Total pages in book: 41
Estimated words: 37970 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 190(@200wpm)___ 152(@250wpm)___ 127(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 37970 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 190(@200wpm)___ 152(@250wpm)___ 127(@300wpm)
It's wrong how badly I want to tangle him up in it, how badly I want to confess everything and let him help me sort it out. But sooner or later, he's going to have to arrest my brother. And right now…I'm not entirely sure that's a bad thing. Staring at the house, seeing the extent of the destruction he caused, I'm not sure how I can justify this.
Maybe Nate is a scared kid who did something monumentally stupid, but actions have consequences. And actions like this…well, there have to be consequences, don't there? If everyone operated on fear, the whole world would be chaos.
A car coming up the street catches my attention. I glance at it, and my freaking blood freezes in my veins.
"No," I whisper, my hands clenched into fists as I catch sight of the driver—the same man who showed up at my house just days after my father's funeral. He said his name was Alex, but I'm not convinced he was telling the truth.
He glances in my direction, his cold, dark eyes locking with mine. "Tick tock," he mouths. It's a threat. A warning. A reminder that he wants what my father owes.
I whimper, slouching down in my seat.
How the hell am I supposed to get out of this?
Chapter Seven
Emmett
Ican tell something is wrong the minute I store the pike pole and fire extinguisher and climb back in the truck. Nina is pale and trembling, practically cowering in her seat. Tears make silent tracks down her cheeks.
"What the fuck, baby?" I ask, hauling her out of her seat onto my lap. "What happened? What's wrong?"
"Everything," she whispers, pressing her face up against my throat as a shudder rips through her. "God, Emmett. I don't know w-what to do.""You can start by talking to me."
"I c-can't," she chokes.
"Why not?"
"Because I like you."
"Not seeing the problem here, baby."
She tips her head back, her watery eyes meeting mine. "I can't afford to like you when you have a j-job to do." Her bottom lip quivers. "And you can't afford to like me when it's just going to screw up your life."
Yeah, fuck that. She's lost her mind if she thinks having her in my life could ever fuck it up. She's been in it for all of twenty-four hours, and it already feels a helluva lot fuller than it did even a day ago.
But she clearly doesn't see it the same way. Whatever is in her head is eating her alive. I don't fucking know if it's guilt because she's keeping secrets or fear or what, but enough is enough. I can't help her if she won't talk to me. I want her to trust me enough to do it on her own, but while I'm waiting, she's talking herself out of my life. I can't allow that.
Time for a new plan.
"Is this about your brother?"
Her eyes widen.
"You think he set the house on fire, right?"
"I…I…"
"I can't help you if you won't talk to me, Nina," I murmur gently, thumbing away her tears. "And you're obviously scared out of your damn mind right now, so I need you trust me, and I need you to talk to me."
"It's n-not about that," she whispers. "I do trust you."
"So what's the problem?"
"You shouldn't be involved."
"Yeah, fuck that," I grunt. "I was involved the minute I pulled you out of the fire. So talk, baby. You think he set the fire, don't you?"
She hesitates, and then reluctantly bobs her head.
"Why do you think he did it?"
"B-because my dad owes some very bad men a lot of money," she whispers. "They showed up right after the funeral to collect. S-said if I d-don't pay, they'll k-kill me and Nate."
"Jesus Christ," I growl, fury churning through me. I fucking hate being right sometimes. "Who are they?"
She shakes her head. "I don't know. M-mobsters, I think."
Fucking hell.
"The two who were lurking around before the fire?"
She bites her lip and then nods, reaching into her pocket to pull out her phone. Her hands shake as she pulls up her texts and then turns the phone around to face me.
Unknown: Tick. Tock.
I stare at the two-word message, my blood boiling in my veins.
"One of them j-just drove by, Emmett."
I glance up from the phone, my gaze sharp as it lands on her. "The black Lexus?"
"Yes."
"Goddammit." I saw it out of the corner of my eye, but didn't think anything of it. The car didn't slow or stop as it passed by. I didn't get a good look at the driver, either. I barely fucking noticed the goddamn car. I was busy checking for any hot spots.
"I planned to sell the house to try to come up with some of the money," she whispers. "But Nate was scared. Really scared. We found the insurance paperwork on the house a few days ago, and he made a comment about how losing the house would cover Dad's debt. I told him no, but…"