Page 40 of Rent Free

“What are you all doing?” I asked, then looked over to Quincy. “Why are you even here? You work at Sunnyvale now.”

“I’m here for dinner with Dad,” he explained. “Remember?”

I groaned. “Yeah, now I do.”

“I can’t believe you arrested your future wife.” Gable came through the door, looking rough.

“She’s not my future wife,” I grumbled.

“Yes she is,” Garrett said as he joined the huddle, Boss, his K-9 partner, at his heels. “This is going to be talked about at every single family event for the rest of our lives.”

I groaned.

That’s when Dad joined the party.

“You arrested Pepper?” Dad asked first thing.

I closed my eyes. “It was my job. This is all Quaid’s fault for begging me to work today, anyway. This should’ve been someone else’s shift.”

“Uh-oh.”

I looked over to see Auden placing his phone to his ears.

He winced and pulled away, then said, “Hang on.”

He handed me the phone, and I took it with the upmost reluctance.

“Hello?” I answered shortly.

“Tell me you did not arrest my employee,” my sister-in-law and twin’s wife, Maven, ordered.

I contemplated the ceiling for a few long seconds before saying, “It wasn’t like I had the choice.”

“You had the choice,” Maven countered. “You just don’t like her, so you didn’t try.”

She might have a point.

I didn’t like Pepper Solomon.

At least, that was what I kept telling myself.

The lines were definitely blurring, though.

I’m sick and tired of y’all buying the homes I saved on Zillow.

—Pepper’s secret thoughts

ATLAS

On the off chance that she was back at the hotel room where she lived, I ran by there, and knocked.

Pepper yanked open the door without looking.

“What do you want?” she asked.

“I…” I started but stopped.

I didn’t know why I was here.

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