Total pages in book: 137
Estimated words: 135696 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 678(@200wpm)___ 543(@250wpm)___ 452(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 135696 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 678(@200wpm)___ 543(@250wpm)___ 452(@300wpm)
“This isn’t happening here, and it sure as fuck isn’t happening now. Go home, Angelica,” Riggs returned.
“Was minding my own business, having a drink at the Halfway—” she began.
“Which takes me back to my question,” Storm cut in. “Where’s my son, Angelica?”
She ignored him and kept at it, eyes to Riggs.
“—and Kimmy comes up to me. She fakes tearing something in half and setting it on fire, and she says, ‘That was your membership card to the sister club.’ And walks away. I don’t need that bullshit in my face when I’m kicking back, Doc.”
Seemed word was getting around.
No surprise.
It was the way in MP.
And seriously, Storm had been ticked.
“Your bed,” was all Riggs said.
“Was at Aromacobana the other day, and people were actually pointing at me,” she bit out.
She was getting heated…again.
“Not sure why you’re here telling me this crap,” Riggs returned.
She leaned into him and shouted, “Because I’m your son’s mother!”
Riggs sighed, too mellow from weed and Nadia and firelight to bite, and he repeated, “Go home, Angelica.”
“You’re not invited, means you’re trespassing,” Murphy put in.
Harry let her go, but moved to put himself between Angelica, Storm and Riggs.
Murphy moved up to his side, Easton to his other, and Jaeger was approaching.
“He’s right. You need to be smart, Angie,” Harry suggested calmly.
Arm straight, she pointed Riggs and Storm’s way, and yelled, “They get off, there’s consequences,”—she jerked her thumb to herself—“and I’m the bad guy?”
“Didn’t happen exactly that way, woman,” Easton growled. “And you fuckin’ know that shit.” He left his killshot for last. “You should change your name to Audrey.”
Oh yeah.
Word had gotten around.
At raising the name of a woman who was well-known in those parts as having been single-minded in her determination to find a man, no matter the costs (and the costs turned out to be extreme), Angelica’s mouth dropped open in offense.
She closed it, but immediately reopened it to say something, but someone behind him, a woman, he thought it was Lynne, hissed, “Sss.”
“Sss,” one of the other women joined in.
“Sss,” more joined.
And they were moving, still hissing, closing in on Angelica.
Easton stepped back to give them room, Murphy did too, but Harry stood his ground. Rus shifted to his side, shielding Riggs and Storm even as Angelica started shuffling backward.
Harry finally pushed through the women, approached her, and they stopped hissing when he offered, “I’ll walk you to the car.”
“I can walk to my own fuckin’ car, Harry.”
“It’s late, it’s dark, and I can walk you to it, or I can follow you and make sure you get to it safely,” Harry returned. “Half a dozen and six to me.”
Angelica glowered at him, aimed this at Riggs and Storm, then she turned and stormed off.
Harry cocked his head side to side before he followed her.
Christ, Riggs didn’t know how he faced it, day in and day out. Couldn’t even kick back on a Saturday night with his buds without having to take care of business. His friend had the worst job in the world.
Rus moved to shadow Harry.
“Don’t let her break the mood, man,” Easton called to Riggs. “It’s a good night. Let’s just get back to it.”
Riggs nodded to him but looked at Storm.
“Your lawyer contact her?” he asked.
“Yup,” Storm answered. “I told him not to mess around. Probably should have given you that heads-up. Sorry about that.”
“We gotta share every time she fucks with us, or forces us to fuck with her, I’d have to let you and Viggo move in so I don’t have to bother hitting your name on my screen every five minutes.”
“That’s the fuckin’ way of it,” Storm said on a heavy breath.
Lynne approached and grabbed his hand. “C’mon, Stormy. Let’s get another beer.”
Storm and Riggs exchanged harassed glances before Storm threw his arm around Lynne’s shoulders and led her to a cooler.
Riggs turned to Nadia.
“I’m not uncertain about Kimmy anymore,” she declared.
He busted out laughing.
When he was done, she whispered, “Family,” then got deep into his space and wrapped her arms around him.
He bent his head and put his face in her hair, smelled the beauty of it and instantly felt better.
Murphy was there.
“Hand me your stash, I’ll roll another one. Because, as always with that woman…damn.”
Again, Riggs took Nadia with him as he bent to the side and swiped the tin box he kept his weed and papers in off the blanket.
He handed it to Murphy.
Murphy wandered back to his chair with it.
“Did he just use Angelica being a bitch to steal all of your marijuana?” Nadia asked, her eyes aimed beyond him to Murphy.
“It’s likely.”
She collapsed in giggles against his chest.
“Jeez, Riggs.” Maribeth was now there. “Nadia was right. More happens in Misted Pines in a day than an entire week in the Windy City.”
This wasn’t true, but he smiled at her anyway.
She smirked in return and explained it, saying, “‘Make It with You.’ Smooth.”