Total pages in book: 143
Estimated words: 141464 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 707(@200wpm)___ 566(@250wpm)___ 472(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 141464 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 707(@200wpm)___ 566(@250wpm)___ 472(@300wpm)
Without another word, he joins his mother in the van.
Logan, Jezzie, and I stand on the porch in silence as the van rattles down the driveway and disappears behind the trees.
Jezzie glances up at me. “I don’t have a lot of stuff.”
“Pack whatever you want.” I gesture toward the front door. “Anything you think you might need or want from this place. We’ll stop and get you some new stuff but take what matters.”
She nods and hurries inside, the hard soles of her shoes thudding lightly on the floorboards.
Logan stands beside me, arms crossed. He knows better than to ask about Cain or Ruth or anything else. He just waits.
“What can I do?” he finally asks.
“Help Jezzie pack. Load her stuff in the back of my truck.”
He holds out his hand. “Give me your keys.”
I drop them into his palm. “Just keep her away from the barn. I’ve got some things I need to take care of out there.”
I head for the barn alone, the late afternoon sun casting long, crooked shadows across the yard.
Inside, the stink hits first—smoke, chemicals, decay, and something deeper, something older.
I roll up my sleeves.
Time to collect what’s left of the man who made me a monster.
Piece by piece.
I’ll scatter his bones across the country—coast to coast. Drop a bit of him at every truck stop, every ditch and dumpster between here and Pennsylvania. A puzzle no one will ever piece together again.
Then maybe I’ll find peace.
CHAPTER TWO
Jigsaw
Present Day
Some ghosts haunt you. Others show up out of nowhere and fuck up your night.
As I wind my way through the back roads leading into Empire, my lungs tighten. Instead of calming me, this ride sends dread crawling over my skin with every mile.
How did Cain find me? Why’d he go to Crystal Ball of all places? On paper, my income comes from the laundromat and Crystal Ball. Cain can’t be more than seventeen or eighteen. Tracking me down at a strip club probably seemed like the fun choice.
Why did he have to choose tonight, when my president’s the one managing Crystal Ball? Any other night, Dex would’ve been there. Dex—who’s a lot more understanding and asks fewer questions.
What’s Cain been doing for the last decade?
Did Ruth drag him into another religious cult? Or was he able to grow up like a normal kid? Is he here to extract justice for his dead father and messed-up childhood?
The road can’t give me any of these answers.
I twist the throttle, taking the back roads faster than wise.
Margot knew something was wrong. We were just about to…fuck, my balls still hurt. Cain’s a cock-blocking little fucker. I had to leave Margot unsatisfied after mumbling some excuse about Z needing an extra set of hands at the club. She frowned, asked if everything was okay. I don’t think she was worried about me going to the strip club. No. By now she has to know I’m so motherfucking obsessed with her I can’t think straight. Staring at strippers for a few hours isn’t a temptation, it’s torture.
How the fuck will I explain to her that I’ve known about Cain all along?
I’ve had a little half-brother out there all this time and wanted nothing to do with him.
To someone as sweet and compassionate as Margot, I’ll sound like a monster.
Killed the kid’s dad, evicted him from his home, handed his mother a box of cash, then shoved them out into the big, bad world all by themselves.
Then I did what I do best.
Buried the truth.
Forgot his name. His face. Went on about my life as if he didn’t exist.
And now, somehow, he’s found me.
Why?
Closure? Family connection?
Or does he want revenge?
CHAPTER THREE
Jigsaw
The parking lot in front of Crystal Ball is packed.
Great. The club’s actually busy tonight. Even more reason for Z to be annoyed with me. I pull around to the back of the building. This lot’s crowded too. I wedge my bike into the row of employee spots, back tire kissing the rough wall behind it.
As usual, the heavy, gray metal door’s propped open with a cinder block. Tonight it feels like it’s daring me to walk through and reunite with a past I’ve tried hard to forget.
Taking my time, I pull off my gloves and unbuckle my helmet, setting them on the seat like the ritual will steady me. My gaze sweeps the lot again. Which car or bike belongs to Cain? Is he planning to stick around? Or is this a hit-and-run where he fucks up my life, then bounces?
The parking lot won’t give me any answers.
Get your ass inside, coward!
I trudge into the back hallway. Music throbs through the building and loud, chaotic chatter filters from the dancers’ dressing room door. The hallway’s empty for the moment. No dancers lingering backstage while they practice some last-minute dance moves tonight. And at least it’s not amateur night when there’d be a line out the door and extra security.