The Year of Second Chances (A Sunnyvale Novel Book 3) Read Online Free PDF Page B

drive, then that kind of takes away my present, doesn’t it?”
    “No.” She rolls her eyes. “After everything you’ve done for me, I should be giving you presents and driving you everywhere.”
    “You do drive me everywhere,” I point out. “But if you really don’t mind, then I’m cool with driving because the last time I took the bus, I ended up sitting by a guy who spent his thirty-minute bus ride clipping and cleaning his toenails. One almost hit me in the eye.”
    “Ew.” Her face contorts with disgust. “That’s so gross.”
    “Yeah, it was,” I agree, picking up my duffel bag from off the floor. “And I’ve avoided taking the bus ever since.” I start for the hallway, yawning again. “Give me five minutes to shower, and then we’ll take off to have some awesome zombie fun.”
    I’m almost to the entrance of the hallway when she tentatively says, “Kai?”
    I turn toward her. “Yeah?”
    “You slept last night, right? Because you look really tired, and I’m starting to worry maybe you haven’t been getting enough sleep.”
    “I’m fine.” Total lie. I didn’t sleep at all last night. I was trying to crack the code to get into the flash drive. But if I tell her that, she’ll spend the day stewing in guilt, and that’s not what today’s supposed to be about.
    “All right.” She seems unconvinced. “But maybe if you’re tired, you could try taking a nap. I’m worried you might be trying to do too much and forgetting to take care of yourself.”
    “Always caring about my wellbeing.” I wink at her, acting nonchalant when, really, her words touch me in ways I didn’t think were possible.
    By the time I leave the living room, I feel more relaxed and upbeat than I have in a while. Then my phone dings with an incoming message from T, and my mood deflates as I read it.
    T: If I don’t see some cash in four days, I’m going to pay you a little visit and remind you of what’ll happen if I don’t get my grand.
    Me: I thought I still had time left to pay it?
    T: I want some proof that you’re working on getting me the cash, and I think the perfect way to do that is for you to get me three hundred by Tuesday.
    Me: I don’t know if I’ll have that much by then.
    T: This isn’t a fucking request. You’ll give me three hundred by Tuesday, or you’ll pay the consequences. And this time, it’ll be a helluva lot worse than a tiny punch to the ribs.
    A tiny punch to the ribs? The dude smashed his fist against my side until my bones cracked.
    I press my fingers to the brim of my nose. Goddammit! Why did I have to vouch for Bradon? I knew his reputation and still let him con me into feeling sorry for him.
    Sighing, I lower my hand to my side. I can dwell all I want, but it’s not going to get me anywhere.
    I text T back that I’ll get him the three hundred. Then I duck into the bathroom, knowing that, come Tuesday, I’ll probably be getting my ass beat.
     

Chapter 3
    Isabella
     
    When Kai leaves the living room, I turn to his computer to sneak a peek at the files on the flash drive. I don’t know if I’m crossing a line—whether Kai will get mad at me for snooping—but not knowing what’s on there is eating away at me.
    When I tap the mouse pad, the screen doesn’t flip on. Figuring he turned the computer off, I push the power button. Nothing. I try plugging the power cord in. Nope.
    I scratch my head. “What on earth is wrong with it?”
    I’m sitting on the sofa, frowning at the blank computer screen, when Kai strolls into the room, wearing a pair of black jeans, a matching long-sleeved shirt, and a studded belt. His hair is damp from the shower, and an array of leather bands cover his wrist, including the one I gave him.
    When he notes me staring at the screen, his mouth curves downward. “What’re you doing?”
    “Trying to look at the files.” I feel a drop of guilt land in my stomach. “I’m sorry. I was just trying to distract myself from the texts.” I gesture