Total pages in book: 142
Estimated words: 133849 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 669(@200wpm)___ 535(@250wpm)___ 446(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 133849 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 669(@200wpm)___ 535(@250wpm)___ 446(@300wpm)
Josh had known when to back off. “Yeah, I try to steer clear of certain parts of Dallas.” Not that there wasn’t a Taggart who’d been an excellent mentor to him, but the man didn’t live in Dallas. “I got a favor to ask, Harlow.”
“Of course. Is it work related? Someone stealing from the company store?” The question was asked with a teasing tone. She liked to tease him about his wealth.
Like she should talk. Her fathers were ridiculously wealthy. They worked because they got bored if they didn’t. “No, it’s personal.”
“What’s going on?” All the teasing gone, her voice had softened. It was easy to talk to Harlow Dawson because she genuinely cared about her friends. She had a soft heart and hands trained to bash in a man’s head. If they hadn’t been practically family… Well, she still wouldn’t have been perfect for him since Nicole was the one. But she was one of the coolest women he knew.
“Grim and I have a new girlfriend,” he explained, looking over the lines of the sedan. It needed a paint job. And a new bumper. The rear had multiple dings, one of which was starting to rust. There was nothing in the back seat, and the front was every bit as neat. She’d cleaned it out before dropping it off. “I’m worried about her.”
“Worried about her how?” Harlow asked.
“I think she’s in trouble, but she won’t talk. She’s afraid of something, and I can’t push her to tell me at this point.”
“How long have you been together? You didn’t mention her when I saw you a couple of weeks ago.”
He sighed. “I’ve met her since then. Look, I know it sounds quick, but she’s…she’s perfect for us.”
“Say no more.” Harlow stopped him. “I hear about how my mom knew she would marry my dads within a week of meeting them, and then Dad says he knew the minute he met her and it only took a week because Papa screwed things up by taking his sugar, and I’m pretty sure that’s something gross I shouldn’t have to hear about. So I accept this is serious and you need to figure out what her problems are. I need a name and any information you can give me. Where’s she from?”
“Chicago,” he replied, taking the key and pressing it into the trunk’s keyhole. “Though I’m almost certain it’s a lie. Nicole Mason. Might not be her real name. I took a picture of her driver’s license. I’ll text it to you.”
“Okay. I’ll start with a skip trace and go from there,” Harlow explained.
“She says she’s got a job waiting for her in Austin.” The trunk flipped open, revealing a neat space. There was a folded blanket, two small pillows, a set of sheets. She had a set of light-blocking shades she likely used when she wanted the illusion of privacy. Something else had been bugging him. “And look for a Childswood High School. If you can’t find it, take a look around to see if there’s a town named Childswood.”
She’d been half asleep when she’d whispered the words. And then totally awake. She hadn’t meant to mention the place. She’d covered or maybe she’d told him the truth, but he wasn’t sure.
“Got it,” Harlow said over the line and then paused. “Josh, maybe you should slow things down if you think she’s lying.”
“If she’s lying, she’s got good reason.” Under the blanket there was a stack of books. All romance, from what he could tell. She’d hidden those books like they were her treasures. Now that he thought about it, she’d had a couple of books on her nightstand.
“You think someone’s after her, but sometimes that person is actually a whole police department. Maybe the FBI,” Harlow pointed out.
“Who hurt you?” Josh said sarcastically, and then fucking remembered. “Har, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. It was a dumb joke.”
Someone had hurt her and quite brutally. She had a reason to be suspicious. “It’s fine. It was a long time ago.” Her voice was unnaturally cheery. “But I do know what I’m talking about. If you don’t know this woman’s history, then you could be playing a dangerous game, and you don’t know the rules.”
He gently put back the blankets, covering her books. It looked like she’d taken as much as she could out of the vehicle and into her temporary home.
He was probably going to look through her other belongings, too, and it would be far easier to do when she was staying with them. “The rules don’t matter. Not with her. And that’s why I’m calling you instead of Uncle Ben. I think you’ll keep things quiet until I have everything in place and I’m ready to bring my parents into it.”
Uncle Ben was the infinitely more reasonable of her dads. Ben and Chase Dawson were twins with weird connections that sometimes seemed a little on the psychic side. But where Ben had gotten all the normal, all-American Ken doll energy, Chase was definitely Mr. Hyde. He was a great guy, but he sometimes decided he was judge, jury, and executioner. A fact Harlow’s ex-boyfriend should have thought about.