Total pages in book: 83
Estimated words: 78725 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 394(@200wpm)___ 315(@250wpm)___ 262(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78725 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 394(@200wpm)___ 315(@250wpm)___ 262(@300wpm)
She licked her lips and glanced around the room. Her eyes eventually landed on Bones, and her face contorted into an expression that screamed “please fucking help me.” I leaned down into Bones. Even his cheeks were tinged with color now.
I knew what was going on before Ari said anything.
“I may have invited River into the family in a different way.”
I laughed. I couldn’t help it. Ari’s expression turned curious. Frankie somehow managed to look even more pissed. Bones turned to me and lifted a brow.
“That’s it?” I asked. When Ari nodded, I laughed again. “So you fucked River?”
“...yes.”
“Excuse me?” Frankie shouted. “Are you fucking kidding me?”
“Bones was there, too!”
Bones nodded. “For that one.”
“That one?” Ari questioned. “What other one is there?”
He shrugged and kept quiet.
“Jesus Christ, you horny bastards. Can’t keep it in your pants?” Frankie rolled his eyes. “What about you, Lotto? Did you fuck him, too?”
“Yeah, I did.” I smirked when Frankie’s face dropped, and Ari snorted. “Right here in this office, actually.”
“Good fucking God. So what, we all fucked River?”
“We?” My eyes bored into Frankie’s. The way his expression twisted made me smirk. “So, you’re included in this, Frankie?”
His lips twisted a few times before he ground out, “Once.”
“How can you call us horny bastards when you did the same?” Ari teased. “You’re as guilty as the rest of us.”
“It was to blow off some steam.”
“So was mine.” I ran a hand over my jaw. “But I’ll be honest, I wouldn’t mind doing it again.”
Ari sighed like the weight of the world had left her shoulders. “I’m glad you said it first.”
“Hold on. What are you saying?” Bones asked. “You want him to join us?”
“He’s already part of the family. I don’t want him to leave Smiley’s. Or us. He just… fits.” She glanced around the room. “He’s good for us.”
“And we’re good for him,” I agreed, “but only if he agrees.”
Frankie pinched the bridge of his nose. “Are we really considering this? Balancing the four of us has already been a headache.”
“But now we have experience.” Ari laughed. “So, what’s adding a fifth?”
“You’re insane,” Bones said. But when he turned to look at me, there was a small smirk on his face. “You think he’ll agree, Lotto?”
“I know he will.”
Because I felt the same as Ari. Things with River just felt right. Like he was already one of us from the beginning.
Frankie sighed. “I guess we’ve got some shit to talk about.”
“Let’s hope he didn’t get lost going to buy those cigarettes.” Bones slapped his knees and stood again. “I’ll get him.”
“Better you than us.” I shrugged. “He might lay our asses out.”
“You’re really going to put this on an injured man?”
Ari snorted and crossed her arms. Gone was the nervous, apologetic woman from earlier. Our boss bitch was back and ready to take the reins.
“Bring him back in, Bones. Let’s make this right.”
Chapter
Twenty-Six
FRANKIE
River leaned against the door to the office, looking ready to murder the world.
I couldn’t blame him. He had full right to be pissed.
Which meant this conversation needed to go well, or Smiley’s would be going tits up.
“Let me start by apologizing again.” Ari sighed and leaned her hip on the side of the desk and dipped her head. “I shouldn’t have brought up your past. That was fucked up of me.”
“Sure was,” River agreed.
“But I think you should know why I was so adamant we stick with Scotty in the first place.”
She glanced at Lotto and Bones and gestured at them to start the story.
Bones went first. Then Lotto. Soon the whole story was out: starting with Bones’ original deal with Nero, to his dad’s diagnosis, to his buy-in to the gym, and Scotty’s threat.
The entire time, River stayed silent. I kept my eyes on his expression. For such a happy-go-lucky guy, his face was unusually masked. Only a few times did the mask slip, his eyes narrow, or his lips pull into a frown.
Ari finished with a last apology, and the room went quiet. River tapped two fingers against his lips as he thought.
“So, you’re saying our choices are either work for Scotty with his PEDs shit, or Bones’ dad dies? What if it’s a fluke?”
“Then we’d need time to figure it out,” I said.
“So, we need to buy time.”
“And put up a front.” Ari’s smile was apologetic. “Like I mentioned earlier, we could fake it while we figure it out.”
“And gather evidence, I fucking hope.” River pushed from the door and sighed. “I’m not going down with that douchebag.”
“Neither are we,” Bones agreed. “I’m not doing shit for that fucker. He can rot for all I care. But I’ll do what it takes to keep my dad safe until we figure out if the threat is bullshit or not.”
“You that good of an actor, Bones?”
“What do you think?”
River smirked but didn’t say anything.