Total pages in book: 98
Estimated words: 114647 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 573(@200wpm)___ 459(@250wpm)___ 382(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 114647 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 573(@200wpm)___ 459(@250wpm)___ 382(@300wpm)
Yelling sounded somewhere behind me, but I kept going. My lungs had that good burn going, and I felt exhilarated.
Running was my therapy. Although I sucked balls at the distance, I kept doing it even though I hated it.
“I’m gonna beat your ass when I catch you, you little shit.” Sam yelled.
I cackled. My ass he was going to catch me. I knew these woods like the back of my hand. I’d met with the owner, a lovely woman in her late seventies, and asked her if it would be all right. She’d readily agreed, saying I was a sweet ‘child’ and so I spent my days off exploring.
That, and hidden stashes of things in the woods, planned an escape route, and made maps of the woods for just in case.
“Mother fucking son of a bitch. Goddammit.” Sam growled.
Brother bear has a potty mouth.
Ten minutes passed before I found my opening in the woods that would lead me beside the old shitty hotel grounds. I’d just stepped foot on the compact gravel when an arm, attached to a beefy torso, snuck its way around my torso and stopped me in my tracks.
The breath I’d just taken in gushed out of me, and I doubled over the arm as my feet left the ground.
I knew instantly who it was. James, with his tight ass covered in tight greasy blue jeans, tossed me over his shoulder just as I’d managed to get another breath.
“Put me down, you big bastard.” I growled and started kicking.
“Not a chance, Speedy Gonzales.” James laughed and headed to his big mother of a bike.
“No, really. Put me down. I have,” I started, and then stopped abruptly. “What time is it?”
“Nine fifteen.” He answered but didn’t stop walking.
“An hour and forty five minutes before I have to be at my job interview. Not to mention that I have to walk because my truck broke down.” I ground out.
Pushing up so my good arm rested on his back, I looked around for a possible escape route.
“And you didn’t just ask one of us to drive you home because...why?” He asked.
I did notice that he’d veered from the direction of his bike and started to cross the street to the diner, and my apartment.
“Because I didn’t want to see that big bonehead right there.” I emphasized the insult with a finger pointed in my brother’s direction as he finally made it out of the woods.
He glared at me as James laughed when he saw whom I was pointing at. “Yeah, I don’t blame you. Let’s get you dressed, and I’ll take you to your interview. Where’s it at?”
I didn’t know. I meant to look it up when I was at the library a few days ago, but I’d forgotten. “The social services building.”
“Okay, I know where that’s at.” He said as he started to climb the stairs.
“Thank you for taking care of me.” I said to James’ ass.
“You’re welcome, Speedy.” He said and set me down on my feet in the living room of my apartment.
I glared at him.
When I found that my glare didn’t affect him at all, I went to the dresser that I’d scored off the side of the road, grabbed the outfit I’d set out on top of it days ago, and searched through my closet for my secondhand knee high boots.
Sam entered shortly after I made my way to the bathroom with my clothes, and I wanted to beat my head against the wall when a thrill of happiness shot through me at the idea of my brother actually paying attention to me.
I knew the first time I saw him that I’d totally forget every single thing I’d been telling myself for the past seven months. I was so starved for a connection that I would take anything I could get.
Surveying myself in the mirror, I grimaced at what I saw.
My eyes had dark bags underneath my eyes, my palm that I could see was scraped up and raw from my fall, and I had other scratches and bruises covering my arms. Grimacing at the sight, I walked to the shower and turned it on full blast.
I stepped in without waiting for it to get warm, because, let’s face it, I’m not paying enough in rent to get a hot shower. I washed my hair as best as I could with one hand, soaped up my body, skipped shaving my legs, and hopped back out within five minutes.
I blow dried my hair, thanking God that I had great hair that blow dried straight and not frizzy, making it possible not to worry about a flat iron.
My makeup was minimal at best. Each movement of my arm caused pain to shoot through me, and I was gritting my teeth and saying that the makeup was done with just mascara and a little concealer.
I was dressed all the way up to the part where I had to zip, and then cursed myself. “Fuck, what the hell am I supposed to do now?”
Doing the only thing I could, I opened the door a crack and peered out at the apartment. James was reclining in my recliner with a dirty bathroom towel underneath him to keep the grease from transferring to the fabric.
Sam was propped up against the wall, just as silent as James, glowering at the wall in front of him.
Both men’s eyes transferred to the door as it cracked open more and waited.
“I need someone to zip and button my pants.” I said through the crack.
Sam’s eyes went towards the ceiling, and James chuckled as he got up and made his way to the bathroom. He pushed it open without waiting, and his hands found their way to the zipper.
I sucked in the slight pudge of my belly, and silently cursed myself for the fries I’d snacked on the day before yesterday. I’d never be skinny. I’ve always had a slight ‘chunkiness’ to my build, no matter the amount of exercise I got in.
I thanked the good Lord above that the pants zipped and buttoned without popping a seam, and sighed as he took a step away from me.