Total pages in book: 150
Estimated words: 136791 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 684(@200wpm)___ 547(@250wpm)___ 456(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 136791 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 684(@200wpm)___ 547(@250wpm)___ 456(@300wpm)
“Yeah, I get that.”
She exhales. "Cade, I've been–" She stops talking and laughs, saying my name. "Did you seriously just run over here?"
My hand on my cock stops moving. "What?"
"I just told you that I don't want space, and now you're in my living room," she says, laughing sweetly.
Fuck. Oh, fuck.
My heart stops beating, pure terror pumping through my veins instead of blood.
"January, I'm not in your house," I tell her, trying to remain calm even though I've never been so fucking scared in my life.
I leap out of the bed and grab my personal gun from the nightstand. I don't even bother putting on clothes as I rush through the house, so fucking afraid for her that I can't breathe.
"Cade," she whimpers. The sheer terror in her voice guts me.
"Hide, baby girl," I order.
"Please hurry," she pleads, that sweet voice shaking with fear.
"I love you. I'm coming for you," I swear to her. "Hide."
I don't want to hang up with her, but I have to call for backup. A frustrated sob rips from my lips when I dial Roman's number and it goes straight to voicemail. I hit the end button and dial Santiago, knowing damn well I'll have better luck getting someone here calling him than I do calling 911. It's Los Angeles. Response times are ridiculous.
"Yo," Santiago says, sounding wide awake.
"Someone's in January's house," I practically yell at him, flinging my front door open and running down the steps. I don't even shut the door behind me. "Get here, now."
"On my way!"
I disconnect the phone and toss it…somewhere. I don't know where. All I can think about is January. Her house is still dark, but the front door is standing partially open. I growl in frustration that her alarm isn't going off, and vow to spank her ass for not setting the damn thing.
I keep to the shadows as I slip up the steps onto the porch. I place my feet carefully, avoiding all the areas that creak and groan so whoever is inside doesn't hear me coming. The door squeaks faintly when I push it open wide enough to fit through. My gaze bounces around the room, but it's dark. The only light comes from the LEDs on the electronics.
A muted glow comes from beneath January's door. The sight makes my stomach churn violently. Whoever came in would have seen the same thing. If they're here to hurt her, they probably went right for it.
I'm fucking terrified that's exactly what happened. I know in my bones Kaleo came for her because of me.
Please be hiding, baby girl. Fuck, please.
I creep down the hall, keeping my gun steady. It takes me longer than I'd like to get to her door since I have to check each room on the way to make sure they're clear.
A soft rustling comes from inside her room as I step up outside it, keeping my back to the wall. The door is cracked open, but I can't see anything except for a tiny sliver of her bed and the nightstand.
A shadow moves, but I can't tell if it's her or if it's someone else.
"Please don't do this," January whispers, pleading with someone.
The sound of her voice damn near drops me to my knees. The last little hope I had that she's safe dies.
The fear in her voice has rage sinking its claws into me like a winged demon. I'm going to fucking murder whoever is in there for coming into her space. For scaring her. For daring to touch what's mine.
"Your boy should have fucking stayed gone!" Kaleo bellows.
Oh, this stupid motherfucker.
I push the door open, growling loudly when I see him and January. He's standing in front of the closet with his back to the wall like he's been waiting for me and wanted to make sure he saw me coming. He's got her pressed up against his body, using her like a shield as he aims a gun at her head. His gaze flies to mine when he sees me standing there with my gun pointed at him.
He looks like shit. His designer clothes are dirty. Mud splatters his white Jays, turning them a dirty brown color. He hasn't shaved since I last saw him, and his goatee is getting long and starting to cross from unkempt to plain fucking messy.
The crazed glint in his eyes and the scar on his face make him look like a wild animal backed into a corner.
He's holding onto January so tightly her feet dangle off the floor. There's a necklace in her hands, the chain wrapped tightly around her wrist. She's wearing a tank top and the same tiny pair of shorts she was in on my first night back here.
"Cade," she whimpers, sounding so fucking scared.
I desperately want to tell her everything is okay, but I can't. I can't look into her eyes either. If I do, I'll lose my mind, and I can't do that right now. I need to focus on Kaleo. On keeping her safe from the son of a bitch.