Total pages in book: 15
Estimated words: 14744 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 74(@200wpm)___ 59(@250wpm)___ 49(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 14744 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 74(@200wpm)___ 59(@250wpm)___ 49(@300wpm)
None of us respond to him. Unfortunately, he takes that as an invitation to continue talking. “Lila here doesn’t want to come with us because it will ‘derail her life plans’.” He scoffs and lifts his fingers to do those stupid air quotes.
The way he so clearly implies she’s wrong to refuse to drop everything pisses me off. “No shit, Dad. I would do the same.”
He’s oblivious to the anger rolling off me and lays a hand on her shoulder, making me clench my fists. “She’s a guidance counselor, and she doesn’t want to leave the kids.”
“Why the fuck are you even leaving?”
“Listen, my business has gone to shit, and I need to go somewhere to cool down. I’ll be back in a few months.”
At this, Lila turns to him, her eyebrows scrunching. “You said you’d be on vacation.”
He waves her off. “Semantics, semantics. The point is your stepbrother here does bodyguard work for celebrities. At least, that’s what he tells me. He’s here to protect you.”
“Protect me from what?” Lila’s earlier confusion morphs into fury similar to mine, and she folds her arms over her chest. “What did you do?”
“Business gone sideways, okay? Happens all the time.” Dad pats her shoulder, as blind to others’ feelings as ever, and faces me. “Do it for family, okay?”
“She’s not my family,” I growl, stepping forward because I’m getting a picture of what’s going on, and I don’t like it.
“She is now.”
“What did you do, Dad?” We’re face to face, and he has to tip his head back to look at me. “Who did you fucking piss this time?”
He’s not fazed, which is pretty much what makes him a great con man. He can be in a life-or-death situation, and he’ll try to talk his way out of it. Most of the time, he’s successful.
That’s what makes this whole bizarre situation more suspicious. He’s never run away before.
“I may have made some bad investments, and the investors are none too happy about losing money. Who does?” He backs up and continues packing. “Don’t worry about it. When I’m not here, no one will come after her.”
He clicks the suitcase shut and saunters toward the door, looking at us over his shoulder. “My wife’s waiting in the car. Take care of her, Luca. We’ll be back before you know it.”
The door closes behind me, and deafening silence hangs in the air. I’m usually quick at thinking on my feet, but for some reason, I’m rooted to the spot.
I mentally rifle through my current problems.
What has Dad done, and to whom?
Is the house even safe? It’s way too big for two people, not to mention all the doors where anyone can pass through undetected. Too many fucking blind spots and no good vantage point.
Where can I take Lila? Can I trust myself to protect her and not even try to touch her?
How does she feel about all of these? Will I be met with resistance if I propose leaving the house?
How can I fucking think straight with her around?
For a seasoned assassin who’s used to dealing with unexpected situations and coming out alive, I’m screwed. Not because I don’t know how to protect her, but because I have never tried protecting anyone from my own damn self.
Fuck.
2
LILA
This is him? Luca, my stepbrother? The guy who gets paid to guard celebrities, politicians, and the upper crust? Who has no digital footprint? Whose name yields no search results except for an old man living across the pond, teaching math in a public school?
I saw his photo, yes, but it didn’t prepare me for how he looked in real life. Those images don’t do justice to how handsome he is, in a rough and rugged way.
His face is all sharp and squared angles—razor-sharp jawline and straight nose, the lower half of his face darkened by stubble. The black hair falls in thick waves over his forehead and stops just above his ears.
In an all-black ensemble, his imposing size towers over me. Raw, brute strength oozes out from his pores, and as he stands there in his black jeans, black shoes, and black Henley shirt, the sight is enough to convince me that whatever danger my new stepfather is running away from, Luca can protect me from it.
This is a man I will run to when shit goes sideways.
I would call him hot, but even that word wouldn’t suffice. He sucks the oxygen in the room, or maybe that’s just because I’m having trouble breathing while watching him.
He’s not even doing anything, and yet his gaze feels personal … intimate even, scorching a hot trail across my skin.
His face is devoid of expression, but I don’t miss the almost murderous glint in his chocolate-brown eyes as he watches his father leave.
What is going on here? When I left school earlier, I thought I was just gonna come home to Mom and Phillip packing for their vacation. Now I find out he’s in deep trouble, dangerous enough that I can either go with them or stay here with my stepbrother.