Total pages in book: 92
Estimated words: 86240 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 431(@200wpm)___ 345(@250wpm)___ 287(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 86240 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 431(@200wpm)___ 345(@250wpm)___ 287(@300wpm)
A fancy sedan pulled up as we broke the tree line. Shawn opened the door and slid me in. I tried to move quickly as he got in next to me and slammed the door shut.
“Go,” he called out.
An attractive woman bobbed her head before facing forward to follow his directions. The oddest sensation crept over me. Jealousy. I’d never felt that for anyone ever before. It puzzled me why I would feel it now. I didn’t know this man, let alone claimed him as mine. Yet there it was. The green-eyed monster was glaring daggers at the woman in front of me.
I swung my head in the direction of a masculine chuckle and found Shawn smirking at me.
“Kelsey’s just our driver for the night,” he said with a knowing smile.
Embarrassment covered my face like rose blossoms. Without looking at him, I asked an important question. “Are you taking me home?”
His answer meant everything for who I’d imagined him to be.
“No,” he said, breaking my heart for the first of many times to come.
13
MATT
If there was one thing I hated, it was the look I’d put in her eyes. Lying to her about my name was a necessary evil. I didn’t know how loyal she was to her brother. He wanted me dead and would likely use any information he could find out about me against me. I couldn’t put my twin or my parents at risk for my choice of career.
There was one thing I could do, and that was give her an option. “If you go home, you’ll put your family at risk. Ruin will know I double-crossed him. He will only want to take you back. And wasn’t your sister the original target?”
She clamped her mouth shut and curled into the opposite corner of the back seat. I almost said something when she closed her eyes. But there was nothing I could say that would make this better.
After a while, Tayla’s breathing evened out, and I guessed she fell asleep. I hated even more that I’d left the creepy little monster alive. There were many ways to kill a man, but there had been too many witnesses for me to get out clean. Tayla had been the priority.
I asked Kelsey, “Did he get out?” I didn’t say Griff’s name. I didn’t know yet how far I could trust Tayla. Kelsey would know who I was talking about.
“He’s staying until the group leaves.” She meant the catering team he’d infiltrated. “By the way, we found a place for you to stay. I’m taking you there now. We’ll drop off your stuff and things for her later.”
She didn’t give me any details, just handed me a key card. Again, she was being just as cautious as I was.
I said nothing else and closed my eyes. I had a feeling it was going to be a long night. We arrived at a building in downtown a while later. It wasn’t a hotel, so I assumed Griff had rented an apartment.
Gently, I rested my hand on Tayla’s shoulder and shook her slightly. Her eyes opened wide with alarm for a second. It made me hate Ruin more. No telling what happened to her when he had her in his clutches.
I quickly released her and held my hands up. If anyone understood her trauma, it was me.
“We’re here. Can you walk?” I asked. She lifted one bare foot. Apparently, she’d lost a shoe in my urgency for us to leave so we wouldn’t be followed. I nodded. “I’ll carry you then.”
After I exited the vehicle with a nod to Kelsey, I scooped Tayla into my arms once again. Without adrenaline coursing through me, I noticed for the first time how incredibly light she was. Her eyes drooped, and I wondered again what Ruin had given her.
The doorman cleared the way for us, and there was suspicion in his eyes. I couldn’t blame him with all the stories out there about abducted women. I only hoped he wouldn’t call the cops. I made my way to the elevator with purpose, as if I’d been there a thousand times when it was my first. Kelsey had written the floor and suite number on a Post-it stuck to the key card. I used the card to access the elevator and waited. When it arrived, an older couple exited.
“Is she okay?” the older man asked. “Does she need help?” the woman added.
Tayla opened her eyes and gave them a sleepy smile. “It’s our honeymoon,” she said.
I grinned for more than one reason. First, because she’d clued in on how we must look and had been aware enough to make the statement. The second reason was that even though I hardly knew this woman, the idea we were honeymooners pleased me. It wasn’t as if I loved her. I didn’t know her. Even so, a grin remained on my face.