Total pages in book: 68
Estimated words: 69511 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 348(@200wpm)___ 278(@250wpm)___ 232(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 69511 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 348(@200wpm)___ 278(@250wpm)___ 232(@300wpm)
I went through the house, checking under beds and in closets, before checking every single window to make sure it was locked.
They all were.
I stopped at a photo of Gavrel and Athena and felt my heart ache.
I fucking hated that she was alone.
I hated even more that she was being reminded that she was alone with this trip she was taking.
Something she’d planned with her brother when he was alive.
Forcing myself to leave, even though I wanted to pull her into my arms and protect her with my dying breath, I headed back to the main room where she was now half done with her ice cream.
“Dr. Pepper ice cream?” I asked curiously.
She shrugged. “It’s new. I thought I’d try it. And last time it melted while we were…”
She didn’t finish the sentence, but she hadn’t needed to.
“Any good?” I asked as I walked toward the door.
She held out the spoon to me, and I had to force myself not to take a bite.
Not because I didn’t want to try it, but because she’d been so sweet to offer it to me.
“No thanks,” I said, my hand now on the door. “Please be aware of your surroundings. I’ll have a blue and white outside your house tonight to watch over you. When you leave tomorrow, they’ll give you a ride to the airport.”
She was already shaking her head. “No. No ride. I’m driving my own car.”
I nodded once. “Okay.”
I opened the door and walked out of it.
She followed me, her fingers going to the door to wrap around it.
I started toward my bike, ready to roll it down the road to hide it in a different spot before I made my way back, but her voice stopped me cold.
“Gable?”
I looked over to her as I was about to step out the door. “Yes?”
“Are you sure you can’t come?” she asked softly.
Too softly.
“I can’t,” I apologized, trying not to let my frustration with the situation leech into my voice. “I have to work.”
The look on her face would haunt me for the rest of my life. “Oh, okay. Well, I’ll just leave the itinerary here, just in case.” She smiled, holding it out to me. “I’ll see you around, Gable.”
I felt like I’d just kicked a puppy, but I took the paper anyway.
I looked down at the piece of paper that showed her entire itinerary for the two weeks she and Gavrel had planned out for Japan.
And I was tempted.
I was so tempted to drop everything and leave with her.
But I couldn’t go. I wouldn’t rest until Madman was behind bars.
Your boyfriend looks like he asks Auto Zone to change the wiper blades.
—Athena’s secret thoughts
ATHENA
“Ma’am.” The flight attendant came up to me, her eyes smiling. “I have a family here,” she pointed to a mom, dad, and three kids. The kids were all teenagers by the looks of it. Older teens at that. “They would like to sit together, but to do that, they’d need to take your seat.”
I nodded. “Where is the seat I’d be taking?” I went to grab my bag.
“24B.” The dad handed over his boarding pass.
I didn’t take it.
“I’m sorry,” I apologized, dropping my arm. “I just assumed the seat I’d be taking was in first class. Unfortunately, I won’t be switching. I had to upgrade a lot of airline miles to get this first-class seat.”
Almost all of them, actually.
The man looked at me dumbfounded, surprised I’d told him no.
“But how will my kids sit with us?” the mother asked, pointing at the three sullen teens behind her.
“Well,” I suggested. “You could possibly go sit in coach and leave the three kids up here to sit with one parent. That way they’re not back there alone.”
The woman didn’t like that answer at all.
I didn’t give a fuck.
If that seat had been in first class, I would’ve been the first one to trade seats.
I would’ve offered up my second seat, but I called the airline last night and explained my situation, and she’d given me a full refund for Gavrel’s ticket.
I was all alone.
“Such a bitch,” one of the teens said under his breath.
My eyes went to him. “It makes me a bitch that I planned ahead and purchased the seat that I wanted?”
The teen rolled his eyes.
“This was an upgrade for us, too,” the mom explained, sounding miffed. “When we talked to the ladies at the check-in desk, they were able to upgrade them all but one.”
“I guess you should count your family lucky that you were able to do that.” I took my seat.
The family was very loud.
And even worse, they made one of the teens go to their seat in coach.
I would’ve never done that to my kids.
How would you even choose which one to send back there?
What assholes.
Speaking of assholes, one of the teens took a seat directly behind my pod-shaped seat.