Total pages in book: 83
Estimated words: 78631 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 393(@200wpm)___ 315(@250wpm)___ 262(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78631 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 393(@200wpm)___ 315(@250wpm)___ 262(@300wpm)
Nash hadn’t heard much about them. Both the local press and the police chief had been quieter than expected, given the fact that women had been vanishing from that place for a while. “Was there another abduction?”
Ethan nodded. “Christmas Eve. A nineteen-year-old girl. One minute she was at the food court with her mother. The next she was gone.”
Holy shit. “Eyewitnesses? Security guards? Cameras?”
As far as Nash was concerned, after the other disappearances, the mall should have implemented more measures to keep people safe.
“No one saw anything. There were no guards in that part of the mall when it happened. The cameras were all conveniently down.”
“That seems negligent as fuck.”
“Yeah.” Ethan darkened his phone with a shake of his head. “I hope they find her.”
But he didn’t sound hopeful.
“As far as you know, have they found any of the others?”
“No.” Ethan cut his eyes across the bar to where Haisley and her girls stood. Suddenly, he scowled before grabbing Nash by the arm and tugging him around. “If you want to get trashed, let’s go someplace else. I’ve got a liter of good vodka and a pantry full of junk food. Highrise isn’t Ghost’s and Trevor’s scene—too trendy—and the drinks are expensive. Let’s leave it to the couples and—”
“And what?” Nash tore free and turned to see what Ethan tried to distract him from.
Haisley. Dancing with some random dude. Who apparently had a dozen hands and even more dirty thoughts, based on the way he touched her.
“Fuck that,” Nash snarled, glaring through the crowd.
She said something to her dance partner that had him backing off…but the douchebag’s retreat didn’t satisfy Nash’s inner beast. That part of him wanted to break the little bastard.
People parted as, his pulse pounding and his nostrils flaring, Nash stomped straight toward Haisley.
CHAPTER TWO
Haisley felt Nash Scott the moment she stepped inside Highrise.
She froze. Her heart tore fire through her chest.
Of all the crappy luck…
After committing the ultimate sin of falling for him, she hadn’t known what to say two years ago when she’d walked away. She still didn’t.
Scanning the place, she caught sight of him. Given his height and that buzz of dark hair he kept brutally short, he wasn’t hard to find. Not surprisingly, he stood with his brother—also a mountain of a man. Even less surprising, Nash had a date under his arm. Of course he’d landed Lissa Hollister. Why wouldn’t he have sweet-talked the local it girl into bed?
But Haisley wasn’t jealous. At all. Not even a little. Maybe the fact she’d been replaced stung her pride, but she didn’t feel anything else. She refused to. Her relationship with Nash had been nothing more than a multimonth hookup, right? He’d made that clear from the onset. So had she.
But during all their breathless, scorching-hot nights together, she’d surrendered more than her body to him. She’d given him her heart.
And when she’d gotten the shock of her life, she’d had no choice but to run.
“I didn’t know Nash would be here tonight,” Gracelyn murmured in her ear. “I’m sorry.”
Haisley shook her head. “It was bound to happen eventually.”
After all, Lafayette wasn’t a huge town, and the number of decent nightlife spots were few and far between.
“Probably,” Charli agreed, looking even less in the mood to party than she was.
Where was her friend’s husband? Haisley hadn’t gotten the scoop on Daniel since she’d returned to town, but she would…
“We can go somewhere else. He hasn’t seen you yet.” Gracelyn pulled her phone from her stylish crossbody bag. “I can text Madison to let her know there’s been a change of plans.”
Haisley was trying to decide—stay or run—when Lissa Hollister tore past her and stomped out the exit. What was that about? She shouldn’t care. And she shouldn’t be surprised. The woman was infamous for playing hard to get.
Also not shocking, Nash didn’t go after her. He’d always been the love-’em-and-leave-’em type; he’d warned Haisley about that from the onset. Clearly, nothing had changed.
Then Nash turned in her direction, and she stopped caring about the blonde.
Time stood still. She felt rooted in place, blood thundering as Nash captured her gaze. Their stares fused.
Oh, god.
She struggled to breathe. Hell, she couldn’t even blink. Awareness goose pimpled her skin. She tingled. Her veins caught fire.
That hard-edged face she’d fallen for looked more rugged than ever. His expression wasn’t readable…but clearly she wasn’t welcome.
What had she expected? She’d been a mere convenience. He’d proven that when she’d left, and he hadn’t even tried to come after her. Just like he wasn’t coming across the room to see her now.
She had to face facts. Whatever had been between them had been temporary on his part and one-sided on hers.
“Haisley?” Gracelyn asked again. She sounded worried.
The sweetest of her friends always meant well, but… “Don’t worry. He’s not chasing me away or ruining our plans. Let’s get some drinks.”