Maggie Norris and Luke Vaudest come with attitudes of stone-cold, rude, sarcastic snakes. Every single time the pair have clashed, it has never ended up being a good thing. The two are more than fine with never crossing paths, again.
Until Maggie d...
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"The purpose of life, after all, is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience." — Eleanor Roosevelt
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Chapter 79 <—————————————>
Maggie
Kimberly's car disappeared into the distance down the road, its engine roaring as it went. Raven, in her new pearl pink Range Rover, followed closely behind in the wake of the Dodge Charger. The windows were rolled down, and a song blared from the speakers, assaulting my ears.
I chuckled quietly to myself, partially closing the car door to let a gentle breeze pass through. Luke was further down the street, about three or four minutes away, picking up a few minor items for the building.
Earlier today, the girls had stopped by to lend a hand with the painting, and we ended up hanging out for a couple of hours. It was a simple activity, but it turned out to be a lot of fun.
The warmest and most unbearable months of summer were upon us. The relentless heat was taking its toll, but fortunately, the rainy season in Washington was still in full swing.
It had been a month since my grandmother's funeral. Each day brought something new, but it wasn't necessarily good or bad, just a profound sense of change.
The pain obviously hadn't gone away, but I could say that it had settled into a tolerable state. Ever since I got my grandmother's message for me, it had touched me in a good way. They, she, still brought tears to my eyes, and some days, I would just settle in my spot for a couple of hours to let it out. Others would carry on as normal as they could get, with a peaceful setting to them that she had managed to give me.
I was better. Not perfect, but better. A good better.
That wasn't it, though.
It had been a month ever since my father was tortured to death.
The exact moment Luke said those words to me was the moment that everything shifted. Everything. My father was dead.
The very reason behind my fractured mind, soul, and body was gone. For good.
Kade had came over the next morning to explain the details to Luke and I. His father was the one behind it. He was willing to do anything to get on Kade's good side, despite it being impossible and nearly laughable after everything he'd done to him and his family.
Regardless of it, though, he fell for the bait Kade offered over the phone: his time, reconnection, and forgiveness. With the right tips from his cellmates who were also my fathers, he was able to give an estimated location for my dad, since he had spent years detailing his other cellmates on the plans he had once released. Kade had ended the call the moment his father gave him the information, then gave it to one of the men in the cages to follow up on. It was history from there.
