Total pages in book: 169
Estimated words: 162138 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 811(@200wpm)___ 649(@250wpm)___ 540(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 162138 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 811(@200wpm)___ 649(@250wpm)___ 540(@300wpm)
“Isn’t that what we do here?” I ask. “Don’t we have every single piece of equipment to find people? Don’t we have facial recognition programs and shit?”
“Well, yeah, but it’s a partial face at best,” he says. “We can probably do it, but it’ll take a little longer.”
I sit with that for a moment. I don’t have a little longer, and it doesn’t really matter who the guy is. If he’s a boyfriend, she’ll have to break up with him. If he’s a friend, fuck, it’s not like I can tell her who she can and can’t be friends with. I’m not that much of an asshole. I’m so annoyed at myself for caring about this shit. Right now, she’s a means to an end. Getting her will kill two birds with one stone — I’ll get what I need from her and make her suffer for leaving me. I’m not sure what’ll happen after that, but I know nothing will match how much she made me suffer. Besides, when it comes to the two of us, she’s arguably the biggest asshole. Not arguably. She is. The wall that she puts up as a defense mechanism might as well be a superpower.
I take a breath and open the folder.
Delilah Duke Guzman. Oh-ho-ho. No, she did not. I sit back in my chair with a grin on my face. I was not expecting that shit. This officially just got better. I read through the file. She works at a sports center and just finished med school. According to this, once she’s done with a two-year residency, she’ll officially be a doctor. Impressive. I probably should have told her to explore other options, since this career means she’ll have to deal with people one-on-one every day, and she’s not the best at that. Whatever, not my problem. When she’s not working there, she’s coaching and training with soccer players. I flip the page and find an envelope that contains pictures. I look through each one, feigning disinterest even though I’m starving for more. She’s with Marissa in the first picture. In another, she’s talking to a guy that might be the Wade character. It’s another partial shot. This motherfucker doesn’t know how lucky he is. I set the picture aside anyway. In the others, she’s doing drills with some teenagers and coaching little kids. The next picture captivates me. She’s crouching down talking to a little blonde girl.
It’s the little girl who gets Lyla’s smile. My smile. My heart sinks. Jesus Christ, is this really what my life has come to? I’m one of the most eligible bachelors — I've been ranked number one by the gossip magazines. Even if I hadn’t been, I know my worth. Getting women has never been a problem. But instead of focusing on them, I’m brooding over this picture. I’ve taken ownership of a smile, and now I’m jealous of a fucking child for taking it. I look through the rest of the pictures and pay attention to her face in those. They’re all polite smiles. I don’t know if it’s a polite happy smile or just polite. I’ll have to see it in person. I should be content with the fact that she’s no longer scowling at everyone, but that just triggers other points of anger inside me. We found her, though. We finally found her. That, I am happy about. I feel my brother’s eyes on me, as I take in the information. He’s been wary to look for her from the beginning. I’m starting to think he’s afraid of what I’ll do when I find her. He’s right to be. I’m not entirely sure how this will go down when we’re finally standing face to face. I would never physically harm her, so there’s no worries on that front. There are other ways to hurt her that don’t include touching her. I guess we’ll just have to see how I feel when I see her.
Delilah Duke Guzman. I shake my head and smile again. I can’t remember the last time I genuinely smiled. Delilah Duke Guzman. If she wants, she can keep the first name. I’ll probably never call her that, so it won’t matter. Duke is permanent. I need to get the James back in there.
“Lach?” Liam says across from me. I’m still smiling and the look of horror on his face makes me smile more.
“Where the fuck is Rhodes?” I slide the partial-face picture across the desk and tap it. “Also, use this one.”
I knock on my father’s door and wait until he invites me in. He grins when I step into the office and stands to give me a hug. It’s still weird as fuck seeing Henry all the time. It’s weirder that after ignoring me for over twenty years, he’s totally flipped and now wants us to get together all the fucking time. I’m convinced that the brain tumor made him grow a heart. We have weekly dinners at their house, sometimes with guests, and other times, just the four of us. I try to go when time allows, but only because I would have visited my mother on those short breaks anyway. The whole thing is weird as fuck, but he’s trying really hard, so I’m trying as well. Mom keeps saying that she wants him to retire so they can travel all the time, but he’s not ready. In the meantime, he’s agreed to go on a few trips a year and wants us to learn everything, so he won’t worry while he’s gone and when the time comes, he can retire. I doubt he’ll ever truly retire. Henry lives for this shit. If it weren’t for Mom, he’d probably sleep here. He tries to give me a full-on hug, but I pat him on the back twice and move away quickly to the chair across from him. I’m not a hugger and even if I was, I wouldn’t hug him. I’m not there yet. I’m doing much better, but I’m not sure I’ll ever get to the genuinely full-on hugging stage.