Total pages in book: 83
Estimated words: 79814 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 399(@200wpm)___ 319(@250wpm)___ 266(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79814 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 399(@200wpm)___ 319(@250wpm)___ 266(@300wpm)
“So, did you hear?” Excited blue eyes twinkled from across the booth. Stephanie was another part-time waitress at the diner. She couldn’t work many hours because of the bad knee she got from a car accident two years ago. She walked with a limp that she never seemed to let bother her.
“Hear what?” I asked with little interest. The good people of Mosset had a lot to learn when it came to juicy gossip.
“Some crazy hot guys drove into town this morning.” I choked on the coffee I had been sipping. “Are you okay?” She quickly handed me napkins.
“What did they look like?” I said as I patted my mouth dry.
“Tall and hot.”
“Stephanie,” I took her hands in mine. I could tell I was freaking her out. “I need a little more than that.”
“Ok, well, one was a gorgeous dirty blond with the brightest eyes and the longest lashes. The other cutie had long hair pulled back in a bun. I really need to ask who did his coloring. It’s fantastic. Oh, and he had the greenest eyes I’ve ever seen. They’re even greener than yours.” She went on about how hot the two strangers were, but I didn’t hear a word after I figured out they weren’t strangers at all.
I don’t remember leaving the booth with Caylen. I could hear Stephanie calling after me, but I didn’t stop, not even to offer an explanation to Becky. I hurried up the stairs that led to the tiny apartment and threw open the door. A scream built when I saw my room occupied. Lucas had thrown his hand over my mouth before it could escape and tugged me inside before shutting the door.
“Don’t scream. Don’t you dare, girl.”
Z took Caylen’s carrier and moved him out of harm’s way while I struggled against his partner. “Careful, princess. Don’t make us do this the hard way.” I struggled some more until I was too weak to fight anymore. Surprisingly, Lucas released me, and I didn’t scream.
“How did you find me?”
“It’s not what you think, princess.”
“We’re here for you,” Lucas added.
“Yes, I figured as much,” I answered sarcastically. I counted the steps it would take me to reach the bed and the seconds it would take to free the gun Sam loaned me from under the bed. There was no way in hell I’d let them take me back.
“I’m not going back,” I voiced. I took another step and was surprised when they didn’t pounce.
“We’re not here to take you back. We’re here to protect you.”
My gaze narrowed. “Because he sent you?”
Z shook his head as his eyes pleaded with me to understand. “He didn’t send us. We left on our own.”
“You expect me to believe you left Angel broken in a hospital to fend for himself?”
“He was released weeks ago and is healing just fine,” Lucas explained.
“We left because he hurt you.”
“With your help,” I pointed out. “Try again.”
Lucas’s nostrils flared, and Z’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed hard. “He lied to us too, princess.”
“What do you mean?”
“We know it wasn’t Theo who shot Art that night,” Lucas answered. Before I could respond, he continued. “You don’t have to believe us now, but you have to trust us.”
“We need you to come with us, princess.” The plea in Z’s voice prickled the hairs on my skin. “We picked up a tail. ”
“Across the street,” Lucas explained, “at the third gas pump, there’s a black SUV that’s been at the pump for an hour. Two doors east, there’s a man in a blue and gray flannel standing by the lamppost smoking a cigarette. They’re Staten’s men.”
My attention slid to the window on the other side furthest away from the gun. When I didn’t move, Lucas reached behind him and pulled out Sam’s gun. I recognized the custom oak handle.
“If you’re wondering about this, don’t bother. This isn’t our first rodeo, kid.”
Irritated at being bested, I stomped to the window and peeked through the curtains. True to his word, I peeped the large black truck and the man wearing the blue and gray flannel. He wasn’t smoking, but from here, I could see several yellow buds littered around him. He’d been there a while.
“How did you find me?” I didn’t turn away from the window. I didn’t want to see any more of their false sincerity. I knew they weren’t entirely truthful, but seeing the senator’s men waiting for me out there left me no choice but to consider the lesser of two evils.
“It doesn’t matter,” Lucas evaded. “We need to go.”
“I’m not going anywhere with you until you tell me how you found me.”
“We bugged Anna’s phone.” Lucas sighed.
“And then you led them to me by coming here.” They didn’t try to deny it. “I was safe, and now I’m not because of you, and you expect me to just trust you?”