Total pages in book: 68
Estimated words: 69772 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 349(@200wpm)___ 279(@250wpm)___ 233(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 69772 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 349(@200wpm)___ 279(@250wpm)___ 233(@300wpm)
Cherished.
That was what I decided on a few minutes later.
Cherished.
My brain was pleasantly fuzzy, for the first time in days no longer being completely focused on what I’d lost.
The baby.
My house.
My Nonna.
My brother.
My freedom.
The baby.
The baby.
The baby.
“My fiancée and I will call if she comes up with any more information,” I felt Quinn’s warm hand wrap around my own, pulling me out of the death spiral. “Thank you.”
Ambrose got up and walked away, but not before he stopped to level his intense gaze on me.
“I can’t say that your brother getting arrested will change you,” he said, surprising me with his words. “But after having to go through much the same situation with my sister, I can tell you from experience that you did the best you could. Sometimes your best just isn’t good enough, though. Sometimes people need to hit rock bottom before they can pull their head out of their ass long enough to see the better side of things.”
With that majestically worded comment, he left and didn’t look back.
Which, of course, was when I remembered an earlier comment.
“I’m not your fiancée,” I snapped at him.
“Sure, you are,” he disagreed. “Because I won’t give up until I’m dead.”
I gritted my teeth before saying, “That can be arranged.”
The brothers in the room laughed.
Garnett patted my shoulder before saying, “I hate to break it to you, Solei, but Quinn is my most stubborn. He’s going to fix it. You might as well make amends with that fact now.”
I ignored them all and walked back to Quinn’s room.
Once there, I buried my face into his pillow, and tried to turn my brain off again.
I’ll give credit where credit is due, but I’m not going to applaud a fish for swimming.
—Quinn to Shayne
QUINN
“What are you doing?”
I looked up from my magnifying glass before saying, “Trying to put her Nonna’s plate back together.”
Garrett stopped and Boss, his K9 officer, sniffled at my table before I pushed him back, unwilling to have him mess my pieces up. No matter how cute the big bastard was.
“Why?” Garrett asked.
“Because she loved it,” I said simply. “You heading home?”
Garrett had come over to sleep off the night shift in my guest room.
As of two days ago, it officially had a bed, sheets, and even pillows.
Pillows and sheets that I’d tried, and failed, to get Shayne to help pick out with me.
In the end, she’d pointed innocuously at the screen, and I’d gotten the sheets she’d indicated, even though she put absolutely no thought into it.
“You gonna get her out of the house tonight like you said?” Garrett asked, pulling his utility belt from the table and wrapping it around his waist.
Boss’s ears perked up and he started to wag his tail lazily, excited for a night of work.
I was.
“I am,” I confirmed.
I was just waiting for Garrett to get out of my house.
I didn’t want him to witness what was about to happen.
“I’ll get out of your hair, then,” Garrett said as he whistled at the dog. “Let’s go, Boss.”
Boss charged out of the house, Garrett following much more sedately at his heel.
I waited until I heard the cruiser start before I got up and steeled my belly.
Enough was enough.
It’d been three solid weeks since she’d spoken with the DEA agent and given her sworn statement about what had gone on at the Rodriguez household over a twelve-month period.
With that information, as well as Gable giving a sworn statement that Shayne had no ties to what her brother was doing, he’d declined to press any charges.
Which had, in turn, caused the DA to get fuckin’ pissed. But in order not to look like he was an asshole and handing out punishments that weren’t fair, he’d had to pull back on his investigation, too.
I pulled up my phone to check the time, nervous all of a sudden.
My sister’s face popped up on the screen of my phone moments before the thing started to vibrate in my hand.
I answered it, glad that she was returning my call now, instead of a couple of minutes from now when I finally stopped being a little bitch. I was slightly irritated that it had to be a Facetime call, however.
I hated Facetime.
I wasn’t sure why Ande loved it so much, but she was literally the only one besides my niece and nephew who used it.
“Hey,” I said carefully. “You called back.”
“In the middle of a call, though.” She paused. “I love working with Cleo, but we don’t mesh like Shayne and I do. Any luck?”
That luck being getting her to go back to work.
“That’s what I’m about to do,” I offered.
Either I was about to piss her way the fuck off, or I’d pull her out of the funk.
I hoped it was the former and not the latter.
“Good.” She went on, “Get her to talk.”