Total pages in book: 42
Estimated words: 38998 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 195(@200wpm)___ 156(@250wpm)___ 130(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 38998 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 195(@200wpm)___ 156(@250wpm)___ 130(@300wpm)
Finally, Dante stepped forward and Kane and I backed off. Pascal strained to turn his body straight to look up at Dante, who pulled a gun from the breast of his coat and pointed it down at him.
“N-no,” Pascal begged.
“Keep your mouth shut in your next life,” Dante growled, and then he pulled the trigger and the sound of the shot rocketed through the space, deafening for the moment, and then silence. Dante returned his gun to its place in his suit coat and then turned his back to the scene. “Get this cleaned up.”
As Dante walked out of the warehouse, Kane pulled out his bag that contained all manner of cleaning supplies and a tarp for wrapping Pascal’s body in. I grabbed the wrapped body, threw it over my shoulder, and made my way out of the warehouse, towards the river I knew was just outside. Dante had planned our meeting location with intention.
Dante was already sitting in the back of the car waiting. I threw the body in the river, aiming specifically for the area where I knew it would get swept downstream, and by the time I was turning around, Kane was leaving the warehouse, his bag in hand. Kane climbed into the driver’s side of the car, and I into the passenger’s, and without any words exchanging between us, we started off for home.
Sadie
I wasn’t sure when I’d fallen asleep, but I was suddenly waking up. Part of me was hoping that I would wake up in my bed at home, but I was even more concerned that part of me wasn’t.
That kiss I shared with Dante still shivered across my body and was making me hot just thinking about it. As I oriented myself, I realized I was still tied to the bed, but fortunately, I was also still clothed and untouched. The original fear I had when I was first brought to the home had diminished some, and now I was more annoyed than anything. I didn’t like not being in control of body, and I would at least feel better if I could move without restriction.
I’d been there longer than a day by my estimation. A little manhandling aside, nothing bad had happened to me. I remembered the look of sly certainty on Dante’s face when he assured me he wouldn’t drug a woman to have his way with her. Maybe he really was just the kind of guy who takes what he wants, but not to a barbaric point. Maybe I could trust him?
I looked out into the room, but it was night, and there were no lights, so the room was nearly pitch black. I could make out the hazy visage of a shadowy figure in the corner, but I couldn’t tell exactly who it was.
“Dante?” I called out, and I hated how I sounded almost hopeful.
The figure in the corner shifted, and my heart leaped up into my throat thinking it was Dante. It stood up from the chair it was in and made its way close enough that I could see it. It was not Dante, but one of the twins who’d done the snatch and grab at my apartment. With me unable to do much else at the moment besides look at him, I could focus more on his looks. He was pretty good looking himself. He had dirty blond hair, and light blue eyes that nearly glowed, even in the darkness. He was stacked, with thick muscles and broad shoulders. His lips curled into a smile that was somehow more relaxed than the ones I’d received so far from Dante.
“Which twin are you?” I asked, a shake to my voice.
“It’s Apollo.” His voice was resonant, low, and sexy. “It’s my turn to babysit.”
I didn’t appreciate the tone of his voice as though I asked to be kidnapped and held captive. “If you aren’t interested, you can just let me go.”
Apollo crossed his thick arms. “No, I won’t be doing that.”
“Why?” I hissed. “Why do you just do what he says? Why do you all obey him without question?”
“I couldn’t tell you about anyone else, but my brother and I owe him everything. We’ve struggled our whole lives, and Dante took us away from that, paid for our educations, and gave us jobs. He doesn’t just sign my paycheck, he’s my cousin, and I’d die for him,” Apollo exalted.
My confidence that I may find a bit of help emptied out instantly. It wasn’t just another guard, it was a relative, and a dedicated one at that. “So it’s a family affair?” I asked.
Apollo grinned. “More than you could ever understand. We’re closer than your average cousins; the tightest-knit you can find. We share everything with one another… even women.” The fear that I’d only moments before decided was going away, came back full force. What did it mean, that they shared women? Before I could ask, Apollo held up a hand. “Relax. There’s no need to worry. We’ll never touch you unless Dante allows it, and only if you’re okay with it.”