Read Online Lightning Strikes (The Almeida Brothers Trilogy #3) by Trevion Burns - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Trevion Burns
Ads: Link
back to the present, kicking her boots into the pavement while flinging her fists through the air. Soon she was entrenched in a boxing match with the Chicago morning air, grunting the whole way. It wasn’t until she’d convinced all of the people around her that she was, indeed, completely insane, that she allowed herself to stop. She bent down on her knees, struggling to calm her heaving breaths.
She risked a look around and found that most of the people outside hadn’t even noticed her rant. With the hell they’d all endured, her little tantrum was likely one of the tamer ones they’d seen in the last 24 hours.
Collecting herself, she stood and turned back toward the station, gasping and stumbling backward at the sight of Jack standing behind her with his hands pushed into his pockets.
He watched her with calm eyes, raising his brows. “You okay?”
“I’m fine,” she said with an extra hitch to her voice.
“Seem upset.”
She tightened her grip on the phone, squinting at him. “Since when do you give a damn?”
Jack chuckled. “I don’t.”
She scoffed when she realized that he was now purposely being an asshole. A day ago, she’d been convinced his asshole tendencies were simply in his nature. Now she was beginning to suspect it was a cleverly executed act. A ruse. One that was no longer attracting her to him the way it had the day before.
“Have a good life, Jack.”
She pushed past him, but not before she saw something change in his eyes.
As she walked away from him, she snuck a look over her shoulder, just in time to see his chin fall into his chest.
***
They were canceling a lot of trains. And the trains that weren’t being canceled were being delayed for hours. Nina sat at the end of a wooden bench, trying to ignore the stench of the homeless man sleeping next to her, and glared up at the departure board. It was one of the old school departure boards that moved. Panels turned and every second with new information, some of it good, some of it bad.
Nina watched the panel for her train, waiting for it to spin and tell her that it was going to be late or wasn’t coming, at all. After an hour, it was the only thing keeping her sane.
Well, that, and him.
She couldn’t stop her eyes from moving to him. He was still standing in the same place he had been for the entire hour. She wondered what train he was waiting on, and then chided herself for even caring.
He stood with his hands in the pockets of his gray slacks, his white button down straining ever so slightly under his muscled arms.
A smile was teasing his lips, but in true Jack form, he didn’t allow it to come to fruition. Not even as he enjoyed the classical tune a homeless man was playing on a beat up keyboard. In the keyboard case next to him, a few dollar bills peeked out, but Jack was the only person who’d hung around, staying to hear him play.
Nina remembered Jack being taken by the classical song playing in the cab yesterday as well. She’d even caught his fingers tapping against the seat in perfect time with the music.
Leaning on the armrest of the bench, she squinted at him, watching as he nodded his approval when the homeless man played the final note.
Then, Jack leaned down, reached out, and motioned to the keyboard. Hesitantly, the man turned the keys toward Jack, after deciding he wouldn’t steal it.
Jack pushed the sleeves of his shirt up to his elbows and played a few notes, meeting eyes with the man every now and again.
It hit Nina. Jack was teaching him. Giving him tips on the song.
For the first time, she saw him, and she was transfixed.
***
“All aboard!”
Jack’s knees bounced as the two words he’d been waiting to hear all morning finally blared down from the train’s loudspeaker. The scattered, facetious cheers from his fellow passengers rang through the cabin, waning to the kind of quick death only a halfhearted celebration
She risked a look around and found that most of the people outside hadn’t even noticed her rant. With the hell they’d all endured, her little tantrum was likely one of the tamer ones they’d seen in the last 24 hours.
Collecting herself, she stood and turned back toward the station, gasping and stumbling backward at the sight of Jack standing behind her with his hands pushed into his pockets.
He watched her with calm eyes, raising his brows. “You okay?”
“I’m fine,” she said with an extra hitch to her voice.
“Seem upset.”
She tightened her grip on the phone, squinting at him. “Since when do you give a damn?”
Jack chuckled. “I don’t.”
She scoffed when she realized that he was now purposely being an asshole. A day ago, she’d been convinced his asshole tendencies were simply in his nature. Now she was beginning to suspect it was a cleverly executed act. A ruse. One that was no longer attracting her to him the way it had the day before.
“Have a good life, Jack.”
She pushed past him, but not before she saw something change in his eyes.
As she walked away from him, she snuck a look over her shoulder, just in time to see his chin fall into his chest.
***
They were canceling a lot of trains. And the trains that weren’t being canceled were being delayed for hours. Nina sat at the end of a wooden bench, trying to ignore the stench of the homeless man sleeping next to her, and glared up at the departure board. It was one of the old school departure boards that moved. Panels turned and every second with new information, some of it good, some of it bad.
Nina watched the panel for her train, waiting for it to spin and tell her that it was going to be late or wasn’t coming, at all. After an hour, it was the only thing keeping her sane.
Well, that, and him.
She couldn’t stop her eyes from moving to him. He was still standing in the same place he had been for the entire hour. She wondered what train he was waiting on, and then chided herself for even caring.
He stood with his hands in the pockets of his gray slacks, his white button down straining ever so slightly under his muscled arms.
A smile was teasing his lips, but in true Jack form, he didn’t allow it to come to fruition. Not even as he enjoyed the classical tune a homeless man was playing on a beat up keyboard. In the keyboard case next to him, a few dollar bills peeked out, but Jack was the only person who’d hung around, staying to hear him play.
Nina remembered Jack being taken by the classical song playing in the cab yesterday as well. She’d even caught his fingers tapping against the seat in perfect time with the music.
Leaning on the armrest of the bench, she squinted at him, watching as he nodded his approval when the homeless man played the final note.
Then, Jack leaned down, reached out, and motioned to the keyboard. Hesitantly, the man turned the keys toward Jack, after deciding he wouldn’t steal it.
Jack pushed the sleeves of his shirt up to his elbows and played a few notes, meeting eyes with the man every now and again.
It hit Nina. Jack was teaching him. Giving him tips on the song.
For the first time, she saw him, and she was transfixed.
***
“All aboard!”
Jack’s knees bounced as the two words he’d been waiting to hear all morning finally blared down from the train’s loudspeaker. The scattered, facetious cheers from his fellow passengers rang through the cabin, waning to the kind of quick death only a halfhearted celebration
Similar Books
