Total pages in book: 68
Estimated words: 71312 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 357(@200wpm)___ 285(@250wpm)___ 238(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 71312 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 357(@200wpm)___ 285(@250wpm)___ 238(@300wpm)
But I know something bad went down.
I close my eyes, turn, and inhale the scent of woods and musk.
Falcon.
I’m in Falcon’s bed.
And then I remember…
All the bad things…
How I may have—
I stifle the thought.
But it forces itself into my brain anyway.
I may have killed a man.
I guess I’ll find out today.
I jerk upward in bed.
I’m supposed to be at work. It’s a Wednesday.
I scramble out of bed and fumble around for my phone. It’s nowhere to be found, but Falcon does have a clock on his night table. I gasp out loud.
Eleven thirty!
I’m fired for sure now.
First I have to retrieve my phone, where I’m sure I’ll find a million messages from Bridget wondering where the hell I am. I started the job less than three weeks ago, and I’ve already taken one day of PTO for Ashley’s funeral, and now I haven’t bothered calling in.
And God… I can’t tell her why.
I’m going to have to leave the job.
That at least will suffuse my ethical dilemma where Falcon is concerned.
But I’ve got way more dilemmas now.
How I wish I could go back to the time where my only ethical dilemma was about dating Falcon.
Dating?
We’ve known each other for a week, but what we’re doing goes so far beyond dating.
He even kind of proposed last night, if I recall correctly.
Except then he said it wasn’t a proposal.
I shake my head, trying to clear it. I don’t trust my own memory right now. Maybe I’m making things up.
Where is Falcon? And where are the dogs?
Falcon can’t let them outside because it’s a crime scene.
Then I hear some scratching at the bedroom door.
I walk to the door and open it. Sydney sits there like a good girl, but Sammy falls from his hind legs into a soft furball on the floor.
It was him, little puppy scratches on my door.
I pick him up and cradle him, kissing his sweet head. Then I kneel and give Sydney lots of scratches behind her soft ears.
“Where’s Falcon, guys?”
This house is so big. He could be anywhere.
I’m wearing a tank top and a pair of panties, but what the heck? He’s seen everything. Still holding Sammy, I walk with Sydney down the hallway toward the kitchen, where I finally hear Falcon’s voice.
He’s on the phone.
He looks up when he hears me enter the kitchen, but he waves me away.
He wants privacy. Maybe he’s talking to that friend he told me about, Leif something or other.
I can do without coffee, and if Falcon wants privacy, he deserves that much. I’ve already turned his life upside down.
I’m not in the least bit hungry. I think I ate a few bites of scrambled eggs last night, but Falcon and I were supposed to have dinner.
But before that… We went for a dip in the hot tub… And—
The rest is a blur.
Except it’s a blur in exact detail.
I can’t explain it any better than that.
I walk back to the bedroom. I don’t need a shower since I had one last night. Falcon and I went straight to bed. We didn’t make love. Or have sex. Whatever it is that the two of us do.
We were both just too damned exhausted.
I can’t believe I slept so long, but I did. I don’t exactly feel refreshed, but I at least feel rested.
It was a good escape.
In fact… I lie back down on the bed, bringing Sammy with me, and inviting Sydney to join us. She jumps on the bed and snuggles up next to me. Sammy snuggles into her body.
The warmth of the dogs relaxes me—at least a little bit.
I close my eyes.
If I could only go back to sleep…
Then I jerk upward in bed.
Bridget. I was supposed to call Bridget. I was supposed to find my phone.
Then I lean back anyway.
I’m fired. That’s pretty clear. I couldn’t go to work today if I wanted to.
I’ll find my phone eventually, and I’ll call. I’ll explain what happened, and then I’ll resign.
Likely she’ll be glad to be rid of me.
I don’t know how much time passes before Falcon enters the room. Both dogs perk up their ears.
“Vannah?”
“Yeah?”
“How are you doing, baby? You okay?”
What a loaded question. Of course I’m not okay. I nearly killed a man yesterday, and because of me, my sweet landlord is dead, and his sweet wife is in the hospital.
My life is a big ball of shit.
Still, I nod. “Yeah.”
“My pal Leif Ramsey is meeting me at the hospital. I’ll check on Abel and Carlo and Mrs. Shaw.”
“I’m coming along.”
“You sure you don’t want to stay here with the dogs? You need to keep resting.”
“I should really be at work, Falcon. Why didn’t you wake me?”
He wrinkles his forehead. “Are you serious? I only got up about a half hour before you did. Besides, there’s no way you could’ve gone into work today.”