Total pages in book: 75
Estimated words: 71095 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 355(@200wpm)___ 284(@250wpm)___ 237(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 71095 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 355(@200wpm)___ 284(@250wpm)___ 237(@300wpm)
“You did what? Algo? What?”
“Computer shit. Just, don’t expect perfect, Maddie. She’s been through a lot and chances are she won’t be the same girl you remember. Bonnie, the way you knew her, wasn’t the same woman I met at first. Not even close.”
His words brought me up short, like a big fat safety pin slowly letting all the air out of a balloon. I nodded. “I’ll figure it out. But I’m so fucking grateful to you for this, dude. Truly. Fucking. Grateful.”
“Friends look out for one another.” He pressed a brotherly kiss to my forehead and smiled. “Have fun on your date tonight.”
“Oh, I plan to,” I called back with a smile.
I gave myself one final glance in the mirror, touched up my lips, and made my way to Jameson’s place. I didn’t know what I was more excited about, having a new lead on Molly or my date with Jameson.
It was a tossup, at least until Jamie opened the door and set my panties on fire. “Hot damn, Jamie, you look good enough to eat.”
His lips curled into a sexy grin as he took in my appearance, starting with the beachy waves that took an hour to achieve. He worked his way down, so slowly that his gaze was like a soft, lover’s caress all over my body.
“You look beautiful, Madison.” The words came out on a growl that made me feel beautiful for the first time in my life. Before I could make some sarcastic comment, Jamie pulled me in close and devoured my mouth for several long, hot minutes. “So fucking gorgeous.”
“Well, thanks.” I took a step closer and Jameson put a hand on my shoulder.
“Nope. Not now. If you come inside now, we won’t leave until morning, and we have a date.”
Bummer. “Lead the way, handsome.”
Jamie adjusted the impressive erection trying to break free of his slacks and put a hand to my lower back, guiding me right back to my car.
“Nice ride.”
“Thanks.”
“Can’t wait to drive it.”
He slid behind the wheel and steered us into light traffic. “Feels good, right, Madds?”
I ran a hand over the dashboard with a gentle smile. “It feels really damn good, not just to have something that’s mine but to know that I paid for it. That I could actually afford to pay for it. Cash money.”
“I’m happy for you, Madds.”
“Thanks, Jamie.” It took about twenty minutes to arrive at one of the smaller casinos on the outskirts of the tri-city area, but I was happy with the choice.
“I didn’t even know places like this still existed!” It was totally old-school Las Vegas with a dinner and a show, waitresses dressed up in sexy little tuxedos, offering up everything from loose cigarettes to cocktails and appetizers. It was the perfect backdrop for this date, my first grownup first date.
“It’s not too much? Too cheesy?”
I shrugged. “I love cheese.”
“Good to know,” he said around a chuckle and guided me to our table. A half circle booth with high backs for extra privacy without impeding our view of the show on stage. “How was your week?”
“It was good, mostly uneventful. Except for one thing.” I couldn’t deny that I was bursting to share my news with Jameson because he, of all people, knew how important this was to me.
“And a date with me is why you’re bouncing in your seat?”
I froze at his words and laughed. “Actually, yes. That’s part of it. I mean you do look pretty hot tonight. But that’s not the only reason.”
He waited, amusement tickling his smile while I gathered up the courage to say out loud my news. “Calvin may have found Molly. Well, I haven’t officially seen her, but he gave me the information on her new identity, Polly Bennett, and that’s almost the same thing. She’s up in Reno. So I’m going to drive up there tomorrow. How cool is that?”
“Pretty fucking cool,” he agreed with a crooked smile that I felt all the way down to my toes. “You know if you wait until the weekend, I can go with you.”
I sighed. He was right. “It’s just, I mean…she has a new name, so that means she’s safe, right? Out of the clutches of the sex traffickers? And with Mueller and the Crusaders gone, she should be okay, right? I just need to get up there and find her. I do wonder why she hasn’t attempted to reach out to me. Not that she’d know where to reach out to. I gave that waitress lady my number to give to her, but if Molly moved up to Reno, I’m not sure that lady would have seen her after I left.”
I hated that ideas like that were invading my mind when I should be floating on a cloud, not injecting self-doubt in my heart.
“Maybe she doesn’t know it. Maybe she’s still afraid for you, Madds. Who’s to say she knows Mueller’s dead?”