Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 82767 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 414(@200wpm)___ 331(@250wpm)___ 276(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82767 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 414(@200wpm)___ 331(@250wpm)___ 276(@300wpm)
“I thought you might have been a dream,” he murmured.
“Dreams don’t do this,” I whispered, sliding my hand along his stomach to where he was already hard.
He smiled and stretched out his body, but then his expression changed and I heard a faint ringing noise. He leapt out of bed and ran downstairs, coming back up with a sheepish expression and handing me my phone.
“I thought it might be the police – I’ve got to be contactable. But it’s Drew, for you,” he said.
“I don’t need to take this,” I said. “What on earth Drew could possibly have to say that I would want to hear?”
“Answer it,” Keegan said. “You never know.”
“Drew?” I answered, sitting up in bed and covering myself with the blanket as though he could see me.
“Freya, I’m in trouble, I need your help.” He sounded so scared that I couldn’t even ask him why I should even consider helping him. “And I think I can help Keegan.”
Sitting on the bike with my arms wrapped around Keegan was infinitely better than balancing while holding the handles, and the journey back to the city gave me time to get my head around everything Drew had said in his panicky phone call. He had had a call from Sean, introducing himself and saying that he knew what Keegan had been up to, and what he had paid Drew to do. Apparently, he had been perfectly nice – too nice – and offered to help Drew get out of the whole situation. Of course, this would mean testifying what he knew about Keegan’s intentions to defraud Clover House. He told him to think about it and meet him the next day at Clover House. I had listened to everything he had to say, and then relayed it back to Keegan, who must have known from my tone that something serious was going on and was already pulling on his clothes. He had been furious when I told him of the latest developments, and we had sat on the fence outside the farmhouse and talked it over before I would get on the bike with him. I made him promise that we would discuss everything we did before we did it. This needed to be handled carefully.
We left soon afterwards, and Keegan had promised to show me the land the next time we were there. He had left detailed instructions for someone called Joe, and disappeared for an hour to check on the horses before we could leave. It was a new and unexpected side to him, and I loved it. We made it back to the city by the afternoon, and I ached when I slid off the back of the bike. The sense of freedom had been invigorating, but the sense of having a sore butt took longer to wear off.
We had arranged to meet at my parents’ place; it wasn’t ideal, but we couldn’t risk Sean showing up at either Drew’s or Keegan’s. Anyway, it was time my parents knew the whole story. By the time we got there, they were sitting around the layout table and Drew had given them his version of events. We entered the studio, and my mom looked up through tear-stained eyes. I knew she would feel Drew’s betrayal keenly, and I was so sorry not to have been there for her.
“Hi Mom, Dad,” I said as I went in. “This is Keegan.”
Their shock was clear, and Keegan stayed by the door, saying awkwardly, “I know I’m the last person you want to see, but I want to…”
“Sit down,” said my dad. “We have just heard the truth about what has been going on. We have no grudge against you.”
“Thank you,” Keegan said, sitting down and staring at Drew, who looked at the table in front of him.
“Oh, Freya,” my mom sobbed. “What an awful mess!”
“We have a plan, Mom,” I said. “And it all comes down to Drew.”
Everyone at the table turned to look at Drew, who, after some time, lifted his head and said, “Okay, just tell me what to do. I want to make this right.”
“You don’t get to be the hero, Drew,” I said, pissed at his martyr attitude.
“It’s okay,” said Keegan, calming me with his hand on mine, a gesture that my mother saw and which made her look quizzically at me. “No, you don’t get to be the hero here, but you might just get to undo some of the damage you have caused.”
Drew nodded his head, looking back down at the table. Once we had all agreed to a plan, he got up and stood uncomfortably, his hands in his pockets.
“I meant what I said about making this right, if I can,” he murmured.
“You will,” said my dad. I had never heard any threat in his voice before.