Total pages in book: 109
Estimated words: 103719 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 519(@200wpm)___ 415(@250wpm)___ 346(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 103719 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 519(@200wpm)___ 415(@250wpm)___ 346(@300wpm)
For two days, he had driven around upstate New York, memories of Lydia and his former boss in that cave version of a love shack burning him as if the images were acid on his skin, inside his veins, down his throat.
After he hadn’t been able to find her at the WSP or at Candy’s house, he’d guessed where she would go. Of course it was the mountain. Half of her was made for living up in those elevations, and he had always known she was happiest up there. He’d been seeking answers as he’d driven his bike up the broad trail, a violation of the WSP’s stated rules, but hey, the goddamn organization was dead. Who the hell was going to enforce its standards and regulations against him?
When he’d gotten to the summit, he’d smelled the woodsmoke and followed the scent to an outcropping of boulders. A little walk around had revealed the passageway into the cave with its heated spring.
And the rest was history.
Funny how when you found your woman with a man you knew was a sociopathic killer, you kind of didn’t think about your cancer anymore. Nope. And in spite of her betrayal, all he could think about was the danger Lydia was in.
He’d wanted to call Blade all day long. But what kind of threats could he leverage against the guy to get him to stop seeing her? And even if he had buttons to push, he wasn’t going back to Lydia. There was no going back.
Groaning, he repositioned himself, stretching out even more against a rock and crossing his legs at the ankles. Then he linked his arms over his chest. It was going to be hellaciously cold tonight, but then he was numb all over. He wouldn’t feel a thing.
He could kill Blade—he really could. The bastard had seduced—
“No, I did not.”
For a split second, Daniel became convinced that he’d dubbed in the voice of the man he’d been thinking of—but then a long, lean figure stepped into the firelight.
Funny, it was kind of like what they had done before in April, when Blade had found him on the run and threatened him with Lydia’s life if he didn’t follow through and eradicate C.P. Phalen’s lab.
Ah, good times, good times. And here they were again—and he was not surprised. Blade always knew where his men were, almost like they’d been chipped or something.
“I could shoot you where you stand,” Daniel muttered. “I really could.”
When the motherfucker didn’t say anything, he looked up at his old boss properly. Blade’s expression was remote, his lean face a mask of composure in the flames’ orange and yellow flickers.
“If you came here to gloat,” Daniel said, “don’t bother. I told you, you can have her. You win. You taught me the lesson of disobeying an order—how long were you working this angle, by the way? I assumed you backed off bombing the lab site because you knew there was too much attention in the news already. Like, if there was an explosion, things could get too messy, what with all the press about the dead wolves and the red herring with that hotel site killing them. But no, you were playing a long game with me, trying to get me back through working her, weren’t you.”
Blade just stood there.
Like a statue.
“Oh, okay, you came to kill me, not have a chat.” Daniel unlinked his arms and put them out. “Truthfully, this is great. Euthanize me. Put me out of my misery. You’d be doing me a favor—”
“I’m in love with her.”
“What.”
Of all the things Daniel had expected the man to ever say? That wasn’t it; not about Lydia, not about anyone or anything.
“You heard me. I’ve bonded with her—not that you’d understand that kind of thing as a human.”
Human? Daniel narrowed his eyes. “What the hell are you talking about.”
Blade got down on his haunches and stared through the flames. “Your woman says the lab under Deer Mountain is working on drugs to save your life. Is that true?”
Daniel put up a forefinger. “Can we not refer to her like that, thanks. And yes, it is.”
“But you haven’t taken them, why?”
“Too much to lose. Or so I thought.”
“You’re already dying.”
“Yeah, so time is really fucking important. Especially with the one I love—loved, I mean. Fuck.” Daniel rubbed his face. “You any closer to putting a gun to my head? If we could move that along, that would be great, thanks—”
“You should try the drugs, Daniel.”
“Like I’m taking advice from you about anything?”
“She’d be worth it. Time with a woman like her—it would be worth any risk.” Before Daniel cut in, the guy kept going: “Fight for her, Daniel. You need to fight. Do whatever you can to stay with her. It’ll be worth it.”
Daniel sat up, the crackling of the fire seeming to increase. Or maybe that was just his temper flaring.