Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 90919 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 455(@200wpm)___ 364(@250wpm)___ 303(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 90919 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 455(@200wpm)___ 364(@250wpm)___ 303(@300wpm)
“I’ll see what I can do,” he said. “Gimme an hour?”
“That works. Thanks.”
“What’s this about?” he asked. I could hear the click of his keyboard in the background.
“Trouble with my sister.”
“Which sister?” The typing stopped.
“Aisling.”
“She all right?” It started again.
“Not sure yet. Can’t fuckin’ find her.”
“No shit?” He sucked in a breath. “You need me to come out there?”
“Nah, just find this guy.”
“I’m on it.”
I drove around town for an hour, searching through all of the people on the street. I didn’t really think Aisling would be out to lunch after what had happened with Richie, but I had to do something. Each minute that passed felt like it took a year.
With every moment that I didn’t get a phone call that Richie woke up or Aisling had shown up at the hospital, my teeth ground together harder and harder. My hands tightened on the handlebars as I took another pass along Main Street.
I didn’t let myself think about what would happen if Brody couldn’t find the guy Aisling had gone out with. He was the only link I had—unless Richie woke up and told us what happened. I tried not to let myself think about Richie either. There was nothing I could do for him at the hospital, but I was in a better position than any of my siblings to find Aisling. Now that I had something to go on, I refused to go back without her.
Finally, Brody texted an address.
The guy lived less than a mile away. I considered calling Ronan so I’d have someone at my back, but if this guy was the one who shot Richie, I wasn’t taking any chances with the brother I had left.
Five minutes later, I was pulling up in front of a big-ass house in a neighborhood of more big-ass houses. The lawns were manicured, the houses were all painted in varying shades of brown and gray, and the entire street stunk of a homeowners association. Even if this guy had parted on good terms with Aisling and gone home alone before all the shit went down, I knew I wasn’t going to like him.
I rang the doorbell twice, but no one answered. Knocked for a while. I had a feeling the neighbors were watching. My Harley didn’t really fit in with the electric cars and mommy mobiles on the street.
I couldn’t hear anything happening inside, but the house didn’t feel empty. Someone was there.
Figuring it was better to ask forgiveness than permission, I hopped off the front porch and rounded the house. The back had a huge patio and a pool that was covered. There was a hot tub off to the side, and the entire backyard had grass so green it looked fake. I walked like I owned the place and I was meant to be there, but the moment I saw the back windows, I froze.
My little sister was sitting at the kitchen table with her back to me. Her hair was tangled so badly that it looked like it had been through a windstorm, but I’d recognize the color of it and the set of her shoulders from a mile away in a crowd of thousands. She was staring at a dark hallway, but I couldn’t see what she was looking at. Glancing around the kitchen, I couldn’t see anyone with her.
Sliding my hand into my pocket, I quickly pulled out the pocketknife I’d had since I was eighteen. I wasn’t carrying a pistol, so it would have to be enough for whatever I’d deal with inside. Taking careful steps, I walked onto the patio, stopped at the door behind Aisling, and tapped quietly.
At the sound of my knuckles hitting the glass, Aisling jerked violently in surprise and spun toward me.
When I saw her face, it felt like I’d been punched in the gut. One of her eyes was wide with fear and the other was swollen completely shut. Blood had dried around the inside of her nostrils. One side of her bottom lip was twice as big as the other side. She’d been worked over. Bad.
Rage bubbled so hard inside me I thought I might choke on it. She mouthed my name, shook her head, and spun back around.
Like I’d just leave her ass there?
I tapped again, but she ignored me. She didn’t even twitch. I wasn’t against breaking the glass door, but when I reached for the doorknob, I was surprised as fuck when it turned and I was able to walk right inside.
“You have to leave,” Aisling breathed, not even glancing in my direction. Her entire body was shaking. “He has a gun. Go.”
I could hear a man’s voice from down the hallway, calling something out cheerfully, but I didn’t pay attention to the words—just the tone. Whatever he’d done to my sister? The motherfucker was enjoying it. Practically gleeful.