The Lucky Five - By Arow Jones Page 0,37
need to be careful. Whoever tampered with your bike was an amateur but it was definitely meant for you to wreck.” My heart beat quickens. Tampered? Wreck? Oh no. What if… no, he couldn’t be. Chase said if I wasn’t in the picture JT would have no choice but relinquish the land to Nick.
“Okay, thanks for taking a look. I need to take care of something.” I hang up and dial Nick. He answers on the second ring.
“Darlin’, I take it you are not dead yet.”
“Oh my god. It was you! What the hell are you thinking?” I’m shaking with anger. Instead of sitting down to a nice cozy fire I’m pacing radiating with the same heat as the fire in front of me. “You son of a bitch.”
“Now, now, darlin’ I was only trying to get your attention.”
“Well, you have it now.”
“Good. Here’s what you’re going to do. I want one million dollars and I’ll leave you alone. It’s only fair since you’ll have the land because of me.”
“What?! I don’t have that kind of money and you know it!”
“Oh, but your boyfriend has more than enough. But even I’m not stupid enough to ask for money. No. I want what’s rightfully mine. That land belongs to my family. Back off or someone else is going to get hurt. Maybe Kenny? How about your precious JT? Ha, yeah, a world without JT.” He hangs up before I can yell at him. My god. The tears spill. I throw myself onto the couch wondering what in the hell I’m going to do to fix this.
Sixteen
Somehow I knew things weren’t going to end well tonight. Even though I knew Lily would try to avoid talking to me I wasn’t about to back out on poker night. She didn’t say yes last night. She didn’t say anything, just cried. I wanted so badly to hold her and tell her everything would be okay.
Chase told me she talked to him earlier. More questions she doesn’t want to talk to me about. She may want to avoid me but I’m not going anywhere. I’m not ever gonna let her be alone again.
When she bent over to get the dip out of the fridge I had to hold myself from taking a step further towards that tight ass. My hands itched to roam her body. When she turned I had to hold her from stumbling again. Seems like I’m always there to keep her from stumbling. I’m not about to let that change.
I wanted her to kiss me when I poured my heart out to her. Instead, she shoved me away. I misread her, big time. Her body says yes but the rest of her is keeping me at a distance. When she said she was going out with Kenny I almost lost it. My feet take me back upstairs. Behind the bar are some bar towels. I fill one with ice to put on my knuckles.
“Deal me in.” By the second game I’m still seething. No one has said anything about my hand. I’m pretty sure they heard the agreement downstairs. I shake my head and mumble something under my breath that would not be polite to repeat in the present company.
“What was that boy?” Kip likes to tease me but I gave right back.
“Nothing old man. Read ‘em and weep, old man.” I threw down my cards and reached for the pile of chips.
“Not so fast there, youngster.” Kip laid down a full flush. I laugh.
“Okay, you got me. Anyone else want a beer?”
“I’ll take one.”
“Same here.”
I hand one to Chase. He gives me a look. That look. The one that says he knows something’s up and we’ll be talking about it sooner rather than later.
“You know,” Kip starts another story before taking a sip of his fresh beer. ”When Lily was younger she used to spend a lot of time out at that swimming hole.” I shift in my seat. “I used to tell her gators swam there. She would reply, ‘oh Kip, gators don’t live in these parts.’ And I would look her right in the eye as serious as serious gets and say ‘only the naked ones.’” He and the boys start roaring in laughter. I should be humiliated that he knows all about our skinny dipping days but I’m not surprised. I laugh right along with them. “I hope you’re planning on making that girl an honest woman.”
“I’m working on it old man.”
“She’s like a wild mare in heat,