Total pages in book: 48
Estimated words: 45202 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 226(@200wpm)___ 181(@250wpm)___ 151(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 45202 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 226(@200wpm)___ 181(@250wpm)___ 151(@300wpm)
He shakes his head. “No, nothing. Look, I need to bolt. Call Lucy and fix your shit.”
I barely get out of his window and he leaves marks in the road from pulling out so hard I mutter, “Yeah, you and Chrissy need to fix your shit too.” I know he didn’t hear me but hopefully he knows that he has to do something. We won’t let him get away with hurting Chrissy, not that he would do it on purpose, but I can totally see him getting in his own way with her. I slam my hand through my hair. Fuck, one more thing to worry about.
I watch his taillights turn the corner and notice he’s driving toward Chrissy’s house instead of his own. As I’m walking toward the garage, I’m debating what I should do. Should I call Lucy? Text her? Or go over to her mother’s house? I need to make sure she knows what I’m thinking, and the best way to do it is to talk to her mom while I’m at it. I’m not sure what I’m going to say to her, but it would be so much easier if I had her mom's blessing.
I unlock my truck and get in when my phone rings. I debate on answering it. It’s not a number I know, and I don’t want to go out and have to tow someone right now. But just the thought of leaving someone stranded has me reluctantly answering the call. “Dom’s Garage.”
“Dominic, this is Kathy Raven, Lucy’s mom.”
I sit up a little taller. “Hey, Ms. Raven, is everything okay?”
She blows out a breath. “No, everything is not okay.” She pauses, and I hear her take a deep breath. “I hope I’m doing the right thing.”
I’m tense as I wait for her to continue. “What is it? Is Lucy okay?”
I’m holding my phone in a death grip. Just the fact that Lucy’s mom is calling me tells me something is not right. I start my truck as I wait for her to tell me.
“Dominic, Ray is here.”
“Where are you? Where’s Lucy?”
“She’s here. We’re at my house, and he just showed up out of the blue. They’re just talking, but I can’t see this ending well. She wasn’t happy to see him.”
“I’m on my way.”
I hang up the phone and stomp on the gas. My first instinct is to kill the fucker, but I remind myself that I need to stay out of prison. If I want any kind of future with Lucy, I need to protect her while staying out of jail, but I’m not making any promises. If he’s touched her, all bets are off.
My blood is boiling as I drive toward Lucy’s mom’s house. I’m doing my best to calm myself, but I know it’s not going to last. I’m not sure what this Ray is doing here, but I’m not going to miss this opportunity to teach him a lesson. When I’m done with him, he’s not going to even think of Lucy again… and he sure as hell won’t reach out to her. He’s going to have to go through me.
21
LUCIANA
“Look Ray. We’re talking in circles here. We’re not going to agree, so I think it’s for the best if you leave now.”
I stand up, hoping that he’s going to listen and leave, but he doesn’t. He just laughs and leans back into the couch. “I’m not leaving, Luciana. I’m not leaving until we figure this out.”
I clap my hands together in front of me and hold them together. “Well, that’s not going to happen. Let’s leave it to the attorneys.”
He glares at me. “Who do you have looking into my financials?”
I wave my hands in front of me. “No one.”
He leans up and slams his hand on the coffee table. “Don’t you fuckin’ lie to me.”
I take a step back and walk around the chair, putting it between us. My mom comes in the room. “Lucy.”
I hold my hand up. “Mom, it’s okay. I’m okay.”
She stands in the doorway of the kitchen and glares at Ray. I thought the way she looked at Dom was with hate, but this is something different. I turn to Ray, who’s staring fiercely at me. “Listen, we’re not going to decide on this today. Why don’t we set up an appointment tomorrow with our attorneys and we’ll get it all worked out then.”
He shakes his head and stands up to his full height. “That’s not going to work for me, Luciana.” He takes a step toward me. “Tell me who is looking into my financials.”
I hold my hands out in front of me. “I honestly don’t know.”
“Bullshit!” he screams.
The vein in his neck is popping, and his face is scrunched in anger. My body starts to tremble in fear, but I force myself to stand my ground. “Ray, you need to calm down. I’m not going to talk to you with you acting like this.”