Total pages in book: 48
Estimated words: 47758 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 239(@200wpm)___ 191(@250wpm)___ 159(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 47758 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 239(@200wpm)___ 191(@250wpm)___ 159(@300wpm)
“He’s got a bounty on his head,” Rick said. “By killing his father, my brother, there was a set of actions put in motion. My brother decided that if his death looked suspicious, someone would kill the person responsible.”
“Wow, you really do have a fucked-up family, don’t you?” she asked.
“Our problems aside, the only way we can protect him and put out the problem is bringing him in.”
“From the sounds of it, he can handle himself. You can’t find him. and you’re cleaning up all of his messes. Maybe it’s time you backed off and let him handle all the rest of the issues. He’s doing a better job than you.”
“True, but we have our reasoning. You will have a good life, Tulip. You won’t have to work in a shitty restaurant again. I know it sounds too good to be true.”
“It is. There is nothing to stop this Landon guy from killing me, is there?”
Rick stayed silent and she snorted.
“See, anything that’s too good to be true often is.”
“It’s a risk, but what else do you have to live for?” Rick asked.
“My life. It may not have been everything you could handle, but it’s mine. I like my life and just because you don’t see the attraction doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy it.” She’d come a long way from a girl on the streets fighting for her life, and she wasn’t about to let anyone take it from her.
“I’m going to let you finish bathing now. You’ve already struck a deal with me. I consider it a promise, and you will uphold your end of the bargain. If not, I’ll kill you myself.”
Chapter Four
Days later
Tulip was bored … again.
They didn’t trust her.
Fine. She didn’t need to be trusted but being locked up in a room with nothing to do was starting to piss her off. They had no right to keep her here against her will and the longer they did it, the angrier she got.
Pacing the length of the room, she looked at the door.
Rick had already taken her back to the bedroom. They’d brought her clothes, which another brother, Abel, scary bastard that he was, had given her. She’d settled on a pair of jeans and a long shirt with some kind of pattern on it that swirled together in the shape of a flower but it wasn’t the same color of any flower she’d ever seen. She’d pulled her hair back into a bun.
Now though, being locked up, it was starting to drive her crazy. She needed to get the fuck out of there.
Stepping up to the door, she turned the handle and paused. It opened.
Why did it open?
She moved back from the door, not trusting it. The door shouldn’t have opened. Every other time she’d tried it, the door had been locked.
Why was today any different? Had Rick left it unlocked?
She shook her head. Either way, it was a chance.
Moving into the hall, she looked left and right. Without waiting for any kind of cue, she quickly rushed in the direction that took her to the stairs. There was no guard, nothing.
When she got to the final staircase, she looked around the wall to find a guard at the door.
He paced, holding a gun in his hand. The first time she’d seen a guard with a gun, she’d been terrified. Guns weren’t on the streets in clear view back in England.
The guard got a call and she watched in amazement as he left his post. The door was all clear. This couldn’t be happening. Did Rick Denton really think she wouldn’t make a run for it?
Even so, he was a fool.
She ran to the door and was shocked to see no more guards. Heading off toward the gate and to her freedom, she ran like crazy, even out of air, she kept on running. The gate was open and as she burst through, she felt victorious. She was out of the house, out of her prison, and running home free. She had no reason to return or even to stop.
Now that she was free, she kept on running.
Whatever reason they had for letting her go, she was going to take it.
She didn’t know how long she ran for, but she came to a stop outside of a shop. Glancing at the time, she saw it was a little after eleven.
Then, what she’d just done came rushing back to her. She’d run from Rick Denton, out in the world, in a land with no passport, identification, or money.
“Fuck!”
That was why Rick had done this. She’d walked right into his trap and she’d done so willingly.
He’d done it on purpose because he’d known she would leave. Only now, she’d messed up. She didn’t have a single chance out on the streets.
“Fuckety fuck.”
****
“You’re just going to let her get away?” Jacob asked.