Total pages in book: 105
Estimated words: 97557 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 488(@200wpm)___ 390(@250wpm)___ 325(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 97557 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 488(@200wpm)___ 390(@250wpm)___ 325(@300wpm)
"Perfect. I’m going to need your car to get us back to The Mill. Text Aries and tell him to get there asap, because we have official Mill business. That should be a good enough excuse to get him out of whatever the hell it is he’s doing with his father.”
“Yes, sir.” Lee smirks, with a mock salute, and then hands me the keys to his Jeep. Easing my grasp on Elyse, I tug the keys to my Porsche from my pocket and pass them to him. His gaze examines me from the inside out. “What’s the plan?”
“Aries will marry us as soon as he gets to the Mill. With my last name, her father won't be able to touch her.”
His expression sobers. “Are you sure this is what you want to do? Marriage is commitment.”
That’s a loaded question. Am I sure? No. I’d love to do things the right way with Elyse, to give her what she really deserves—time, and room for love to grow—but that’s not the option we’ve been given.
“If I could do it differently I would, but I can’t.”
He nods, and I know he understands. Life is nothing more than trial and error. Things don’t always work out the way you hope, but I have to believe they work out the way they’re supposed to. That’s the way it is.
Turning my attention back to Elyse, I ready myself for a fight and pinch the pill between my fingers. She’s staring down at her hands, a haunted expression on her face.
Does she see blood on her hands? Does she feel guilt?
I hate knowing she went through all of this alone, that she was forced to protect herself when it was my fucking job. My self-flagellation won’t ease her pain, though, or make her forget what she did. I can’t change the past, only the future, and that’s what I plan to do. Ensure her safety for as long as she is breathing. It’s going to be a while before she makes peace with what she had to do, but eventually she’ll be okay.
"I know you’re afraid of what’s going to happen next, but you don’t have to be. You’re not alone. I’m right here. I’ll protect you.”
“Protect me?” She shakes her head. “Protect me so you can kill me later? No, thanks. I’d rather spend my life on the run.”
“I won’t hurt you, Elyse. I want to help you, but in order to do that, I need you to calm down. Lee gave me a Xanax to give you. I’d prefer you take it of your own free will, but if you won’t I will do what I need to do to get it in your mouth.”
This time she glances up at me and then away, like she fears meeting my eyes for too long. I’m waiting for her to react, for her to start fighting, but there’s nothing in her eyes now, only a brief glance at me and then back down at her hands.
"Ely, do we need a replay of the last time we did this? I think you’ve been through enough today. Take the pill, lie down, and sleep for a little while.”
She gives me another furtive glance. “You’re no better than him or my father, and you might be able to make me marry you, but you can’t make me love you.”
I can tell she means it, but it doesn’t matter. Her feelings and opinion mean little to me when it comes to her safety. It fucking hurts, but I’ll deal.
Almost viciously, she snatches the pill from my fingers and shoves it between her lips. Her throat bobs as she swallows it dry, before I can give her the bottle of water in the front seat cup holder.
“I know you’re upset, but it will help. I promise.”
“No. Nothing will help me. I’m damned no matter what I do. I’ve freed myself from one monster only to be captured by another.”
I hate her projection of me, but it’s what I get for waiting until her memories of that night returned. Does she remember everything? Is that why she hates me so much now?
“If you think I’m a monster, then so be it. I’ll play whatever part you want me to if it means you’re safe.”
“I don’t think anything! I know you’re a monster. We’re all monsters now. ” She spits the words at me like she thinks they’ll hurt me, but she doesn’t know the half of it. Nothing she says will ever have the impact that realizing she was kidnapped had on me.
I grab the door handle, opening it while maintaining my hold on her. As much as I hate to let her go, I have to if I want to get us back to the Mill. So while it pains me, I push the open passenger door, arrange her on the seat, then rush around to the driver’s side, climb in, and start the Jeep.