Extraction Read Online Free Page A

laughs out loud and it’s a contagious laugh that coats over you and seeps in to stay. I could hear her laughing even when she was not around. It’s not a sound that I can say I’ve heard before, but it is one that I won’t ever forget.
    “Zou, our back yard.” She kept laughing but managed to point towards the back of the building. “It has food, flowers, and other things that we need to take care of. Ollie and I planted it a few years ago because the landlord didn’t care. This helps us to keep things organic and it’s another way we make income. Ollie isn’t at his best right now; the chick upstairs is never home so that leaves you.”
    She pushed into my apartment, for the sixth time, since I never invited her inside.
    “No, I didn’t sign up for this. I signed up for a place to stay. I pay my rent, mind my fucking business, and I just want to be left alone.”
    I swore to God, if she laughed I would probably turn her over my knee. She was trespassing anyway, so spanking her ass would not be so out of line.
    It must not have been the time because she did not laugh but said, “You have a truck, so come on silly. We need the extra space, otherwise I’d use my car. Go put on a shirt because I don’t want the women beating me up to get to you.”
    Then she parked her ass on my couch and crossed her legs. Leaving no room for debate or even a counter argument.
    What the hell?
    I growled out loud, turned towards my bedroom and that was when I heard the laugh.
    It was seeping into me and that was something I could not afford.

    * * *
    “ H ey there , Phoebe. How ya doing today?” the clerk asked, as we walked into the humongous nursery filled with plants, vegetables and flowers sorted by the various products each one produced.
    “Hey,” she sang and hugged the older woman standing in the middle of the dirt aisle. “How’s Emily? Is she over the ‘I hate Mommy stage’?”
    “Ha, I wish. Now, it’s the ‘I hate Mommy and Daddy stage.” The woman with the salt and pepper colored hair laughed. “I welcomed Pete to the club. He’s walking around like a lost puppy.”
    The two women laughed out loud at the poor man’s misfortune and proceeded to go towards the end of the aisle.
    I must be chopped liver because not only was I not introduced, but she didn't even turn around to see if I’d followed the cackling women.
    I did, but the point was I had been ignored.
    “So, who’s your friend?” the woman asked.
    “Oh my God,” Phoebe shrieked and ran over to me. “I'm so sorry.”
    Both arms snaked around my left bicep as she hung on and those big eyes landed on me. “Please, forgive me. I'm so used to coming here by myself. I just got caught up.”
    Fuck.
    What was I supposed to do or say when she was holding onto me like that and her face filled with remorse. My head nodded and her smile showed those bright teeth behind pouty lips, almost blinding me. Not literally, but figuratively. It was like her smile engulfed a person in warmth, much like her laugh.
    Phoebe’s thumbs swiped my arm twice, then she let me go. I didn't realize I had inhaled her scent; it was a sweet warm fragrance. I didn't realize I’d kept it trapped in my nostrils until she let me go and I exhaled.
    Holy shit.
    Phoebe apologized again and said, “This is Zou. He's my neighbor and he's volunteered to help with the backyard.”
    What world did she live in because she said that with a straight face? The woman damn near threatened to stay in my place until I put my shit on to leave. Parked her ass on my couch and everything.
    “The name is Goliath,” I corrected her.
    Phoebe turned her head with that fucking smile and a raised eyebrow.
    “Ahh,” she nodded.
    “So glad you volunteered. This girl right here has been running the project, practically by herself, and she does it well.”
    What project?
    I had scoped out the grounds before I actually moved in. When I went out back, there was a huge space but it was covered with black