Total pages in book: 122
Estimated words: 115590 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 578(@200wpm)___ 462(@250wpm)___ 385(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 115590 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 578(@200wpm)___ 462(@250wpm)___ 385(@300wpm)
“Please, could I have a glass of water?” I clutched my throat—"parched” from “running.”
“Of course.” She motioned for me to follow her.
We passed through the hallway, and I noticed the perfect family portrait centered on the wall. That was when I realized just how messed up Zepp was. In the ornate, golden frame, Leah stood between the woman leading me through the hall, and a guy I guessed was her dad, all of them smiling at the camera. This was Leah’s house. I shook my head while I followed Leah’s mom into a kitchen that was bigger than my entire trailer. It made me hate the woman in front of me while wishing I could be like her.
“Here.” She placed a glass onto the marble, kitchen island. I gulped half of it, thinking that even their water tasted better.
Her thin brows pulled into an expression of concern. “What happened, dear?”
“My ex-boyfriend. He— Wouldn’t take no for an answer.” My voice broke a little, and I forced tears to pour down my cheeks, before swiping at them. I had no idea what I was supposed to do here.
“Oh, my.” She gasped, her hand moving to her chest in horror, as though shit like that didn’t happen every day. “Did he...” she trailed off, unable to say the word rape.
Jesus, Leah sure as hell hadn’t inherited her mom’s innocence.
“No. I got away.” I wiped away more tears. “Can I use your phone?”
With a nod, the woman fetched the phone. My gaze drifted across the hall while I pretended to call someone who would give a shit about me. That was when I noticed Zepp in the hallway, like an ominous shadow. His dark eyes burned through the slit in his ski mask like smoldering coal before he disappeared down the hall.
Nervous energy wound through my veins as I sat and waited for the guys to finish. I almost jumped out of my skin when the knock finally came at the front door. Leah’s mother moved ahead of me to answer it. Bellamy stood on the Welcome mat. His gaze met mine before moving to the woman. “Thanks for helping my sister.”
“That’s no problem.” She placed a hand on my shoulder. “You really should involve the police, dear. It’s just not right.”
Bellamy wrapped an arm around my shoulder; I guessed to really sell it. “Thank you for your help.”
As soon as the door clicked shut behind us, we both sprinted across the manicured lawn for the truck. One of the guys opened the door to the back cab. I threw myself in, and Bellamy tumbled in behind me. The door was still open when Wolf pulled away from the curb, tires screeching.
We hadn’t made it out of Barrington before guilt settled in my gut. That woman had tried to help me, even if she was rich and raising bitches like Leah Anderson. And we had robbed her. Although I knew it was all things she could afford to lose, it felt wrong.
“Looks like you can follow directions,” Zepp said from the front seat.
“You robbed your girlfriend?”
He barked out a laugh. “I don’t date girls, Monroe. I fuck them.”
“Spreading her legs should surely buy her some loyalty. Damn.” That was cold.
Hendrix snorted beside me. “Nothing about Leah deserves loyalty. Not even her pussy.”
I couldn’t imagine sleeping with someone and finding out that I meant absolutely nothing to them. I wondered if Leah had any clue how disposable she was. For a second, I pitied the bitch. It was fleeting, though, because she’d have to be stupid to see Zepp as anything more than the asshole he was. Not like he tried to hide it.
My phone vibrated, and I took it out, reading over a message from Max. Hendrix leaned over my shoulder, and I glared at him, locking my phone.
“Harford?” Disgust laced his voice.
If I had to guess, Hendrix didn’t know anything more about Max than the fact that he attended Barrington, but as far as most people in Dayton were concerned, that was enough. There was always beef between our schools, and Max was public enemy number one because he was the quarterback. The golden boy with a perfect life handed to him on a silver platter. He was all that, but he was also okay for a Barrington guy.
“You’re talking to Harford?” Hendrix kicked at one of the bags filled with stolen stuff that sat on the floorboard. “Why the hell are you talking to that asshole?”
“None of your business.”
My gaze caught the rearview mirror just in time to see Zepp glare into the backseat.
“Fucking the golden dick quarterback, huh?” He laughed, lighting a cigarette. “There’s your self-respect.”
It was right on the tip of my tongue to deny it. “Says the guy fucking and robbing the cheerleader.”
“Cheerleaders. Plural.” He cracked the window, and a stream of smoke billowed out.