Redemption and Regrets (Chastity Falls, #4) by L A Cotton Read Free Book Online

time.”
    She swallowed hard and nodded. It wasn’t easy for Briony to accept defeat. But this wasn’t her fight—it was mine, and I wasn’t rushing into anything this time.
    Acting on impulse had ruined my life once, but it wouldn’t get me again.

Chapter 6

    “T his is crazy. What the hell are you going to do here?”
    Hands shoved deep into my pockets and hood pulled up over my head, I scanned our surroundings. Briony had a point. When Luke had taken the 101 out of Astoria, my heart almost pounded out of my chest. The 101 led right through Tillamook and past Chastity Falls, but he’d turned inland, and eventually, we ended up in Forest Grove. Luke’s idea of me laying low was dumping me in a town less than an hour’s drive from Chastity Falls.
    Fucking perfect.
    “Don’t look so worried. It’s neutral ground. There are no organizational ties here, just an old friend with a room for rent.”
    “Friend?” I asked unable to disguise the skepticism in my voice.
    “Ex-girlfriend, okay?” He flashed Briony a reassuring smile, but her eyes widened, flaring with jealousy. “Babe, don’t. There’s nothing to worry about. Ro doesn’t even live here anymore. She just rents out her place.”
    “Ro? She has a name and an apartment, and this is the first time I’m hearing about her? This is just great. I’ll talk to you tomorrow, Braid. I’ll see you in the car.”
    My sister didn’t stick around and I folded my arms over my chest shooting Luke a pointed look. “You’d better go fix that.”
    “She’ll come around. She always does,” he said with a grim smile that suggested it wasn’t the first time they’d fought, but that was Briony for you. She always did like to cause a scene. “Here’s the key. Apartment 2C.”
    I followed his finger to the second floor of the building we were parked outside. “Okay, and now what?”
    “Make yourself at home. The place is furnished. This should keep you going.” He retrieved a thick envelope from inside his jacket and handed it to me. “Clean notes, no plastic. You’re not here, remember? Braiden Donohue doesn’t exist here. Can you use another name?”
    “Another name? When you said laying low wasn’t a bad idea, I didn’t think you meant I needed to disappear.”
    Luke scratched his jaw and glanced back at the car where Briony sat in the driver’s seat with a scowl on her face. “It’s not permanent. You can reach us on this.” He handed me a cell phone.
    “I just need some time to figure shit out.”
    “Yeah, I know. Lay low. Stay out of trouble, and figure shit out .” His smile morphed into a smirk. “Because we need you back and ready to do this thing soon.”
    I nodded. I didn’t have an answer. Not yet.
    “I’ll check in. Hasta.”
    “Yeah, later,” I said as Luke opened the passenger door and climbed inside. The car sped away, and I hoisted the duffle bag Luke had lent me over my shoulder.
    I’d wanted space, and here it was.
    ~
    T he apartment was clean and tidy and obviously owned by a chick. Luke had given away no details about the owner, but apparently, she liked the color duck egg blue. Walls, cushions, even the fucking curtains matched. But it was better than pink. I’d dumped my bag in the smaller of the two bedrooms before checking the place out. The grand tour lasted a whole two minutes and I tried my luck in the kitchen cupboards. There wasn’t much; a few cans of soup and unopened chips. I would need to venture out and buy supplies, but I didn’t know where the hell the nearest grocery store was. I figured the walk would do me good. Clear some of the shit running through my head.
    Grabbing the keys and a wad of bills from the envelope Luke had given me, I pulled up my hood and made my way out of the apartment. The building seemed pretty quiet, but then, it was a Friday. People would still be at work, going about their daily lives, while I was stuck hiding out in some town I knew nothing about.
    Maybe this isn’t such a