Page 130 of Unwritten Rules

The build-up for this meeting with Augustus Vaughn was the worst part of it all. When he dealt with others, he seemed to be brutal and calculating. He was sharp for an older man.

What I didn’t expect was him to be soft with me and treat me well, even though that’s how it seemed he treated my mother throughout their working relationship. I wondered what the two of them working together was like. What did she say about me to him?

Had I met Brent before? As a baby or something?

Augustus broke up my thoughts with two words. “Cleaning house.”

?Chapter 34

Fallon

Ithink I’ve lost mymind.

I sat in the back of the car with my face in my hands, resting my elbows to my knees.

“How did everything get so fucked!” I huffed into my hands.

This year turned into something I never asked for. My mom was dead, and I couldn’t even grieve her five years later. In a matter of weeks, my worldview had been shattered into unfixable pieces.

James, the security guard and driver, squeaked the leather seat as he turned. “Fast food?” His voice was tentative as he spoke, unsure how to help in a situation where I wasn’t in danger, just frustrated.

Knuckles rapped on his window before I could agree to be swept off my feet by a good order of French fries.

Oh no.James rolled down the window enough for me to see who was outside.

“May I speak with Miss Montgomery a moment?”

I shook my head at James.

“The lady said no,” he translated.

He sighed. “Let me in the car, Blondie. We need to chat.”

I leaned back in my seat to cross my arms. “Stop calling me Blondie, and no we don’t.”

“We work together,” he argued.

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