Total pages in book: 75
Estimated words: 71616 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 358(@200wpm)___ 286(@250wpm)___ 239(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 71616 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 358(@200wpm)___ 286(@250wpm)___ 239(@300wpm)
I draw the symbol. Jericho looks at it, clearly doesn’t know what it is. The man with the laptop speaks up.
“It’s called a coda.”
“What is that?” Jericho asks.
“Like from a sheet of music?” I ask, realizing why I found it familiar. “I took music classes at school. It was mandatory. That’s probably why I recognized it. I don’t remember what it stood for though.”
“Finale,” the man fills in, still busy on the laptop.
“Didn’t know you studied music,” Zeke says to him.
“I am a man of many interests,” he says with a smile.
“And the other man?” Zeke asks.
I shake my head. “I couldn’t see his face. Just heard his voice. He had a long coat on and a hat. There was something though. I’m not sure, it was dark, but I think he only had one hand.”
“How do you know that?”
“His coat, it was pinned where his right hand should have been.”
Another glance is exchanged between the brothers.
“I know my father was in over his head. What he’d done this time, stealing what he stole, it was not his usual kind of job. He was small time, and this one was going to be his jackpot, he’d said. But I know he was afraid of whoever he was working for, too.”
Robbie turns the laptop around. “There were a lot of files on this computer once. Looks like they were moved to an external drive.”
My heart leaps. How the fuck does he know that?
“Some that were in a buried file I’ve been able to retrieve but I’m guessing there are more. Any idea where that external drive might be?”
Yeah. In my pocket. I don’t say that though. I sit on my hands, trying to stop them from shaking and shake my head. “I guess my dad had moved them.” I lean my nose into my shoulder to scratch it. When I look up, I see Zeke’s eyes intently watching me. They narrow a little.
“I think Blue is tired,” he says suddenly, stepping away from the mantle.
I get up to my feet, nod, grateful to get out of here.
Jericho watches us, quiet but observing, not missing a thing.
Zeke walks over to the desk and retrieves something from inside the drawer. He comes to me, and I see it’s my phone.
“Code is 84651. Check on your sister then go to bed, understand? Do not make me regret giving this to you.”
I take the phone, look up at him, grateful again. “I won’t. I promise. Thank you.”
He nods.
I bite the inside of my cheek and glance at the others over his shoulder, then walk out of the room.
“What the fuck are you doing with that girl, Brother?” I hear Jericho ask before the door closes behind me.
25
Ezekiel
“Are you fucking her?”
I slowly turn to face my brother.
Jericho is on his feet. He takes a deep breath as we step toward each other. “Are you?”
Robbie makes a whistling sound and I see his eyebrows shoot up while he keeps pounding on the keyboard.
“I don’t see how that’s any of your business,” I tell Jericho.
“She’s a little young, isn’t she?”
“Remind me. How old was Isabelle when you put a baby in her belly?”
He narrows his eyes. Truth isn’t fun sometimes. “And apart from that, she’s got shit on you that can land you in prison. She blackmailed you, which is how you met, in case you forgot. And I’d bet my ass she’s lying about those missing files.”
He is right about all those things. I didn’t miss how she scratched her nose on her shoulder when she said she didn’t know where the external drive was. But I’m not about to tell my brother that.
“Whether or not I’m fucking Blue is irrelevant.” I take a step toward him.
He takes one to meet me. “I beg to differ.”
“Explain to me how my sex life is of any significance to you, Brother.”
“It’s of significance if it can get you in trouble. Your judgment is clouded, Zeke. I see it. I’m sure Robbie here sees it.”
“Whoa, whoa, keep me out of your sibling rivalry.”
“This isn’t fucking sibling rivalry. This is my brother needing to get his head out of his ass,” Jericho says to Robbie or to me, I’m not sure. He stands there studying me for a long moment. “Helping her won’t bring Zoë back,” he says, tone a little gentler.
“Why is everything I do about Zoë?”
“Isn’t this about her? Isn’t you saving Blue some sort of atonement for having failed to save Zoë? And by the fucking way, that wasn’t your job. And her death wasn’t your fault. It was our father’s. That’s the end of that story.”
I take a minute. I need it to get the swell of emotion under control. I only speak once I’ve collected myself. “Blue is not Zoë. End of story,” I say, my voice low. “If I want to fuck her, I’ll fuck her. Quite frankly, it’s none of your business. Also end of story.”