Total pages in book: 133
Estimated words: 123212 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 616(@200wpm)___ 493(@250wpm)___ 411(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 123212 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 616(@200wpm)___ 493(@250wpm)___ 411(@300wpm)
“What does ‘take him down’ actually mean?”
“They lit an office building on fire, killing four people. They’ve planted spies. They’ve tried to plant evidence and have our businesses raided, even our home has been bugged at one point. They’ve wanted dad out of the picture for years but every effort has failed.”
“So, I guess it wasn’t such a stretch to assume it was them?”
“Nope. They’re probably cheering that the old man is gone, hoping that I’m going to be an easier target. It's no secret around here that I wasn’t exactly Dad’s biggest fan. They’re probably hoping that I’ll use this as my final fuck you to my father.”
I shake my head. “They've got another thing coming,” I tell him. “After what I saw in that meeting on Saturday morning, they’re going to be sorely disappointed.”
“Damn straight. I’m not going anywhere.”
I grin down at him, adoring his confidence. “You know, it’s kinda sexy when—”
A loud buzzer cuts me off and our eyes widen for a fraction before Colton jumps into action. He practically throws me off him and I scramble to my feet before hurrying after him into the office which holds all the surveillance equipment. “What alarm is that?” I call over the noise, hoping it doesn’t wake mom. Where the hell is his security team?
“It’s the front gate,” he says, looking up at the twenty monitors before him until he finds the right one. “Someone just entered an unauthorized code.”
“What?” I demand, my eyes widening as I watch the monitor with the front gate currently letting a driver through. “So, why the hell did it open?”
He shakes his head, putting an end to the buzzer. “I’ve got no fucking clue.”
“Okay, but do you recognize the car?”
“Nope,” he says, grabbing my hand and pulling me out into the hallway and leading me in the direction of the front door. “But we’re about to find out.”
We reach the foyer in record time and Colton instantly hits the front door, tearing it open and ready to face down the threat. He doesn’t cower behind the door nor does he try to peek through a window first, just throws himself headfirst out the door, ready to be a man and handle what’s coming for him. Honestly, I don’t know if I should be terrified for him, or if I should be grabbing him by the balls, throwing him down and riding him until the sun comes up. There’s nothing more attractive than a man who stands up and protects what’s his, and damn it, Colton has done that over and over again, even when the thing he’s protecting isn’t his to protect.
I stand at his side, having dealt with more than my fair share of uninvited party crashers, and stare ahead as a black Audi comes to a screeching stop at the bottom of the stairs. The suddenness of it has me flinching, but not Colton. He stands tall.
I can’t help but think of the story Colton had just finished telling me about the threat from the DeCarlo family and I find comfort in the fact that there are sixty-six steps between us and the black Audi. If guns are involved though, we’re fucked. I have Nic’s gun in my underwear drawer back in the pool house, but I highly doubt they’re going to wait a second for me to run back and grab it.
The car door flies open and I suck in a breath just moments before a stiletto boot drops down against the driveway.
The fuck? It’s a woman.
“That’s not your mom’s car, is it?”
Colton shakes his head and we watch with bated breath until the woman finally steps out of the car, and confuses the ever-loving shit out of us both.
Jacqueline Vanderbilt.
What the hell is she doing here late on a Tuesday night?
Colton’s body relaxes a bit and I follow his lead but I don’t relax entirely. He may not see her as a threat, but I’ve seen the devilish side of a woman and I know for a fact that bitches be crazy. Hell, I can be one of them myself.
She starts making her way up the stairs and as she finally reaches the top and steps right in front of Colton, my claws come out.
“What do you think you’re doing here?” Colton spits. “You sure as hell weren’t invited.”
“Oh, no?” she says, slipping a piece of paper from out of her bag and pressing it into Colton’s chest. “You should be welcoming me home, after all, I am your new mommy.”
What. The. Actual. Fuck?
Colton stares at her, completely horrified as I tear the paper out of his hands. “It’s a marriage certificate,” I murmur, scanning over the names.
He shakes his head. “No. There’s no way. Dad knows better than to get himself hitched.”
I hold the paper up. “It’s right here,” I say, showing him the proof.