Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 80303 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 402(@200wpm)___ 321(@250wpm)___ 268(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 80303 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 402(@200wpm)___ 321(@250wpm)___ 268(@300wpm)
I’d just managed to semi-successfully block it all out before Judas came around to shoot all my efforts down.
Maybe one day I would sit with a professional and deal with my calamity instead of running from it. The glaring problem with that was their advocation for transparency.
What if I was asked how this all began? I’m sure lying defeated the whole purpose of treatment and I couldn’t exactly tell the truth. I wasn’t sure revisiting the night I helped bury a body before losing my virginity would win me any sympathy points. A trip to the local police station or a psych ward was more likely.
I made my way down to the first floor and navigated the wide-set halls until I reached where the smell of food was amplified, and sizzling filled the air. I paused at the sight that greeted me. I’d been expecting the luxury. In a house like this, you didn’t skimp on the kitchen.
What I wasn’t prepared for was a giant, grizzly bear of a man in an apron, wielding a spatula like a machete.
Audrey was here too, seated at the center island, with a loaded dish in front of her. Two Dobermans lay still as statues a few feet away. If they were guard dogs, they had done a piss poor job of holding down the fort when we first arrived. Other than a slight twitch of their pointed ears, neither paid me any attention.
I looked away from them and studied the man in front of the large stove. His head turned and a pair of bright brown eyes met mine from over a broad shoulder.
“There you are. I was wondering when you’d show ya face.”
I blinked, caught off guard. His voice didn’t match him at all. The man looked like he bench-pressed minivans for fun but sounded like a cultured Billy Porter, who was amazing in his own right.
With his flawless dark skin and long, wavy hair in a tight ponytail, I think he was from one of the islands.
“Come on now, don’t be shy. You’re hungry ain’t you? Sit.”
I eyed the Dobermans and took a few cautious steps further into the kitchen. “They won’t bite me, will they?”
The chef waved me off with a smile, flashing one gold tooth.
“Romeo and Juliet don’t attack unless their master commands it or somethin real bad is going down.”
The dogs barely blinked at the sound of their names. They kept their heads low and ears alert, sleek bodies poised side by side. It looked as if they’d launch into action as soon as they heard the word go.
They were gorgeous.
Probably psychotic too.
Just like the man who owned them.
The origin of their names wasn’t lost on me. Leave it to Judas to find the dark humor in everything. When both dogs finally looked at me but showed no signs of getting up, I relaxed and went to the barstool beside Audrey.
“Hey,” she greeted with forced cheer and a tight smile. “You, okay?”
“Is that rhetorical?”
“Give me just a second and I’ll have your breakfast ready,” the chef butted in.
“Oh, I would’ve been fine with cereal.”
The man froze with the spatula halfway to the cast-iron skillet and slowly turned around. “Don’t disrespect my kitchen like that. Cereal for breakfast? Girl.”
“Not a fan of Lucky Charms then?”
The cook hmphed and returned his attention to the skillet he was standing over. I smiled at his playful mannerisms. It was nice to see Judas didn’t have James Bond doubles lurking around every corner.
I looked over at Audrey who seemed keen on avoiding my gaze, focusing too intently on her stack of half-eaten pancakes. She’d been uncharacteristically silent since Gavin and Judas showed up at our apartment. It was starting to piss me off all over again. If she wanted to paint herself guilty, she was doing a bang-up job.
“Audrey.”
“I know. We need to talk. I just…” She tucked a strand of damp blonde hair behind her ear and shifted in obvious discomfort.
“You just what?”
Her hazel eyes found their way to mine. She had done a complete 180 from when she’d been walking out the door of our apartment laughing loudly. This situation was clearly taking a toll on her, but I didn’t have it in me to conjure any sympathy.
I kinda wanted to knock her ass off her seat.
I couldn’t for the life of me understand why she would do anything that benefited Judas. The interaction between the three of them didn’t give me any reason to believe she’d been threatened into being an accomplice. That made me question the why even more. She was always adamant I move on and try to let go of the past in order to heal.
What changed?
Or maybe that was all lies too.
Only a few drops of blood stopped us from being sisters. She’d been in my life for over a decade. I couldn’t picture my world without Audrey and now my heart was screaming at me to keep her away from me.