Total pages in book: 116
Estimated words: 108721 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 544(@200wpm)___ 435(@250wpm)___ 362(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 108721 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 544(@200wpm)___ 435(@250wpm)___ 362(@300wpm)
Tanya huffs and scans Lee’s face, assessing him. I pinpoint the moment she decides she doesn't have a use for him. It’s nauseating. I watch Lee's face, and I know he sees it too. The moment she disregards him, underestimates him.
Not that I’d enjoy her taking an interest in any of my friends. The fewer of my friends she interacts with, the better. I’m just grateful Drew isn't here; he'd have shoved her out the door by now, most likely in tears.
Her attention shifts back to Aries, and I can't stop the smile that curves my lips. Aries would love nothing more than to break her, and if she tried to take him to her bed, she'd learn that, but only after it was too late.
She nods and gives my neck one last squeeze. “I'll let you boys be boys. Don't get into too much trouble without me.”
What the hell is she trying to accomplish here?
I’m cautious in her presence, watching as she grabs her glass of water and exits the kitchen. Once she’s finally gone, the weight on my chest is lifted, and I can breathe again.
“What a raging witch,” Aries states with disgust.
They know about her flirting; they've seen it, but they don't know the worst of it.
The molestation, the abuse. It goes far deeper than any of them could fathom. I can handle it, though. I have for years, and I will continue to.
“I don't want to talk about her. Just tell me what you need, Lee. I’m tired as fuck and running thin on both time and patience.”
He frowns. “I think I can handle it. I just...I feel like you and Drew have abandoned us. Planning The Hunt was your favorite activity. Now I've taken over because it needs to be done… and it just… it doesn’t feel the same anymore.” I can hear how upset he is, but I don’t know how to fix it or if I even can. “I mean, are you even going to show up?”
I nod. “I'll have to show my face, right? People would think it's weird if I wasn’t there. Is Drew running?”
Aries chimes in. “He is, and he's bringing Bel.”
Fantastic. Just what I need, to see my best friend and my sister fucking in the woods. What a perfect highlight to an already stellar few months.
“Wonderful. I'll be sure to steer clear of them.”
Lee grins. “This might be exactly what you need. Come to The Hunt. You've been off since last year when everything went down with Drew and after finding out Bel was your sister.”
I let out a long sigh and sink down, my shoulders falling away from my ears. “Yeah, well, there’s nothing like learning the world you live in is a lie. That everything is a lie.”
When I found out the truth about Drew’s father actually being my father, I didn’t know what to think. I still haven’t really wrapped my head around it. Not that it mattered. I wanted nothing from that man. DNA didn’t make him a parent. It made us related. That was all there was between us.
“Is there something you want to share? Do you need us to take care of someone? Dispose of a body?”
I need to get out of this fucking house, away from that woman, and out of this life. But there is no quick fix for any of that. This goes deeper than fucking with someone or pissing someone off. There’s nothing they can do to help me. I’ve dug the hole, and I’ll have to lie in it.
“No, I'm good, but if I do need something, you'll be the first to know.”
Aries nods, and Lee shifts on the stool. “Go take a nap, Mr. Grumpy Gills. I'll finish planning without you. But I don't want to hear you complaining on race day if something isn't the way you like it.”
Aries grins and looks at me. “Oh, I think he'll like what we've already planned just fine.”
Cryptic. I study them both for a second and then stand. “Call me later if you still need help.”
“The phone only works if you actually answer it.” Lee purses his lips.
“I know, and I’ll answer it, asshole. Now get out of my hair.”
“Love you, too.” He chuckles.
I leave them in the kitchen. They will find their own way out, the same way they found their way in. I feel lighter after the interaction, like maybe not everything is a piece of shit that’s been lit on fire. Then I round the corner, and Tanya’s voice pierces my ears. I stop mid-step and spot her at the top of the stairs talking to Elyse.
I’m tempted to intervene because I know how Tanya is, and even if Elyse’s presence is unbearable to me at times, that doesn’t mean she deserves to be on the receiving end of whatever shit Tanya is stirring up.