Total pages in book: 72
Estimated words: 74227 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 371(@200wpm)___ 297(@250wpm)___ 247(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 74227 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 371(@200wpm)___ 297(@250wpm)___ 247(@300wpm)
I was blown away.
“I…of course,” I said instantly. “Whatever you need. I’m willing to help.”
He nodded once. “I know.”
“But what about Rafe?”
Sam looked over at my wife.
“Rafe isn’t mine…yet.” He hedged. “He belongs to someone else for a few more years…then I can have him. Until then, I need someone to help me. Someone who cares about getting these women to safety as much as we do.”
That was a humbling feeling, knowing that this man was willing to trust me with the safety of the women that escaped from abusive situations.
“We will help,” Lark declared.
Sam grinned at her.
“Never doubted that for a second.”
He nodded his head and started to go, but I stopped him before he could disappear around the corner.
“I found out that the other ‘bird’ that you helped. The one that lived in the house before Lark?” Sam nodded, his eyes going guarded. “She had my brother’s baby. We want to help her.” I wavered. “I don’t know at this point, but I’d really like to help her if I can.”
Sam grinned.
“Me, too.” He reflected. “First I’m hearing about it being his baby, but girl’s got a good head on her shoulders. She’ll do the right thing.”
She’ll do the right thing.
“I don’t think you understand,” I reiterated. “She gave him the baby. She’s gone, and he wants to help her.” I looked Sam dead in the eye. “Can you give me any more information on her?”
He paused, studied my face for a few long moments, and then nodded. “I was meaning to talk to you about that. You looking for her probably isn’t the best thing.”
I frowned. “Why not?”
He gave me a look.
“I wouldn’t put her safety in jeopardy. I would also be willing to bet, if she gave your brother the baby, that she’s already written off her life or at least that part of it.”
That made me angry. “You don’t know where she is.”
“Her ex has connections you couldn’t even begin to imagine.” He went on. “You think Lark had problems? You have no clue how much worse it could’ve gotten. Lark’s problems don’t even register on the same scale as Marianne’s. If she’s hiding, she has a reason to hide, trust me.”
With that, he left and didn’t look back. But he did manage to say one more thing over his shoulder.
“And stop looking for her. If she wants to be found, she’ll be found.”
With that he moved into the door and slammed it shut, leaving me worried and frustrated.
“Baylor?”
I turned and looked over my shoulder, seeing Lark’s worried face staring back at me.
“Yeah?”
“You coming?”
I nodded and started toward the car.
“I know.”
I stopped and turned to find a young woman.
Not too young, but younger.
Twenties, maybe. But just barely.
“Know what?” I switched gears. “What’s your name?”
She smiled. “Janie.”
“What do you know, Janie?”
“I know that what my Uncle Sam thinks is right isn’t always right.” She hesitated. “Marianne’s in a whole lot of trouble.”
I frowned.
“That’s enough, Janie.”
I looked up to find Rafe standing there, staring at Janie like he was about to throttle her.
Jesus Christ.
I could practically feel the sexual tension from here.
Knowing I would get no more information this day, I left the two staring daggers at each other.
The moment I got into the car, my wife stared at me in astonishment.
“What did they say to each other?” she whispered.
I looked at the two people still standing there, wondering what would come of the sexual tension between the two.
I knew Rafe, maybe not all that well, but enough that I believed that he would never cross that line.
The woman, Janie, though?
She’d cross it in a heartbeat.
Epilogue
There should be a calorie refund for things that tasted like crap.
-Lark’s hopes and dreams
Lark
Phone call number one of the day was placed after I got a picture message of a present that my husband was about to give to his brother for his birthday.
“What is that?” I questioned my husband.
“Travis’ birthday present.”
“What is it?” I asked, my voice a few octaves higher than usual.
“An electric toothbrush.”
I shook my head.
It wasn’t an electric toothbrush. It was a dollar store toothbrush with a vibrator duct taped to it.
“Baylor.” I pinched the bridge of my nose. “Seriously, he’s going to kill you.”
Baylor and his practical jokes.
“You’re going to have to grow up one of these days,” I teased him through the phone. “And I swear to God, if Tate turns on rap music on our Alexa while I’m sleeping one more time, I will go over there and set his bike on fire.”
Tate started to laugh in the background, and it was then I knew that I was on speaker phone…something that Baylor did a lot.
He felt that everyone in the world needed to know what was happening on the other end of the line, saving him the trouble of having to tell them later.