Total pages in book: 214
Estimated words: 199879 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 999(@200wpm)___ 800(@250wpm)___ 666(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 199879 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 999(@200wpm)___ 800(@250wpm)___ 666(@300wpm)
The car begins to move, and Haidyn pulls his cell from his suit jacket to text someone. My first thought is that it’s Saint. He’s telling him how bad I look. Or how mopey I’ve been since Saint left me.
I take a deep breath, trying to calm my nerves. “Why are we here?” I blurt out in the silence.
He looks up at me from his phone. His fingers pause over the keys. “Because of our fathers—”
“I don’t mean life.” I interrupt him. “Right here. Right now.” He knows I’m not talking about the Lords. “Why are we going to dinner, Haidyn? You’ve avoided me since I’ve returned. Why the sudden interest?” I cross my arms over my chest.
His eyes are trained on mine, and I shift in my seat. The Spade brothers have a way of making you feel naked when you’re fully dressed. He drops his eyes to his phone and returns to texting. After a few seconds, he pockets his cell and looks back at me. “I wanted a better life for you.”
My stomach drops. They sound so much like my mother. “I…I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I roll my eyes, acting like his words don’t bother me.
“I’ve always loved you, Ashtyn.”
My pulse races. “Haidyn—”
“Not in the sisterly love sort of way because that would be gross. Considering I’ve fucked you.” His eyes drop to my crossed legs, and I shift in the leather seat. “Also, not enough to want to spend the rest of my life with you.” I frown, and he chuckles. “Romantic, right? You were supposed to be my chosen.”
“No—”
“You were.” He interrupts me. “Your father had a meeting with mine. I walked in on them discussing our future. I said I wouldn’t do it. At the time, I knew that Saint was obsessed with you. He was always watching you, and when you weren’t around, you were all he ever wanted to talk about. Every move you made, he knew, therefore we all knew as well. You couldn’t hold a conversation with him that didn’t turn to you at some point.”
I scoot closer to the edge of my seat.
“My father didn’t give a shit what I wanted.” He laughs. “Surprise. You were going to be mine. I thought I wasn’t going to have a choice. But one day, I overheard a phone conversation. Saint had already gone to your father, and it was decided that you would be given to Saint.”
“What was the deal that my father proposed?” I ask.
“Does it matter?” He shakes his head, answering his own question. “Not anymore.”
“Of course, it does,” I snap.
“What? You going to leave Saint?” He laughs at his own question. “You already tried that once.” His eyes drop to my chest this time, and I take in a deep breath. “A little piece of advice. If you plan on trying that again, make sure to kill him. Otherwise, you’ll never get away with it.”
I sit back in my seat and huff. Glaring out of my window, I watch as the trees go by too fast to count.
“Why do you think I did what I did that night?” he speaks again.
I look back at him before my gaze drops to my hands.
“You never thought about it?”
About why he did what he did? No. I was raised not to question the Lords. There are no rhymes or reasons. It just is. “I just thought—”
The driver interrupts me. “Sir?”
“Yeah?” he asks, looking over my shoulder.
“We’ve got company. Two black SUVs and a black cargo van.”
Haidyn spins around to look out the back glass. “Shit,” he hisses. “Get over here and put your seat belt on,” he barks at me.
I scramble to get over next to him and buckle up, my heart suddenly racing. “Do you know who it is?” I rush out.
“No.” He gets down on his knees and pulls out a drawer that seems to be underneath the seat I was sitting in. Several guns are inside, and he pulls one out. He checks the chamber and the magazine before returning to his seat. “Lose them,” he commands the driver while removing his suit jacket.
“Yes, sir,” the driver says and then hits the gas.
My seat belt tightens across my chest.
“Ash—”
We’re hit from behind, slamming us forward. The seat belt sits so high on my neck that it chokes
me.
“I said fucking lose them!” Haidyn snaps at the man.
“Trying to, sir…”
We’re hit again, and Haidyn’s arm lands across my chest to hold me back as if my seat belt isn’t going to do its job.
“Here.” Haidyn leans over the back bench seat. Then he’s removing my seat belt and placing something over my head. “What is this?” I ask, my hands shaking.
“It’s a bulletproof vest.” He pulls the Velcro across my chest and stomach so tight I can barely breathe.