Total pages in book: 140
Estimated words: 137324 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 687(@200wpm)___ 549(@250wpm)___ 458(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 137324 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 687(@200wpm)___ 549(@250wpm)___ 458(@300wpm)
She glances over at me. “You doing okay, big sister?”
“No.” I turn and study her. “Why are you here?”
She flicks a cool glance at the door, then back to me. “Dex asked me to check on you.”
Why would he do that when I broke up with him in such an ugly way?
“Have you eaten?” she asks.
“No.”
She opens the big purse on her lap and rummages through it, then produces a small package of almonds. “I might have a jerky stick or something in here too,” she says, handing over the nuts.
“Thank you. This is good.” I rip into the bag and toss a few almonds into my mouth, crunching them slowly.
Trinity pulls an unopened bottle of water out of her bag. “It’s not cold but—”
“No, that’s fine.” Awkwardness crawls over me like ants as I uncap the bottle and take a long drink. I barely know Trinity. Why would Dex ask her to sit with me? Why would she say yes?
“How’s Libby?” she asks in a hushed voice, stealing a glance at my sister as if to make sure we’re not disturbing her.
“Okay. She was awake a few minutes ago. Supposedly, the doctor’s going to decide if she can be discharged soon.”
“Good. How about her friends? Was anyone else hurt?”
My stomach twists. “Yeah,” I whisper. “The girl who was driving and her other friend were both hurt too. They’re on an upper floor.”
“Does she know?”
That’s an interesting question. Thoughtful. Perceptive. I side-eye Trinity. “Not yet.”
Her attitude seems less thorny than it had been at the clubhouse. Yesterday? The day before? God, I don’t even know what day it is. I need to let my job know I won’t be in. I grab my phone and send the office manager a quick text.
“Everything okay?” Trinity asks.
“Work stuff.”
“They gonna be okay with you not being there?”
“They’ll have to be. I’m not leaving Libby.”
“Okay. Just asking.” She glances at Libby. “I can stay here with her if you need to go in.”
“No, I have time.” I can’t believe she’d offer to do that. She barely knows us. “Thank you, though.”
She lifts one shoulder. “Like I said, Dex wanted to make sure you two were okay.” She tilts her head. “Although, I don’t understand why he can’t be here?”
Heat flames over my cheeks up to my forehead. I’m too raw to talk about this now. Especially with someone I don’t know that well.
“You seem kind of protective of Dex,” I say carefully. Dex spoke fondly of Trinity and told me that he considered her a friend. Now, I can’t stop asking myself—how much of a friend?
Her eyebrows squeeze together, as if she’s searching for a memory. “Once upon a time, Dex helped me escape a bad situation. No questions asked.” She lifts her gaze to mine.
“That sounds like Dex,” I murmur.
A smile quirks the corners of her mouth. “It probably had more to do with following his president’s orders, than an interest in rescuing me. But when Dex asks for a favor, the answer will always be yes. And I know he wouldn’t ask unless it was important to him.”
“That’s incredibly…loyal of you.”
“The club is bound by loyalty.” She stares at me until my body has the urge to fidget but I remain still. “You don’t have any follow-up questions?” she finally asks.
Bold of her to assume I can string together complex thoughts in my current state. “About?”
“The bad situation he helped me escape?”
“I figured if you wanted to tell me, you would.”
She nods slowly. “I like you, Emily.”
“You didn’t seem too fond of me at the clubhouse.” Am I really going there? Now? Ah, fuck it. I’m too emotionally raw to censor myself.
Her jaw drops slightly, and she frowns. “Why do you say that?”
Why bother getting into this? It doesn’t even matter. Dex and I are done. I made sure of that with my hysterical reaction when I chased him away last night. “I don’t know. When I mentioned the guys’ meeting to Lilly, you looked like you wanted to slice out my tongue.”
Her frown deepens, then she chuckles and pats her cheeks. “I guess I really have perfected my resting bitch face.”
“Resting bitch?” I sputter. “You look like a damn centerfold.”
Her smile widens and she fluffs her long blonde hair. “I think my centerfold days are a few years behind me, but thanks.” The smile fades and she studies me with eyes I swear cut right into my soul. “Why do you care what I think, anyway?”
“Dex speaks highly of you.” I search for the right words. “Your husband’s the club’s security guard…I don’t know. Your opinion seems to carry a lot of weight.”
“Security guard.” She snorts. “Accurate. And I’m guessing one of the girls told you I’m his female counterpart for the club?”
Serena did say something similar. But there’s no way I’d ever throw her under the bus to anyone. I lift my chin. “No comment.”