Total pages in book: 71
Estimated words: 69330 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 347(@200wpm)___ 277(@250wpm)___ 231(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 69330 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 347(@200wpm)___ 277(@250wpm)___ 231(@300wpm)
“A word of warning,” he said. “One command from me, and her son is dead. Or no word, and he dies too.”
“Get out,” Bono said, opening the door and pulling Doumar by his coat lapel.
They entered a deserted building and took a staircase to the first floor. There, Sky stopped dead. Niels was huddled in a corner, crying softly, and Diamond’s big jaw was wrapped around his small neck.
Chapter 12
“It’s all right, baby,” Sky said with a tremor in her voice. “Mommy is here.”
An urge to protect his woman and her child, a child he’d already accepted as his own, rushed through Bono’s veins. The inborn instinct of survival demanded that he crush Doumar’s skull, but he had enough logic left to understand the danger of such a move.
The dog was a trained killer. If he touched Doumar, Diamond would attack, starting with the boy she held in the vise of her powerful jaw. Even if he shot the animal with a bullet that killed on impact, there was a too big chance its jaw would close, severing Niels’s veins and snapping his neck.
“Call off your dog,” Bono hissed.
There was no other way. Next to him, Sky shivered. She looked like she was going to be sick. Seeing her like this infuriated him further. Goddamn, he hated his helplessness.
“If you kill me, Diamond will attack.” Doumar spat at Sky’s feet. “I knew I shouldn’t have trusted you.”
“I said call off your dog.”
“Or what?”
“Let Doumar go, Bono,” Cain said.
Cain’s calm voice somewhat grounded him, helping to shake some of the uncontrollable fury. The last thing he wanted to do was let the fucker go, but he didn’t have a choice.
Bono clenched his teeth and pushed Doumar away with a shove.
Doumar adjusted his coat. “Thank you.”
“What do you want?” Cain asked.
“M-mommy,” Niels said through soft sobs.
Diamond growled.
Sky raised her palms in an awkward stance, as if she couldn’t decide if she wanted to reach for Niels or silence him. Her hands shook like flimsy sheets of paper in the wind. “Shh, baby.”
“I want you to choose,” Doumar said to Sky. “Your son, or Mr. Black.”
She stared at Doumar through her tears. “You’re crazy.”
“If you choose your son, we leave here together as we’ve always meant to be.”
“We’ve never meant to be together.”
“You’re mine!”
Sky reached for Doumar’s hand, wrapping her fingers around his palm. “It’s over, Doumar. You’re going to die. Don’t cross over fighting the inevitable with violence.”
He jerked his hand from hers. “You’re lying.”
“Have I ever lied about the future?”
His eyes narrowed. “You think you can use that trump card on me? I know you better than you know yourself.”
“You don’t care about us. Just let us go.”
“Never. I don’t have to care about you. I only get to keep you. Make up your mind, whore. Who will it be? Your lover or your child?”
Bono’s hands curled into fists by his sides. “Don’t you dare insult her.”
“Much good your warnings do. You told me before not to hurt her, and oh, I did. I made her hurt good for kissing you. Did you know I cut off her hair and made her crawl through the dirt, naked, after she licked my boots clean? Want to kill me for it? Come on, shoot me. Let’s see what happens to Niels when you do.”
Of all the things in the world, this was the lowest blow. The knowledge that he’d been responsible for Sky’s suffering overpowered whatever self-control he had left. Bono’s whole body tensed, preparing for attack, but Cain held him back with a hand. If it wasn’t for Cain’s hard grip, pulling him back to his senses, he would’ve missed the look that passed between Cain and Sara.
“Let the boy go,” Cain said. “He’s not part of your fight with Mr. Black.”
Doumar ignored him. “What will it be, Sky? You have one second to decide.”
Sky looked at Bono with a plea in her eyes. There were so many emotions swirling in those beautiful, sad depths—regret, apology, fear, and quiet resolve to accept the fate Doumar proposed to save her son. He wanted to wipe all of those tormenting feelings away and replace them with the happiness she deserved.
“Thought so,” Doumar said with a satisfied nod when Sky didn’t answer. “I’ll call the dog off with a silent whistle when Sky and I are a safe distance away. If you leave peacefully, no harm will come to her boy. Diamond will bring him to us.”
The dog released its hold on the boy and gave a soft yelp. Niels shivered in fear when Diamond licked his face before running over to Sara and heeling at her side. Bono knew she was using her art to control the animal, but Doumar had no idea why his fighter dog disobeyed.
“What the fuck?” he yelled. “Diamond, hold!”
The dog barked but didn’t move.