexy,” she said.
“Hush, you,” he told her in a soft voice. “Now, keep going. As hard as this is to hear, we need to know what happened.”
She licked her lips. “I went to the duplex first. I don’t know why. It was where he hurt me, but I remembered most of what happened there. I just needed to see if it was still standing. This bald, greasy guy was living there. He asked me if I wanted to come in.”
“That’s weird,” Duke said with a frown.
“I got in my car and drove off quickly.”
Hack fought the urge to scold her. What the hell had she been thinking, going to these places on her own? Not only were they places that would cause her a lot of emotional pain, but they were in a bad area of town. One, he’d never allow her to go to alone if he’d known.
But that was likely why she hadn’t told him. Because she’d known he wouldn’t allow her to go there. She’d broken so many rules he didn’t even know where to begin.
However, he had to push that all to one side. Because what she needed right now was support not a scolding.
“That’s when I drove over to the restaurant. But it was all boarded up. I went around the back.”
Sav groaned. “Greer.”
Hack shot him a look. “What next?”
“I managed to pull off some loose boards. I got a splinter. Look!” She held her finger up to him.
“I hardly think a splinter matters right now, Greer,” Cash said.
Hack scowled at him. “It matters because it hurt her.” He took her hand and kissed her finger. “I’ll get you a special Band-Aid when we get home.”
“And I get some treasure?” she asked, looking utterly exhausted.
His poor girl.
“Of course you do. If you’re a good patient and do what you’re told.”
“I’m always a good girl.”
They all stared at her in disbelief.
“Well, mostly.” She pouted, and he ran his finger over her cheek.
“Keep going, Ladybug.”
“I climbed into the building and I was looking around. There was this chair off to one side. The restaurant was at the front, but it was in this back room that Matthew and his friends . . . they . . . they were beating this man.”
“Beating him?” Cash asked. “Do you know who he was?”
“No,” she said. “I still don’t remember it all. But his friends, they belonged to that gang. The Devil one.”
“Devil’s Kingdom?” Sav asked.
“Yes.”
“You didn’t remember any of this before?” Cash asked, looking concerned.
“No. They were asking him if he was a rat. I don’t know what that means. He kept saying he wasn’t but they still kept hitting him as though they thought he’d change his answer. But I don’t think he could answer their other questions. I don’t think he was the person they were looking for.”