Total pages in book: 34
Estimated words: 31257 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 156(@200wpm)___ 125(@250wpm)___ 104(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 31257 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 156(@200wpm)___ 125(@250wpm)___ 104(@300wpm)
"So, what? You decided to look at the camera and hope you got caught to ease your conscience?" I ask. "You committed a felony, Troy."
"Believe me, I'm aware. But I didn't fucking sign up to shoot at anyone. If he's willing to kill you, what do you think he's willing to do to me?" he asks, one brow arched. "I'll take my chances with the law."
"Then why hide?"
"The photos," he mutters. "Silar wouldn't hand them over unless I skipped town with him. I think he knew I'd go straight to Dillon. I laid low with him until I got my hands on the photos, and then I bounced."
I eye him, not sure if I believe him or not. People do stupid things all the time, but this is an entirely new level of stupid. "What was in the photos?"
He presses his lips together, refusing to tell me…which is answer enough, I suppose. Whatever was in them is bad. Bad enough to make a felony like this seem like a viable alternative. I'm not sure I want to know the particulars. Men with money tend to think they can do whatever they want to whoever they want. It's disgusting.
Troy isn't a hero. He isn't a good guy, either. He's just one who hasn't learned yet that there is no atonement for some things. He's here because he thinks it balances the cosmic scale. It doesn't. Throwing himself at my mercy won't absolve him of whatever guilt he carries for what he did back then. It won't make him sleep better at night.
"If what you say is true, you need to tell the sheriff."
"I know." He blows out a breath. "I just wanted to talk to you first."
"You want me to plead your case."
He shrugs almost bashfully. He isn't bashful though. It's an act, one he's perfected in his life. If you're charming enough, people do what you want. Unfortunately for him, I'm not easily charmed.
"What was in the photos, Troy?"
"It doesn't matter. It was a long time ago."
"Will it matter to the girl in the photos?" I ask quietly.
He flinches, and I know I'm right. My stomach turns.
"Plead your own case," I say, disgusted. I'm not helping him. He doesn't deserve it.
"Aspen, please." He takes a step toward me.
"Take another fucking step and you're going to be eating through a straw, motherfucker," Giant growls, stepping into the kitchen from the hallway.
Troy wheels around to face him, shocked.
"Surprise, motherfucker." Giant grins at him, the gun in his hands steady. "Bet you didn't expect to see me, did you?"
Troy doesn't say anything. He just stares at him for a long moment. And then something in him…shifts. I'm not sure how else to describe it. It's eerie. One minute, he's just standing there, staring at Giant in silent resignation. The next, he blinks and spins toward me, his expression completely blank. He takes a step in my direction and then another, quickly closing the distance between us.
Giant doesn't hesitate. He fires.
I squeeze my eyes closed as Troy stumbles to a stop…and falls.
Chapter Thirteen
Noah
"Are you coming?" Colter asks, poking his head into my room through the passthrough door adjoining our rooms.
"What? Where?"
Colter's brows furrow as he steps fully into my room. "What the fuck is going on with you? You've been tense and distracted all day."
"I can't get ahold of Aspen." It's been hours since I last heard from her, and she's not the only one not answering. I've tried Cormac, Dillon, and Jack, too. No one is answering. No one has called me back yet, either.
The pit that opened in my stomach when I left this morning keeps yawning wider. Something is wrong. Aspen wouldn't ignore my calls given the situation. Neither would Cormac or Jack.
"Shit," Colter says, pulling his phone from his pocket. "I'll call Razor and see if he's heard anything." Razor Montgomery, his brother-in-law, runs in the same circles as Cormac and Dillon. And Razor's twin, Ryker, used to work for the CIA. If anyone can get me info, Razor can.
"Thanks," I mutter, pacing across the hotel room. There's not much room to accomplish it, but I need to move. I'm going stir crazy. Actually, I think I'm just losing it in general. Not knowing what's going on is stressing me the fuck out. Honestly, not being there right now is what's stressing me the fuck out.
Leaving her in the middle of this shit doesn't feel right. I should be with her right now, not seven hours away. Maybe this is why we never met when Nash and I played together. The universe or whatever knew she'd change my entire future. It knew as soon as I met her, my priorities would shift.
Hockey was my life once upon a time. Right now, it's the thing standing between me and the woman who makes me feel alive. I never thought I'd see the day I wanted something else more, but that day is here. It arrived the moment I met her, I think.