Total pages in book: 68
Estimated words: 66102 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 331(@200wpm)___ 264(@250wpm)___ 220(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 66102 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 331(@200wpm)___ 264(@250wpm)___ 220(@300wpm)
“Did you use me?” I ask while rubbing my head. “Did you even love me as your niece?” I need to know, was all this a lie to him? I love him. I will always love him. It hurts to know he might not feel the same. He is my only family.
“I did use you. They took everything I loved.”
“What about me?” I cry while my hands pull through my hair in frustration.
The fucker bangs his hands on the wheel. “What about you, Issy? Not everything is about you. I spent a good portion of my life training you to be the woman you are today, and yet you still fell for him? Why? Why would you do that? How could you do that? After all that training, after all that deceit, you still fell for a man that you thought killed your family.”
“Who said I’ve fallen for him?”
He scoffs. “Please. I know the look of love, I’ve had it. It makes you do crazy shit. This is why you must leave him.”
“Or what?”
He turns to look at me. “You don’t want the answer to that question, Issy. Trust me.”
“But I do. What would you do if I said I wanted to go back to him?” Because I do. I really do. I know I want Jasper.
“I will kill you,” he says so easily.
“You would?” I ask him.
“Yes, Issy, I would. They’re vile, imbecilic bastards.”
“From what I heard, his mother was worse.”
When he turns to look at me, anyone would think I’ve just killed his dog. “No, she was not,” he says with a voice full of anger.
“She tortured Jasper,” I scream.
“He deserved it,” he replies, driving back to the garage.
I balk at his words. For fuck’s sake. He can’t mean that, right?
“How could a ten-year-old boy possibly deserve to be tortured that way? Have you seen his back?”
“Because he was his child.”
“No. No way. That’s not fair to a child.” I shake my head.
“It is. He is evil spawn, and all who come from that man should and will die.”
“I don’t hate him.”
He coughs. “No, you silly girl. You fucking love him. But I’ll change that. He won’t get you like he got her.”
“Why did she leave?” I ask, trying to work this all out.
“He killed her.”
“I know that, but why was she with him? She had to have left you, right? I mean to be back there?”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about.” He comes to a stop out the front of his garage and gets out walking to my door. “Move it. They know about this place, so we don’t have long.” He carries the gun in his hand as he steps inside. “Grab the rifle, and go up to the roof.”
He hands me the gun, but I just look at it, confused. “No,” I say, shaking my head.
“Issy, now is not the time to have a change of heart. They’re coming here to kill us both.”
“Not me,” I say, holding the rifle firmly in my grasp.
“Yes, maybe not you, but definitely me. Do you want them to kill the only family you have left?”
A loud crashing noise vibrates through me, and the car we stole smashes through the front of the garage.
“What are you doing? Run.”
I drop the rifle to the floor as they walk in. I look around for Jasper but don’t see any sign of him. My heart deflates at that thought, because that means something, right? Maybe what my uncle said is true. Maybe I do love him. Maybe.
Ace steps over to me, wraps his hand around my upper arm and starts pulling me away. “Where is he?”
I look around to see if I can see my uncle but he’s nowhere. Guess, he’s in hiding right about now, but even after everything I still don’t want them to kill him. I don’t know everything about what’s going on in my messed up life, but I do know that.
“You’re coming with us.” Ace pulls on my arm and yanks me out to the car. I see Jasper lying on the back seat with his eyes shut.
“He’s all right, right?”
“I don’t know. We’re taking him to our doctor.” His breathing is heavy and slow and it’s more than a little concerning. I climb in the back with him and move his head, so it’s lying on my lap. When I look up, Carter and Ace are staring at us.
“You really fucked him up, didn’t you?” Carter asks but it’s more of a statement. Carter shakes his head and then looks back to Ace as he climbs in the passenger seat.
“I didn’t know.”
“There’s a lot you don’t know. Maybe next time you should ask,” Ace grumbles as Carter starts driving erratically fast. I don’t look back as we leave the garage, but I know my uncle will know I’ve left with them. And I’m afraid of what he might do.