Total pages in book: 67
Estimated words: 68576 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 343(@200wpm)___ 274(@250wpm)___ 229(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 68576 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 343(@200wpm)___ 274(@250wpm)___ 229(@300wpm)
This being one of those times.
I was assuming that was because of the woman in front of me.
She made me nervous.
And angry.
Pepper didn’t react to the bell.
In fact, she was so unbothered by it that I might as well not even have done it.
“Have a good day,” she said sweetly.
Too sweetly.
I caught the box up and handed her my card.
She refused it, saying, “No, it’s on me.”
I didn’t want it to be on her.
Reaching into my wallet, I pulled out a twenty and tossed it onto the counter. “You’re not buying me anything. I wouldn’t take a thing from you after the shit I’ve heard and seen.”
“Seen?” she asked.
“Seen,” I confirmed.
“You haven’t seen shit from me,” she snapped.
“I’ve seen you not show up when your sister was kidnapped and nearly murdered by a serial killer,” I shot back.
An incredulous sound came out of her beautiful mouth. “You’re hoodwinked.”
“Hoodwinked?” I raised a brow at her.
“Deceived. Tricked. Deluded. Mislead. Misinformed. Duped.” She enunciated each word.
“I know what it means,” I drawled.
“Well, then if you know what it means, maybe you should think about why I said it,” she suggested. “Have a good day, officer.”
I left without another word, but my mind was reeling.
The drive home took less than ten minutes.
I ate both peach scones.
I’d never planned on sharing.
I just wanted to see what she’d do and say if I said it.
As for her reaction… I wasn’t quite sure what to make of it.
Put me in a tree and call me a cicada. I’m about to scream.
—Pepper to Everest and Tarrant after a confrontation with Sage
PEPPER
She might’ve been the reason I came, but he was the reason I was staying.
He had no clue that the phrase he’d said would be the turning point in my life.
I had zero inclinations to stay in Dallas.
In fact, I could think of nothing worse than being in Dallas with their people, their dirty air, and their traffic.
But… he was here.
And whether he hated me or not, I was staying.
My brothers didn’t understand, though, hence the conversation I was currently having.
“I just don’t understand why you want to stay,” Tarrant grumbled. “The kids miss you.”
I missed them.
But…
“There’s something I have to do,” I said.
“What?” Everest asked impatiently.
“I, uh, met someone,” I said.
There was a long pause before Everest said, “Who?”
I told them all about Atlas Carter—including everything with Sage.
“Well, you can write him off,” Tarrant grumbled.
“I know, I know,” I said. “But… I feel something there. I just… I can’t let him fall into her trap.”
“Fine,” Everest grumbled. “But you’ll be back home for Christmas.”
“I promise,” I said.
Even though, with that promise, I just meant I’d be coming home. Not staying.
They didn’t need to know that, though.
“Good,” he said. “But don’t let him fuck you over. You know how men are when it comes to our sister.”
That I did.
“I’ll be okay,” I said. “He’ll come around.”
Atlas didn’t come around, though.
Not even a little bit.
Why don’t eggs taste like chicken?
—Atlas’s secret thoughts
ATLAS
Present day
If exhaustion was an emotion, I’d be the perfect example of it.
“Tough night?”
I looked over at my twin.
“Woke up to find myself by the pool,” I cringed.
OCD and sleepwalking.
“You haven’t done that in forever,” he said, eyes wide.
“I know,” I said. “I think it’s being at the new place.”
“Gonna have to install those child locks,” he said. “That way you can’t leave.”
Didn’t I know it.
I scared the shit out of myself when I found myself coming awake with my toes curling along the edges of my pool.
“I know,” I grumbled.
He slapped me on the back. “I’ll grab some when I leave. Take it easy.”
I didn’t watch him go.
I was too fuckin’ tired.
“Long night?”
I waved at the receptionist who was the first person you spoke with when you came into the building.
“The longest,” I replied as I moved swiftly past her.
She called after me. “You know what would fix that? Pie Hard.”
I chuckled. “I don’t have time right now. I’m running late, or I’d totally bring you some!”
My twin brother had finally pulled his thumb out when it came to a certain bakery owner.
Now they were blissfully happy with a baby on the way.
As for the bakery owner’s prickly employee…
She was still just as fiery as the first day I’d met her.
And still giving as good as she got.
I hated that I loved sparring with her.
I hated even more that she was all I ever thought about.
“Bro,” I looked over to find my brother, Quaid, heading toward me.
“What’s up?” I asked, trying to hide my exhaustion.
It wouldn’t do to let the entire family worry about my sleepwalking.
I’d get it under control.
Hopefully.
“I have something to talk to you about,” he hedged.
My brow rose and I waited, knowing I wasn’t going to like what he was about to say.
“Sage,” he started.
Quaid was in command of all the beat and patrol cops in the central station of DPD. He was the one who coordinated the front lines, so to speak.