Total pages in book: 227
Estimated words: 220940 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1105(@200wpm)___ 884(@250wpm)___ 736(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 220940 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1105(@200wpm)___ 884(@250wpm)___ 736(@300wpm)
“Still thinks she’s fucking Lara Croft, though.”
“All the girls should go,” Danny declares.
“I think Otto would agree too,” James says. “Zinnea might be harder to convince.”
“Why?”
“Beau said they met Quinton yesterday while they were having coffee. She’s smitten.”
“There’s nothing stopping Quinton getting on the plane too,” Danny says.
“I know everyone will get on that plane, Danny.” James turns off the freeway. “But Beau might think twice if Rose doesn’t.”
I cringe, knowing that to be one hundred percent true. There’s no way Beau would leave Rose behind.
“Rose will go,” Danny says, sounding unsure. As he should.
“So we’re sending all the women and children to St. Lucia until this is sorted out.” What would I do if Pearl was hurt? An uncomfortable ache in my heart gets me. “How did you two know you were in love?” I blurt, surprising myself and the boys. They both look at me like I’ve flashed some fangs.
James blinks a few times. “Umm . . .”
“The fucking lawyer?” Danny looks disgusted.
“I’m not in love with the lawyer,” I answer tiredly.
“Then why are you asking?”
“Because it blows my mind every day how you both can love something that drives you to distraction.”
They laugh. “Us too.”
Then silence falls for a while, and I mull over the questions turning in my mind. The new feelings. The instinct I can’t control.
“You could never comprehend it,” James says quietly, pulling my gaze up to his eyes in the mirror. He’s not looking at me. “Unless you feel it. It’s”—his lips roll, his eyes squinting, thinking—“like a bomb going off in your chest. But it’s quiet. Like a shift in something you didn’t know was inside you. Dark becomes light.”
“Purpose,” Danny adds quietly.
“Yeah, purpose,” James says. “Purpose and an uncontrollable instinct to kill anything that threatens their happiness and safety.”
I stare forward, slightly dazed, a lot worried.
“Let’s have a drink later,” Danny says. “Just the three of us. Maybe go out on the water for a few hours.”
Sounds good to me.
I could do with a race.
And twenty Scotches.
It’s like a bomb going off in your chest. But it’s quiet. Like a shift in something you didn’t know was inside you.
I rub at my chest.
Fucking hell.
35
DANNY
* * *
The plan was to tell Brad about Nolan this morning. Benson has fucked with my plan. Part of me is pissed off. The other part is relieved. How the fuck do we tell him who Nolan is? And in some fucked-up turn of events, I find out now that he’s suddenly all worried about possible breached condoms?
Jesus.
On top of that, Higham’s been saying things he shouldn’t be saying to Brad, but since Higham doesn’t know about the situation with Nolan, I don’t suppose I can hold it against him. Neither am I in a position to go ape shit on Higham’s arse, since I’m calling in all the favors he owes me and is ever likely to owe me in order to keep my wife out of prison. What I do want to know, though, is how Higham knows about Bean? What’s Bean said? Why did Higham ask Brad about it? Surely Bean’s not dumb enough to throw our names out there. And yet Brad hasn’t mentioned the call from Higham or asked who Bean is. I’m putting that down to the hour. He’s probably not woken up yet. Which means I need to figure this out fast before Brad comes at me with his questions.
But first, let’s deal with this mess.
We pull up outside a flashy, modern house in a suburb on a tree-lined street on the west side of town. I pout up at Benson’s house. “Mine’s bigger than yours,” I muse, slipping out of the back, rolling my shoulder, my arm still fucking numb. I throw a scowl back at Brad as he gets out, rubbing his nose. He’s lucky I’d never kill him.
James checks his gun as he joins me. “There’s tire marks in the road back there,” he says casually, making me look back.
“This doesn’t look like the kind of street a resident would break any speed limits.” I cast an eye across the larger-than-average driveways. “Or park on the road.” I make my way up the path to the door, looking at all of the windows, Brad and James following.
Benson opens the door before I can knock, peeking out at us, his relief obvious. The state of his face makes me feel a bit better about my own. “I didn’t know who else to call.” He opens the door wide.
“I’m touched,” I say, stepping inside, looking up the stairs. “Where’s Barney?”
“In bed still. He was up until midnight playing on his Xbox with Daniel over the headphone things they use. He won’t stir until I drag him up for school.” He motions toward the back of the stairs. “Through there.”
Brad overtakes me with James and enters the room. “Jesus,” he breathes, as I follow behind, Lennox tailing me.