Love in Xxchange: Miles to Go by Bailey Bradford (best e reader for android TXT) š
- Author: Bailey Bradford
Book online Ā«Love in Xxchange: Miles to Go by Bailey Bradford (best e reader for android TXT) šĀ». Author Bailey Bradford
MILES TO GO
Bailey Bradford
28
Stepping into the bathroom, he shut the door and leaned against the sink. Heād felt such a sudden burst of anger that it left him shaking, his fingers trembling even as he tried to grip the cabinet. The urge to throw his bowl, smash it against the wall and do the same with anything else he could break, had come and gone in a flash, but damn, it had scared him.
There were too many memories of his paās violent temper that Max carried around with himāhe wouldnāt add his own.
He wouldnāt be his pa, not once, not ever. Heād put a bullet through his brain before he ever hurt people like his pa had. Same went for his ma and most of his older brothersāhe would never be the hate-filled monsters they were.
āI aināt him, I aināt any of āem!ā Max forced himself to look in the mirror. He tried to find any signs of the cruel people whoād raised him. Not in his featuresāhe looked how he looked and that was all there was to that. No, what he was looking for was in the eyes, that spark in the depths there that was justā¦ off, intense in a way that was terrifying and full of the promise of pain and punishment.
Max could see nothing like that in his eyes, but that was little relief. Heād felt that surge of angerāwhat if heād been able to see his eyes then? What ifā
A tap on the bathroom door startled him so badly that his hand slipped and he barely missed slamming his face into the mirror. āHey, Max, you okay in there?ā
Maxās sense of humour tried to kick in, but he kept it quite a bit cleaner than he would have if Annabelle had been a man. If that made him sexist, well, he was sorry, but he couldnāt bring himself to be crude around any woman.
āShowerinā aināt the only thing to do in here, you know,ā Max pointed out. If itād been Rory or Chance, heād just have yelled that he was taking a shit and leave him alone. He just could not do that with Annabelle, though he suspected it would embarrass him a lot more than it would her if he did.
āWell, duh, but I didnāt hear anyāā
āJesus, Annabelle!ā Max choked out. āWhat are you doing, sitting out there listening?
Go away and leave me to take care of my business!ā Though at this point, he thought he may never be able to do his business again, not with Annabelle in the bunkhouse.
āRelax, Iām just teasing you!ā She thumped the door for emphasis. āI pick on Rory and Chance the same wayāall three of you are easy prey, so worried about offending the girl.ā
MILES TO GO
Bailey Bradford
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Max didnāt have an answer for that. āAnnabelleā¦ā His cell phone vibrated at his hip, saving him from digging himself into a deeper hole. From the other side of the door he heard Annabelleās phone chime as well. Surely it was Rory and Chance calling. Max snatched the phone up, a glance at the screen confirming the call was from Chance. He tapped the button to take the call as he brought the phone to his ear, his palm slippery with sweat.
āChance, whatās going on?ā Max glanced at his reflection. He looked pale and stricken and he couldnāt stand to see himself, so he studied the sink instead.
Chance sounded exhausted and disgusted when he replied. āRory told you we got a
call from a nurse at St. Josephās earlier. She told us that Bo had been brought in yesterday, unconscious and damn near beat to death.ā
Max felt like an elephant sat on his chest. He couldnāt breathe, couldnāt speak, and something inside him was threatening to burst.
āHe didnāt have any ID on him, nothing, he wasā¦heā¦ā Chanceās voice hitched and
Max gripped the phone tighter as he began trembling. He clamped his teeth to keep them from chattering or biting his damn tongue in half. āSomeone beat him and dumped him out in a field on the southern outskirt of San Antonio. Itāsā¦heāsā¦fuck!ā
While heād known Bo had been beaten, hearing even those additional details made it so much worse. It hit him like a physical pain, ripping him open. Maxās legs gave out and he landed hard on his ass, the wood floor ensuring that a solid thunk would be heard throughout the bunk house. āIs heā¦ā Max swallowed and forced the words out. āAre you telling me he didnāt make it?ā
āNo!ā Chance nearly shouted. āOh God, Max, that isnāt what I meant! Heāsā¦heās in bad shapeāI mean, he looks like shit, but heāll be fine. Someone delivered a fierce beating on him, and he looks likeā¦like death warmed over, but he isnāt going to die.ā
Max closed his eyes and leant back against the toilet, trying to get himself under control. His eyes burned and the tip of his nose tingled, but he managed to keep it together, except for the shaky breathing and the tremors that still shook his body. āThatāsā¦thatās good then.ā
āYeah, it is,ā Chance agreed. āAnyway, when Bo woke up today, he managed to give them his name, and mine for the emergency contact. Rory and I kind of freaked when we got that call. Iām sorry you didnāt hear from us again sooner. We wanted to wait until we knew MILES TO GO
Bailey Bradford
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something, and frankly the staff here has been reluctant to tell us much of anything. If Rory hadnāt managed to charm one of the nurses, we might still be waiting for information.ā
āNo, itās fine,ā Max assured him. āIs Boās family coming up there?ā
āHe doesnāt have any family,ā Chance
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