Total pages in book: 86
Estimated words: 81581 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 408(@200wpm)___ 326(@250wpm)___ 272(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 81581 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 408(@200wpm)___ 326(@250wpm)___ 272(@300wpm)
But she wasn’t supposed to die.
My thoughts are dark and raging by the time I realize Violet is gone. I catch a glimpse of her shiny hair before she slips into her cab. An empty feeling settles in my gut. I feel an actual sense of loss without her shooting scathing glares at me.
I’ll get her to warm up to me.
She’ll see I only want what’s best for her.
I wave at the server to bring the check and I pull out the extra key I swiped from one of her drawers. A key to her apartment. Today I’ll have a copy made and then put this one back before she notices. Then, I’ll be able to keep a close eye on her. My mind flits back to the way her naked body writhed with the need to orgasm when my phone buzzes.
Bull: You’re too quiet. I don’t like it. Thanks for standing me up last night.
I scrub at my face and let out a sigh.
Me: Remember Adara?
Bull: Is this a trick question? Of course I fucking remember Adara. She almost got your ass killed.
Me: I have to know her.
Bull: Violet is leaving in two weeks, man. You don’t have to know her. Just forget about her.
Her sweet scent lingers in the air, and I’m already craving to see her again.
Me: That’s impossible. You know this.
Bull: Not saying I like it but I have your back. At least come to the house and have dinner with Sadie and I. Joshua misses his uncle.
He’s trying to distract me. There’s no point.
Me: Give the family my love. I’ll see you Monday. I have some work to do.
Bull: Try not to get arrested.
At this, I smirk.
Me: Wouldn’t be the first time you’ve had to bail me out.
I’m still smirking but it quickly turns into a scowl. Bull has always had to look after me in some way. The day when shit went south with those Saudi Arabians, he saved my life and pulled my unconscious body to safety. My thoughts drift into the darkness.
“Want to watch MTV?” the peppy nurse questions. “Music videos all the time. Can you believe it? The hospital finally got cable. I’ve never had cable before so the only time I get to watch is while I’m at work.”
I drag my gaze from the book I’m reading to glare at her. “I’m reading. Go away.”
She laughs at me and strolls into the room anyway. Last nurse that came in, I had her close the blinds. This fucking woman yanks on the cord to allow the sun to stream in. I squint against it and toss my book to the floor.
“Close the goddamned blinds,” I snap.
Nurse Fucking Annoying ignores me and flips through her chart, humming some semi-familiar song I’m sure she heard on her beloved MTV. “Looks like it’s time to change your dressings.”
I wince because I fucking hate this. Not only is it painful as hell but it’s also a stark reminder of everything that went wrong. “Fine. But don’t be so damn eager.”
“I do love to see a man howl in pain,” she teases. “But I’ll tamper it down just for you. Sound good, big boy?”
I flip her off and bury my face into the pillow. But when I close my eyes, I think of her. Adara. Her wide, innocent brown eyes. The way she stood at the exact moment I pulled that trigger. She was supposed to stay seated. Everything revolved around her remaining in her seat. The wound would have hurt, but she’d have lived. It was meant to be a simple graze—a distraction. If only she’d have stayed in her goddamned chair. That one small variable was the catalyst for everything that went wrong.
Nurse Fucking Annoying Giggling Sadist happily spends the next hour removing the soiled dressings on my back, buttocks, and legs. I black out a couple of times from the pain. When I come to, she ruffles my hair. “Need a little something for the pain, soldier?”
I grunt and soon something cold enters my vein. At least Nurse Fucking Annoying Giggling Sadist puts me out of my misery for a couple of hours. But despite my drug-induced haze, I can’t ever seem to shake the image of those brown eyes, belonging to the teen I so brutally shot. It was an error. I don’t make errors. But that day, I did.
I’ll never make a mistake like that again.
Before heading to the farmer’s market, I stop by my apartment and change into something more comfortable. I’m still shaking with fury. How dare he suddenly become so damn nosy about my life! I’ve worked hard to keep certain things to myself. And now, I feel like he’s prying into something that needs to remain shut. If he pulls open the parts of my past I keep contained, I’ll lose my mind.