Total pages in book: 158
Estimated words: 154037 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 770(@200wpm)___ 616(@250wpm)___ 513(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 154037 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 770(@200wpm)___ 616(@250wpm)___ 513(@300wpm)
His little sister squealed when she noticed him, a bright smile filling her face. “Otto!”
The chair legs screeched against the floor when she threw herself out of it to get to him. The angst he’d carried like a millstone around his neck lessened a fraction when she threw her arms around him and pressed her cheek to his chest. “I missed you.”
Devotion tugged at every cell inside him, and he curled his arms around her, mumbling, “Missed you, too,” to the top of her head before his attention lifted to his mother who’d turned with the commotion.
Annoyance colored her features, and she lifted her chin as she stared him down. “What are you doin’ here?”
There wasn’t a whole lot of love lost between the two of them. He’d been subject to her bullshit for too many years, her selfishness and greed, way she always came before anyone else.
Well, herself or whatever prick she decided to drag home to share both her bed and her needle.
She’d kicked him out when he was just fourteen after he’d called the cops because some dickbag had been beatin’ on her, like he was the one to blame, like it was his duty to keep her dirty secrets.
He’d been living on the streets since. Starving and scared until he’d figured out what it took to survive.
He’d basically run alone until he’d met Cash, Theo, and Kane, and they’d decided that things would go better if they teamed up. If they made a pact to forever have each other’s backs. It was only the four of them until River and Raven had come to them a week before.
“Wanted to come check on things.”
His mother scoffed and went back to stirring the pot. Even though the life she led had frayed her edges, she was still beautiful. Stunning, really.
His baby sister was starting to look so much like her it was painful.
Tall and willowy. Warm brown hair and these big brown eyes.
“You don’t need to come around here checkin’ on me. I’m just fine,” his mother grumbled.
Funny, she never had a problem with him stopping by when he was bringing her money.
Otto angled back and turned his focus down to his sister. “Well, someone had her first ballet class, so I had to stop in to see how that went.”
Yeah, he was paying for that, too.
Not that he was complaining. Only issue was where that money was coming from. How he just got deeper and deeper. He guessed he’d been a fool that he’d thought by now he’d have shucked this lifestyle like a bad skin.
Moved beyond it to bigger and better things.
He was beginning to believe once you were there, you were trapped.
Which was why he was going to make sure Haddie got out of it before it had the chance of ruining her.
Excitement blazed in her demeanor. “It was amazing,” she drew out, tipping her face toward the ceiling. “And the dance bag I got with the money you gave me is so cute! You have to see it.” She grabbed his hand to tow him back through the arch and to the hallway that led to the three rooms on that side.
She dragged him into her room that was decorated frilly and pink.
She had her ballet stuff out on her bed like she couldn’t wait for her next class in a week.
“See!”
It was a big pink duffel bag that had Born to Dance embroidered on the front.
“Now that looks right up your alley to me.”
“Because it’s pink, right?!” she enthused.
A big grin pulled to his mouth. “That’s right.”
She was so damned cute. Her joy still true.
Disquiet buzzed through him when he thought about Raven back at the abandoned house. How shy and timid she was. How she’d been stilted. He hated it for her, and he hoped to God that she was able to come out of it.
Haddie scrambled onto her bed and crisscrossed her legs, and he settled himself on the floor, which was pretty much their routine when he came to visit. “So, how’s everything else going?” he asked.
He tried to keep the edge out of it, but he couldn’t help it. Way he was always waiting for things to go south.
“Well, I got an A on my math test, and we’re learning long division, which is bleh, but I still totally aced it.” She rolled her eyes dramatically before she threaded her fingers together and sat forward. “And oh my gosh, guess what?”
“What?” he asked, his worry fading since it was clear his sister was doing just fine.
“I got invited to have a sleepover at Stephanie’s this weekend. Mom said it was totally fine.”
“She nice?”
Haddie groaned like he was impossible. “Why would I want to be friends with her if she isn’t nice?”
Well, that was pretty simple and plain, but he also knew girls could be mean as fuck. Probably making her wear pink on Wednesdays or some shit.