Total pages in book: 111
Estimated words: 110273 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 551(@200wpm)___ 441(@250wpm)___ 368(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 110273 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 551(@200wpm)___ 441(@250wpm)___ 368(@300wpm)
I sighed on the inside.
On the inside, I wanted to swear with him, rage on the phone.
On the inside, I wanted to go back to the Chesapeake and hold Bailey until she could start feeling again.
But all I did was murmur quietly, resting my head back against the seat, because suddenly I was fucking wiped. “She’s in mourning.”
“Yeah.” Another biting word from him. “Three weeks ago. Chrissy died three weeks ago. She—Bailey—she should—”
“He waited.”
Matt swallowed his words. He was silent.
I said again, “He waited, Matt. He waited until she could see and then he killed Chrissy. Bailey knows this. She’s done the math in her head. She is probably haunted by that day every minute of every hour. She has a photographic memory. She is a genius—”
“I know!”
Another sigh, from me. “She needs time.”
He was silent again.
Then a strained, “I can’t lose my sister. I just got her.”
“I know.” My head was too heavy to rest. I let it hang. I let my shoulders slump. “I know.”
“I want her back.”
I did, too.
“I’m going to get wasted today,” he said. “Like, you better send a full detail on me, because I’m letting you know ahead of time. I’m drinking. I’ll probably fuck a few girls today, maybe a few more tonight. I’ll try and not do drugs, but I can’t make promises. I can only promise that I’m going to be stupid today. I need it, Kash.” He was breathing heavily into the phone. I could hear his restraint slipping. “Watching Bailey choose to remain a zombie every day is killing me. And I liked Chrissy. I really liked her, too, but I can’t handle this shit. It’s too close. It’s just like…”
It was just like when his own mother died.
Matt was a brother to me. My meetings weren’t saving lives today. I had done as much as I could today in regard to my war against Calhoun.
I squared my shoulders up and addressed Josh. “Cancel the rest of my meetings for the day and take me to Naveah.”
Matt stopped talking on his end. “You serious?”
I heard his happiness and my gut shifted.
I’d been neglecting someone I considered a brother.
“I’m coming to you.”
“What about Bailey?” His voice had grown hoarse.
“Bailey is doing what Bailey can do right now. She’d be happy that I’m coming to you.”
“Thank you.” Still hoarse. I heard something else there, a tone that had me blinking my eyes rapidly. “I’ll have a drink ready for you, man.”
I grinned into the phone. “Someone’s gotta make sure you don’t do something too stupid today.”
“You’re right. That was always your job.”
We hung up and I sent off an email to my assistant. She would reschedule the meetings that Josh didn’t know about. Two different worlds that I was walking between. The business world and the shadow world. I went over the line daily, and one of these days there’d be a time when I would only exist in one.
Moves. One at a time. I was making them.
I was finding my grandfather.
I was tracking my grandfather.
I was cornering my grandfather. He just didn’t know it, but when he did, when everything was lined up, then and only then I would cross that line for the last time.
I only hoped I’d be able to return to this world.
I also called Torie. “I want you to take Tamara and Melissa and go to the Chesapeake. I’m coming to Naveah to spend the day with Matt, so I’d like you to be at the house with Bailey.”
There was no hesitation on her end, just the background music playing. “You got it. We’re just hanging?”
“Spend time with her. Meet her where she’s at. Right now, she’s cutting carrots.”
“Carrots?”
I grinned. “Carrots. Try and make her laugh. Be there, pull in Seraphina and Cyclone if you can.”
“Got it. Maybe I’ll wash the potatoes.”
A brief chuckle, but that’s all I had in me. “I’m sure Theresa has that under wraps, but you can force the issue if you’d like.”
“Take Theresa on? I don’t think so.” She snorted. “I’ll take care of your girl, boss. I care about her, too.”
“I know.”
We hung up, and then I texted Bailey.
Love you. With Matt today. Check in later, please.
But I knew she wouldn’t. She had started not carrying her phone with her, so I handed mine to Josh when we pulled up to Naveah. I wasn’t here to work, for once.
SIX
Bailey
A week later
Kash was holding me.
He was kissing me. I was kissing him back.
Then he was sliding inside, and I stopped wanting to cry.
Another week later
I was sitting on the couches by the bowling lanes.
Seraphina shrieked with laughter and fell to the floor just as she let loose the bowling ball. It went right into the gutter, but she turned her face toward Tony—Matt’s dickhead friend Tony. He had said something that made her laugh, and he was laughing, too. He held a hand down, helping her stand back up.