Total pages in book: 158
Estimated words: 160684 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 803(@200wpm)___ 643(@250wpm)___ 536(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 160684 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 803(@200wpm)___ 643(@250wpm)___ 536(@300wpm)
Steele was in a meeting off-site and Grady had gone to check on something at one of Steele’s other businesses.
She texted Brooks to make sure he was all right, but got nothing back.
Standing in the parking lot, she couldn’t see anyone.
Suddenly, a car sped toward her from the street. She stepped back, getting a funny feeling. The window dropped open, and was that . . . was that a gun?
She froze, hearing the crack of a gun firing just as someone raced toward her.
“Effie! Down!” She ducked just as she swore she felt a bullet coming past her face. She knew that was ridiculous. But her imagination was in overdrive.
The person who had been running toward her, grabbed her and dragged her behind a car as another bullet came at her.
Breathing heavily, she stared up at the man who’d helped her as he peered over the car.
“All right, they’re gone. Let’s go.”
There was a commotion behind them, people coming out of Pinkies and yelling.
“Get back inside!” the man yelled as he wrapped his arm around her and half-carried her into the building.
“Effie? Effie!” Her girls were suddenly there, surrounding her. She clung to them, her body trembling. She felt better inside Pinkies, but she knew she wouldn’t feel safe until she had her men with her.
Where were they? She needed them.
“I . . . I n-need . . . I . . .”
Why was it so hard to breathe?
The room around her was spinning. Where were Grady and Steele?
“She’s having a panic attack! Effie, look at me. Breathe in slow. Then out.”
She peered up into the man’s face. She knew him.
“You . . . banged into . . . pharmacy.”
“Yeah. I’ve been, uh, watching you,” he confessed. “I wanted to use you to get to Steele. Then I saw that asshole speeding up as you came out of Pinkies and I knew it wasn’t good. Knew it really wasn’t good when you were just standing there, frozen.” He placed his hands on her shoulders.
“Any idea why someone would want to kill you?”
Steele tapped his fingers on his thigh as Raul raced them to Pinkies, trying to keep the panic from engulfing him.
He’d just gotten off the phone with Lex.
Someone tried to kill Effie.
Why would anyone try to kill Effie?
He should have been there. He’d nearly lost her again!
And he hadn’t fucking been there!
Before the car came to a stop, he was out and running toward Pinkies. Lex was standing at the front door, but he couldn’t stop to talk to him.
He had to find her.
“Steele, everyone is inside. That guy Wolfe is in there too.”
He paused. “What? Wolfe? Was he the one who shot at her?”
Lex gave him a strange look. “No, he was the one who saved her.”
Steele stormed into Pinkies. He needed her. Needed to see that she was all right. Everyone was in the main room, gathered around Effie.
Chardonnay and Tessie had her between them, but everyone was hovering close by. Because they all loved Effie.
Then he noticed the man standing off to the side. He was leaning against the stage, his gaze on Effie. But when Steele entered, that gaze went to him.
Wolfe.
“Damon!” she cried as she saw him. Jumping up, she raced toward him, nearly tripping over her own feet. Several hands reached out to grab her.
Steele swept her up into his arms, holding her against his chest.
She was all right. She was all right.
He could finally breathe since the moment he took that call.
Fuck. Fuck!
This couldn’t happen again. He was wrapping her up in cotton wool. He wasn’t letting her out of his sight, and if he had to, he was putting a bodyguard on her.
Nothing was going to happen to her.
“Are you all right? Are you injured?” He drew her back to frantically run his hands over her. “Effie?”
“I’m not hurt. I’m fine. I promise. I promise.”
Fuck. He couldn’t get a handle on himself. All he could think about was how he could have lost her.
“Effie!”
Turning, he saw Grady walking into the room. His gaze was intense. Hard. He moved to them, coming behind them to run his hands over her back.
“Is she all right?” Grady asked.
Steele nodded. Physically. But emotionally? That was another story.
Steele handed her off to Grady, who held her tight, talking to her quietly. His face was pale, and he looked as scared as Steele felt.
“What do you want us to do?” Nate asked, walking over to him.
“We’re not opening. Tell Lex. No one leaves until I find out what is going on. Trev at one door. Lex at the other. Nate, you take care of everyone here. Wolfe.”
The other man looked over at him. His face was hard. Angry.
“You’re with us.”
Steele led them upstairs. Wolfe, then Grady carrying Effie.
He couldn’t hear what Grady was saying to her, but he could hear her soft sobs and it made him furious.