Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 79261 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 396(@200wpm)___ 317(@250wpm)___ 264(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79261 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 396(@200wpm)___ 317(@250wpm)___ 264(@300wpm)
They drove us to a house I’d never been to. I had no idea where we even were. We were out in the middle of nowhere. Everything was as immaculate in this place as his condo was. I imagined it was another one of his properties.
Once we arrived, I cleaned up and changed into some of his clothes. Dying to feel close to him. Mine were ruined, covered in his blood. I’d be burning them now. I nervously stayed out of everyone’s way, simply waiting for my turn to be with him. I’d wait all night if I had to.
I wasn’t going anywhere.
I couldn’t believe he took a bullet for me…
I sat there in shock for I don’t know how long. I was in a daze, trying to keep my emotions in check but feeling as if I was failing miserably.
What the hell is happening?
One thing was for sure—if I thought I was falling for him before…
Well this, this just added a whole ass other level I wasn’t expecting, and I didn’t know what scared me more.
My feelings for him.
Or the life that he led.
LUKE
“Got it,” Dr. Reyes informed, throwing the bloody bullet that was in my left shoulder onto the table. “Clean hit, too. Didn’t nick any nerves. I’ll stitch you up, and it should close within a week. You’re lucky. Could have been your heart.” He pointed at my heart before he added, “I’ll be right back.”
When he was out of sight, Shawn questioned, “How the fuck did they get on the compound? That place is fucking Fort Knox. Who do you think let them in?”
My mind was reeling.
It could have been anyone, including Shawn, and I wasn’t dumb enough to think otherwise. For years, I had loyalty, and that wasn’t something I ever took for granted. Now, I had traitors among me who were supposed to be like family. I didn’t know who I could trust and that was the hardest pill to swallow.
I had to solve this on my own.
One versus who the fuck knows…
I didn’t reply to Shawn, mostly because my arm throbbed, and I could only focus on that. Reyes didn’t use any numbing. I didn’t want to wait to get stitched up, and I had already waited too long. I was feeling the effect of losing too much blood and feeling woozy.
Sitting through him poking around, trying to find the bullet, then stitching me up was proving to lay me out on my ass. He walked back in a few minutes later and stitched and patched me up. I had him on the payroll for unexpected situations like these, so he was used to seeing all sorts of fucked-up shit. He was a surgeon I met on the side, and for the right amount of money, anyone can be bought.
I just didn’t think my men would turn on me, and that was my fuckup.
“How many more times will I have to stitch you up?” Reyes reprimanded.
My eyes shifted to his. “As many as it takes to make sure this doesn’t happen again.”
He shook his head, disappointed. When he was done, he placed a bottle of pain pills on the nightstand and left. I downed three of them with whiskey as a chaser. I don’t know how long I sat there, leaning my head against the headboard, messed up to the point of exhaustion.
Reflecting on my shitty life.
“You need to eat, or all that medication and liquor is going to tear up your stomach,” Duchess announced, walking in my bedroom with a plate of food in her hands and a glass of water.
“I’m fine,” I replied, taking another swig.
She snatched the bottle out of my hands, placing it on the nightstand next to the pills.
“You need to eat. Please…”
I sighed deeply, taking a bite of her sandwich.
The silence was deafening for a couple of minutes until she expressed, “You took a bullet for me, Luke. You saved my life.”
We locked eyes.
“And I’d do it again. I knew I should have never let you DJ there. Are you okay?”
“Define okay.”
“Doctor said he gave you a Xanax. Take it, alright?”
She shook her head, looking as lost as I felt.
“I don’t even know what to say to you right now…”
“I know.”
“No, I don’t think you do. One minute, we’re arguing, and the next, I’m jumping behind a concrete wall to avoid getting killed. I really don’t know where to go from here.”
“I’m so sorry, Duchess. I’m so fuckin’ sorry. You should’ve never been there. I know better, yet I still risked your life to have you in mine.”
She frowned.
“I put your life in danger, and I’ll never forgive myself for that.”
“I… I just… I… like what the fuck? How often does this happen to you?”
“Not often.”
“What’s happening?”
“Duchess—”
“No, I can’t experience that and then you not tell me what the hell is going on! It’s not fair.”