Total pages in book: 89
Estimated words: 88080 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 440(@200wpm)___ 352(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88080 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 440(@200wpm)___ 352(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
Don’t boo hoo, little Roux.
Daddy’ll watch over you.
Every day. Every night. Even when you sleep.
Daddy is always near.
Love you, baby girl.
I’ll write him back and tell him it was equal parts creepy and sweet. It’s been strange getting to know my father through letters. I revealed my poetry to him and he wrote me a ten-page letter praising me. It was nice to feel the love of a parent considering Mom never showered us with one ounce of it. Dad is making up for it, even from prison.
I’m about to hang it on the fridge when I see the other letter.
Also from the prison.
Addressed to me.
My blood runs cold as I pick it up. Jordy’s neat handwriting slices through the white paper, black and unforgiving. By the indentions in the envelope, I can tell he was angry when he wrote it.
Crap.
I know he talks to Roan, but how could he possibly know I’m still seeing Kayden? I’ve kept it on the down-low, playing it off to Kayden that my brother is just overprotective and doesn’t want me to date at all. If he knew the real reason, he’d be upset.
With a defeated sigh, I open the letter. My heart stops in my chest.
Little Hoodlum,
I wasn’t fucking kidding. People talk. His people talk. And most of his people are locked up here with me. When I get out of here, I’ll follow you all over that fucking town if it means you’ll stay away from that piece of shit. Don’t test me. I’m a monster and you know it. I’ll show you how big of an asshole I can be.
J
I’m so infuriated, my hand shakes, making the paper crackle. Tears threaten, but I refuse to let them fall and ruin Charlotte’s hard work. Instead, I pull some paper out of the drawer and pen him a letter back while I’m still angry. A tear leaks out, smearing the ink, but I swipe it away and scribble more furious words.
Screw him.
He lost his chance to be my other big brother when he gave us up.
This is my life.
I fold up the letter and carry it with me back to my bedroom. When I push inside, Charlotte is rummaging in her purse.
“Everything okay?”
She nods absently at me as she tosses a pill in her mouth. I hand her a bottle of water on my nightstand. After she swallows it down, she glances over at me. Her blue eyes are empty. Not sad or angry. Vacant.
“Char,” I murmur, taking her hand. “What did he say?”
“Oh, the usual,” she says in a flippant tone. “You messed up your makeup.”
I groan when she motions for me to sit down. While she works me over, adding more makeup to fix the smudges I made, I stare at my best friend. With each passing second, her eyes grow glassy and she relaxes.
“What did you take earlier?” I ask, my voice small.
Guilt shines in her eyes. “What?”
“The pill. Wasn’t for a headache, was it?”
Her sculpted brows furrow. “One of Hollis’s anxiety pills. Is that okay with you, Dr. Hirsch?”
I flinch at her tone. “Yeah. I was just making sure you’re okay.”
“I’m fine,” she says in a cheery tone. “Now let’s find you something hot to wear. And since our brothers are going to be there, let’s make them wish they weren’t.”
The party is in full swing. Campfire Chaos is always the same. A bunch of horny drunk teenagers all trying to show off by how much they can drink and not die. It’s where Kayden likes to act like he’s the entertainment of the party, making everyone laugh with his stories. It’s where Ryan gets in a fight with at least someone every time, just so he can prove to everyone he’s the most badass person here. It’s where girls like Tarrin dress like skanks and openly give blowjobs to any guy with a working dick, no matter who’s watching.
And, tonight, it’s where three of the original Hoodlums sit on the cabin porch like kings. Hollis sits at Roan’s side like Jordy once did. The four of them are like gods. Arrogant. Bossy. Rude. Not to me. I’m a Hoodlum too, though a little one. But to everyone else, they’re such assholes.
“It’s killing me not to drag you to my tent,” Kayden says, sidling up behind me. “Roan’s not watching. We could run off.”
My skin prickles with anxiety. The last thing I want is for Kayden to piss off Roan. And speaking of… Roan’s eyes lock on Kayden. Hollis is happily sipping his beer, unaware of his husband’s glowering, but Terrence and Cal have also joined in on the tense staring contest.
“Fuck,” Kayden grumbles. “I need to go see Zac anyway. Come by my tent later when those assholes don’t look like they’re ready to beat my ass.”
“See ya,” I murmur.