Total pages in book: 146
Estimated words: 136425 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 682(@200wpm)___ 546(@250wpm)___ 455(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 136425 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 682(@200wpm)___ 546(@250wpm)___ 455(@300wpm)
Kala sat there for a moment. She was still in that predatory way. She was also sitting in mud since it had rained all day. There was only a light mist now, but the damage had been done.
The world seemed to slow down as everyone waited for Kala to explode.
Devi knew her cousin better than that. Oh, it had looked like a terrifying battle was happening, and she would have totally crushed Zach’s balls, but this was play for Kala. Not the sexy kind. More like the way dumbass boys teased and fought each other as a form of affection since their toxic masculinity wouldn’t allow them to hug.
“Uh, is the weird sex stuff done?” Her brother came into view. Like the others he’d gotten the wear all black memo, though he wore a gun strapped to his chest. He frowned down at Kala. “You know he’s supposed to be Devi’s guy. He’s not supposed to play with you.”
Devi moved quickly, stepping out into the yard. Her brother could get the wrong idea. “He was trying to save his balls.”
Disaster waddled into the scene as one of the big geese rounded the corner.
TJ smiled her way. “Hey, sis. Are you okay? I mean you seemed comfortable with him. Unless you seriously were upset and didn’t want to be kidnapped. But there was rival mobster stuff going on, so I figured I should stay out of it. Honestly, I wanted to stay out of it entirely. Mom’s going to be pissed. Could you talk to her for me? Let her know I didn’t do any patriarchy things. Oh, hey. That’s a big duck.”
“It’s a goose,” Lou corrected. “You should be careful. They can be touchy.”
Oh, that goose was seriously touchy. “That’s Caleb. You should step back. He mostly keeps to himself, but when he gets scared, he can be obnoxious.”
“Zach, you should get me out of this right now,” Kala warned.
TJ leaned toward the goose. “This guy? Nah, we’re going to be friends. How you doing, buddy?”
No one was listening.
“I’m not getting you out of this until you tell me what you did with Lacey,” Zach announced. “She wouldn’t have let you in. Tell me you didn’t kill her. She was how I’m going to find my mom.”
“Whoa, we didn’t kill anyone,” Cooper said, holding up his hands as though to say see, I’m completely harmless.
He wasn’t. “TJ, I’m serious about that goose.”
“I want to meet Lacey,” Kala said in a syrupy-sweet tone. “I want to meet this so-called operative who thought she could hide my cousin from me.”
“She didn’t try to hide me. She didn’t want me here,” Devi pointed out.
“He’s cool,” TJ said, reaching a hand out.
“She didn’t want you here?” Kala asked, one brow arched. “Who does she think she is? Is she too fucking good for my cousin? Have you put Devi in a place where some asshole insults her?”
“It’s not like that.” Lacey only told her to go to the sea a couple of times a day now, and it was mostly because she annoyed the other woman. Sometimes on purpose. But only sometimes. “She actually reminds me a little of you. I think you’ll like her. TJ, he’s about to attack.”
She’d had a couple of run-ins with Caleb. And some of the goats. She’d learned.
“Devi and Lacey are friends.” Zach had learned, too. He was staying back. He knew a dangerous animal when he was in proximity to one. “Lacey has been cool about it, and you guys need to tell me what you did to her. She’s been helping me for over a year. She’s an ally. She’s close with underground animal rights and climate activists. They trust her. She’s in the same groups as my mom. Lacey can get to her. It’s what we’re working on.”
“Dude, okay, I get it,” TJ was trying to say as he backed away from the now honking goose.
Miss Rachel the chicken walked her way into the scene, likely coming to enjoy the drama. She settled herself right on Kala’s lap and watched as Caleb started in on the new guy.
That goose could move.
TJ let out what could be described as a horror-movie scream when that goose got one of his fingers.
“Don’t you dare shoot that goose, TJ,” Lou yelled.
That was when she noticed Kala had a hand on the chicken. She was petting Miss Rachel, and a big smile came over her face as TJ started running.
“You go, Caleb. Get him,” Kala shouted.
“She’s cool now.” Cooper held a hand out to his brother. “You can let her go.”
Zach sighed and took his brother’s hand. “Sorry. I wasn’t trying to hurt her. I was doing my best to not.”
He looked awkward, and Zach almost never seemed awkward. Except when he was emotional. He was only awkward around people he cared about. Loved. There was no question he loved his brother.