Murder_ A Sinful Secrets Romance - Ella James Page 0,176
The glass is cool under my splayed fingers. A shiver ripples through me, making my mind hazy. But I shake it off.
Who was it? I push the question down.
“C’mon,” I grab Bear’s hand. “I want to smell the new car smell.”
He obliges me, of course. Half an hour later, he runs off the road, onto a grassy shoulder, moaning as I make us both feel better with his dick stuffed in my mouth.
FIFTEEN
GWENNA
By the time we get back to Barrett’s house, I’m ready to hear more about the attack. Did they see the man on camera? (No). Did they find footprints? (Just one. Shoe size 10). Have there been any other attacks or any suspicious people in the area? (No). Was it for sure a syringe or a dart that went into my neck? (A mini dart gun thing). What was the medicine? (A fast-acting sedative called Haloperidol). Who the hell was it? What if they come back?
I swallow both questions, and Barrett seems to read my mind.
“I think the police asked you. Do you remember what you told them?”
“About what?” I ask.
“Who it might be.”
I shake my head.
“I don’t know either. I wasn’t in the room with you. Do you want to call the station and see if they recorded it?”
I shake my head again. “I can just think of it again. Who would it be? Someone relating to the bears maybe. Sometimes enviro people get weird about bear places.” I swallow. That’s not what I really think, but I’m not sure I want to talk about what I think.
Barrett squeezes my leg under the table. “Can you think of anything else?”
I swallow hard. Again. Finally, I force myself to look at him. “Maybe,” I whisper.
“What?”
I shiver. “The person.”
“What person?”
“Where am I, Daddy?”
“Oh my God.” My mother’s voice.
“The one who hit me.”
“You mean the driver from the accident.”
I nod. “They never found him.”
“What do you mean, found?”
“He just…took off.”
“He?” Barrett’s eyes are wide.
“It could have been a female. I just think of it as a male.” My eyes fill up with tears.
“What’s wrong, Gwennie?”
“I just wonder if the person keeps track of me. If they know where I am. Is that crazy?”
“No. It’s not crazy. But I doubt that’s what happened.”
“What did? How is it possible that once again, I don’t know what happened to me? I got attacked a second time. It’s like a ghost is after me.”
MICHAEL
‘What the fuck?’
I cast my eyes in the direction of my father, my fingers texting under the table cloth even as the General drones on about my mother’s campaign. ‘What?’ I ask Dove.
‘What did you do to Bear?’
‘What do you mean?’
‘Answer your phone.’
“So…we have options,” Dad is saying. “What your mother needs to see is…”
‘Dinner. Dearest dad.’
‘He flew in?’
‘Tracked me here. We’re in Nashville—Capitol Grille.’
‘Fuck.’
‘That’s the word. So—what’s up?”
“Do you see my reasoning?” Dad’s asking.
“I do. I think your theory makes good sense.”
‘Shit, let me slip off to the RR.’
“So—what?” I ask a few moments later.
Dove’s voice is low. “Bear’s fucking pissed off, man. He texted me and said to tell you to watch your back. He said to tell you that the ‘brother operator’ shit is over.”
“What kind of cryptic shit is that?” I pull my dick out, aiming for the little round blue toilet freshener thing hanging along the back of the bowl.
“You know. Means you’re not his brother anymore.”
“So—what? He gonna take me out?” I hit the blue thing—score—but waver as I chuckle. Then I sigh and run a hand back through my hair. “He should appreciate this shit I’m doing for his ass. My whole fucking fam would like to see him— You know what they want. My dad is shitting gold bricks, man.”
“You don’t know why Bear’s pissed off?” Dove asks.
I laugh, the sound as miserable as the pounding of my head. “I didn’t do dick shit to Bear, except protect his ass. He been acting okay?”
He sighs. “I can’t tell. Too far away. You’d know more than I would.”
“I didn’t see much, but do we need to? Maybe he’s finally gone off the rails, D.”
I prop the phone on my shoulder, tuck myself back into my pants, and zip.
“Maybe,” Dove says. “Maybe so.”
“Tell him I’m fucking campaigning for him.” I laugh bitterly. “I’ve done nothing to get his panties in a fucking wad. Didn’t even do much looking in on them when I was in their neck of the woods. Told my father’s team to settle down, there’s nothing dangerous going on.” I lower my