Finding Serenity by Eden Butler Read Free Book Online Page A

with Marco’s bass. “Besides, I don’t need any heroes. I got this.”
    “Do you, now? You sure?” Vaughn jerks his chin toward Marco, clearly unimpressed. “Seems like your backup is a bit underqualified. I’m sure a girl raised by a damn squid would have better taste in protectors.”
    The car window rattles when Mollie slams the door shut. “Get this straight. I can take care of myself. And I don’t need some fucking jarhead disrespecting my father.” She doesn’t care that there is no humor on Vaughn’s face now. She doesn’t care how attracted she is to him or how hopeful she was that there was something between them. When she comes within inches of him, Vaughn straightens, his defenses set firm. “No one, and I mean no one, talks shit about my dad.”
    Mollie doesn’t wait for his reaction. She doesn’t care that she’s likely blown any shot she ever had with Vaughn. She’s pretty sure now there was never any real shot at all. To her, anyone can say what they want about her. She doesn’t care, but mess with her friends or her family, and she skates a bit on the psycho side.
     

     
    Mollie was never jealous of her friends. There was a time, right as she turned fourteen and her mother’s ridiculous badgering ran along the lines of “what do you mean you got a B?” and “stop laughing like that. You sound like him ” that Mollie wished she had the stable home life of her best friend Layla or a sweet, consoling mother like Autumn’s, but otherwise, she never got jealous.
    Now, standing in a low-lit pawn shop with guitars and fiddles hanging from the ceiling and the smell of second-hand oily tools cluttered around the floor right next to Declan Fraser’s enormous form, Mollie would admit to being a little envious of Autumn. She doesn’t want Declan, not the way she wanted Kenya Washington freshman year or like she wanted Vaughn the first time she saw him at the Dash, but as Declan crosses his arms, the thick veins on his forearms protruding and the heavy scent of grass and cologne wafting from him, she thinks at least that Autumn is a lucky bitch.
    Declan Fraser is an intimidating man. He doesn’t blink, barely seems to breathe as Mannie, the pawn shop manager, explains his rather flimsy excuse for considering taking in stolen property.
    “So, I’ll ask you again, arsehole. Who was the guy in the Shelby?” Mannie shrugs for the third time and Declan remains cool, calm. He throws his arms away from their curl on his chest in a quick flash, making Mannie flinch, but instead of taking a swing at the pudgy guy, Declan simply rests his fists against the glass counter, those enormous, tattooed arms of his flexing. “Sorry, but I don’t know what that means,” he says, mimicking Mannie’s shrug.
    “Man, I don’t know. I’d never met the guy before. Just some dude with a bunch of tattoos on his neck wearing a black hoodie and sunglasses. He barely spoke. Acted like he didn’t want anyone hearing or seeing him.”
    “Did he give you a number to call if you found a buyer?” Mollie hurries to ask, hoping that she could get some viable information from this guy.
    Mannie barely glances at her before he answers. “Look, it’s like I told that other dude, I didn’t pay attention. Not really. He drove a black Shelby and mumbled a list of what he had. Said the stuff belonged to his cousin and then gave me a number to call if anyone was interested.” The cash register dings when he opens it and lifts the cash tray, digging underneath.
    “What ‘other dude’?” She watches the man rummage through credit card receipts before he hands Declan a slip of paper.
    Another shrug and Declan leaned across the counter. “Answer her.”
    Mannie’s neck is filthy, as though he hasn’t had a good wash in weeks and mustard spots stain his too tight Batman t-shirt. “Big blonde bastard, came in here in fatigues.”
    Son of a bitch. She shares a glance with Declan, jerks her head once for him not to ask