Fight Like A Girl: An Opposites Attract Romance (Fighting For Love) Harley Reid (top 100 books of all time checklist TXT) 📖

What the fuck am I supposed to do for forty-eight hours?

“Do you still have that tracker thing on your phone?” Lexi asks as she pours us both a coffee and sits opposite me at the dining table.

“Lexi you are a genius!” When she moved in, I made her install a tracking app on her phone so if anything happened to her and Maddie I’d know where to find them but in all the panic, I’d completely forgotten about it. “I’m not sure if it will tell us exactly where she is, I guess it depends on where it was when it was turned off but it’s worth a try.”

She scoots her chair around next to mine, it squeaks on the floor with every movement — a sound I quickly come to hate more than fingernails down a chalkboard — and we wait.

The buffering symbol spins on the screen for what feels like an eternity and I’m seriously contemplating throwing the stupid thing at the wall when it beeps and zeros in on a location which looks to be in the middle of an estate not too far away.

Without saying a word, both Lexi and I stand and head for the front door, desperately hoping that Mia will be there. Safe.

We pile in the car and I drive, not giving a shit about speed limits. All I care about is finding my girl and making the bastard who took her pay.

With Lexi directing me, we soon reach our destination. A grimy street lined with run down terraced houses, rubbish strewn everywhere made even more ominous by the threatening grey cloud that has now rolled in.

As we pull up outside, it doesn’t take me long to recognise the house in front of me as the place I spent the first few years of my life after losing my parents.

Overwhelmed with emotion, I’m not sure how I feel, or what to think but as I approach the front door with Lexi trailing behind, I’m hopeful that I’m not about to come face to face with who I think.

Taking a deep breath, I knock on the door and push Lexi out of sight behind me. Moments later, I can just about make out the clink of the chain being taken off and the door opens slightly, letting his face come into view.

Shit! Why did it have to be him of all people?

“Everything alright mate?” he asks, as though he doesn’t have a care in the world.

“I know she’s here. Where is she.” He opens the door wider, trying to block the entry with his scrawny body. He looks as depressing as the street that we’re on dressed in black jeans and jumper, as if he’s going to a really casual funeral.

“Who? Is everything okay?” He plays dumb as I look him up and down. Even with the cloud cover, the day has been exceptionally warm so what is he doing covered from head to toe?

“Don’t fuck with me Jay. Where is Mia?” I growl, spraying saliva everywhere. Then I notice a bruise forming on his temple and can’t contain my temper any longer. I lunge at him, landing a punch on his chin and knocking him back into the house enough for me and Lexi to gain entry inside.

I charge at him, slamming his body against the wall behind, pinning him by the throat with my left hand. My fingers tighten as he gulps for air.

“Ethan, don’t. We need to know where she is.” I know she’s right, but I can’t control myself. As his fingers claw at my hand trying to force me to loosen my grip, I ball my hand into a fist and draw my elbow back.

“I’m not going to ask you again.” I spit, momentarily releasing my grip to rest my aching fingers, before tightening it again. “Where. Is. She!”

“Okay, okay. She’s downstairs.” He gasps as I release him from my grasp and he collapses in a heap on the floor, looking up at me with wide eyes while gripping his neck and breathing heavily.

“Through the kitchen. There’s a door leading to the basement. Go see if she’s there.” Before I have chance to finish the sentence, Lexi has disappeared into the living room and I can hear her voice in the distance as she calls the emergency services.

“I’ve found her. She’s unconscious but she’s breathing. Ambulance and police are on their way.” I hear Lexi yelling in the distance.

“Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t fucking kill you right now?” He pushes himself to his feet, cowering in front of me.

“I did it for you.” I can barely hear his raspy whisper. “I was driving over to see you and I saw her with some guy in the village. She’s cheating on you, just like Sam and she needed to be punished.”

“She isn’t cheating on me you moron.” I yell.

“That’s exactly what Sam said before…” He hesitates, “But she was lying. I saw how much she hurt you with her lies and I care about you. I needed to protect you, that’s why I did what I did.” He continues to ramble as I zone out, trying to wrap my head around everything.

Wait. What?

What the hell has Sam got to do with this?

It takes a few more seconds of his rambling for me to realise that not only had he taken Mia and put her in danger. He also took my wife away from me, leaving Maddie to grow up without a mother. Fury courses through my veins. He was my best friend. I trusted him.

Without hesitation I hit him, causing his head to ricochet off the wall behind him. His nose bursts open, blood spattering everywhere as he crumples to the floor unconscious.

I wait with Jamison until the police arrive and apprehend him before racing down to the basement, thudding down the worn stairs that feel like they will snap under my load at