Total pages in book: 75
Estimated words: 78227 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 391(@200wpm)___ 313(@250wpm)___ 261(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78227 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 391(@200wpm)___ 313(@250wpm)___ 261(@300wpm)
“It’s… It’s Pat, you know? He’s just really worried about his grandmother.”
“Grandmother?”
“She’s mentally ill. She’s in the hospital.”
“You must be talking about Mrs. Smith.”
“Yes. Sabrina Smith.”
“Wait, wait, wait.” I shake my head. “Her last name is actually Smith?”
“Yes. That’s what he told me, anyway.”
“Okay. Tell me everything. Right now, and don’t leave out a single dirty detail.”
Brittany darts her eyes around. “Daddy!”
“He can’t hear you out here.”
Brittany lets out a strange sound, kind of like a squeak. “You’re scaring me, Brock.”
“Am I?”
“Yes, you are.”
I take a step backward—but only a small step. “I haven’t raised a hand to you. I haven’t even raised my voice to you. You have nothing to fear from me—nothing physical anyway. Besides, even if I did raise a hand to you, I’m sure you could call a dog on me.”
Her lips tremble.
“I won’t hurt you. I promise you that I won’t. But I need to know everything you know about Pat Lamone. About his grandmother. About those emails and calls to Rory and Callie. And about all the drugs you stole from your father’s clinic.”
“You’ll never understand,” she says.
“Try me.”
She shakes her head. “You won’t. You have everything you need. Everything you could possibly want. Plus, you have your mother. My mother was taken from me when I was just a little girl. My father…”
“What about him, Brittany?”
Brittany pauses a moment and then drops her mouth open. “Your father isn’t interested in guard dogs, is he?”
“Sure he is.”
“No, he’s not. You’re here for other reasons.”
“Maybe. Maybe not. That’s not any of your concern.” I rub the stubble on my jawline.
“I never wanted to do any of this stuff,” she says.
“So you’re going to pass the buck.”
“No. I’m not passing the buck. I’m just…”
“Protecting Pat?”
“No,” she says. “Pat is not the person I’m protecting.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
RORY
Home.
Jesse and I arrive, and after being assaulted by Zach and Dusty, and after I text Dave to let him know he doesn’t need to check on the dogs this evening, we sit on the deck.
“Will you make it to your gig?” I ask.
“Yeah. I have to. It’s a lot of money for us, and the band needs me. Especially if they don’t have you.”
Envy for my brother jolts into me. To get away for a few days sounds pretty wonderful.
“You know what? Maybe I will come along,” I say. “Brock is gone for a few days with his dad.”
Jesse stares at me. More like glares at me. “I’m going to fucking kill you, Rory. Can you ever make up your mind about anything?”
“Honestly, I just need some time away from everything.”
“What about your lessons? Didn’t you just get back from England?”
“It’s a weekend gig, right?”
“No, Rory, it’s a small tour that begins this weekend. We’re playing a few shows in Grand Junction and outside Salt Lake City, where agents tend to hang out.”
“Well…” I sigh. “I guess I really shouldn’t join you, then.”
“For God’s sake…” Jesse shakes his head. “You will be the death of this family, Rory Pike.”
I frown. “That’s not even remotely funny when our father is lying in a hospital bed.”
“You’re right. I apologize. I didn’t mean it literally.”
“I know you didn’t.”
“Hey.” Jesse squeezes my forearm. “Dad’s going to be okay.”
“Until he’s off that hospital bed and home doing regular stuff, I just can’t bring myself to believe that.”
“He’s strong,” Jesse says.
“Yeah, he is, and this still happened.”
“I know.” My brother sighs. “We should probably all get our cholesterol and blood pressure checked.”
“I already do. I get all that stuff checked when I have my annual gynecological exam.”
My brother covers his ears. “Jeez, Rory, I don’t need to know about that.”
“It’s a fact of life,” I tell him. “And it keeps women honest. We get the plumbing checked once a year, and while we’re there, the doctors check everything else. So if my blood pressure or my cholesterol were getting out of hand, I would know. How would you know, Jesse? How would Dad know? Men are so infuriating sometimes. You all seem to think you’re bulletproof, that you never have to go to the doctor just to get simple blood work.”
“I’m thirty-two years old, Rory. I’m the picture of health.”
“But that’s my point. So was Dad, Jesse. So was Dad.”
My brother purses his lips. Good. I’ve made him think. Thirty-two is still a young man, but it’s not exactly eighteen. In fact, I’d better make sure Brock has a physical as soon as he gets back in town.
“You win. I’ll make an appointment with the doctor.”
“Good.”
“After this gig. I don’t have time right now.”
“That’s fine. I’ll take it,” I say.
The gig.
I really do want to go. With Brock out of town for a few days, I need something to take my mind off Dad.
Of course, I’d never forgive myself if something happened to Dad and I wasn’t there.