Total pages in book: 29
Estimated words: 27844 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 139(@200wpm)___ 111(@250wpm)___ 93(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 27844 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 139(@200wpm)___ 111(@250wpm)___ 93(@300wpm)
…The screams are from Keily.
“Kiely!” I scream, lunging for the door. But Ben and Gavin catch me, pulling me back as they pull their guns and snarl.
“Let’s go!” Gavin roars at Clay and Eamon, who nod grimly and turn to the man in front at the door holding the SWAT-style metal battering ram.
“Do it,” Clay hisses.
The man swings back, and with a grunt, sends the huge metal hammer slamming into the doorknob. The door shatters inside just as another anguished cry hits our ears, like Keily is being fucking stabbed.
We tumble inside the small apartment, and there across the small living room is a closed door. The cry comes again, this guttural, wailing sound, and this time it’s followed by the rough, deep sound of a man grunting.
“Keily!” I scream, and suddenly, everything goes silent.
There’s a scuffling sound behind the closed door, and Ben and Gavin snarl as they raise their guns along with everyone else. The doorknob half twists when Ben steps forward.
“Oy!” He roars, his eyes blazing. “Out! Right fucking now with those fucking hands up!”
There’s another pause, and then suddenly, a voice grunts out.
“Okay!”
The doorknob twists, the door swings slowly open, and I gasp as a naked, muscled, inked man holding his hands over his dick steps into the doorframe and grins.
“Don’t shoot my cock off, okay?”
Around me, every guy in the room suddenly groans and lowers their guns, and I blink in confusion.
“Hang on, what?” I hiss before Gavin chuckles and turns to me.
“This is Ash,” he growls.
I whirl back to the roguishly handsome guy with the cocky grin, dark hair, piercing blue eyes, and a body carved out of tattooed marble.
“What the fuck, brother?!” Eamon grunts. “You’ve been missing for fucking weeks, and we find you here doing…” he glares at Ash. “Are you fucking murdering someone or getting lai—”
“Charlotte?”
A face suddenly appears behind Ash, peering over his shoulder, and both my eyes and hers go wide.
“Keily!”
My sister shoves past the naked Ash, a bedsheet wrapped around herself as we both rush across the room into each other. I sob as I fling my arms around her, and she does the same, hugging me tight and fiercely.
“What the fucking hell, Keils?!” I suddenly spit almost angrily, pulling back to frown into her eyes. “You just disappeared!
“I—fuck, Charlotte, I’m so sorry!” She says softly, biting her lip. “I—I mean, we—”
“And you!” I snarl, whirling on Ash and jabbing a finger at him as I march over, teeth bared. “You think it’s fucking okay to just kidnap people’s sisters and drag them off to—”
“Charlotte.”
Keily’s hand on my arm stops me, though I’m still fuming and simmering as I glance back at her. Past her, the rest of the people in the room are frowning same as me, trying to figure this out too.
“What the fuck is going on, Ash?” Ben growls lowly.
Keily shakes her head. “Charlotte, he didn’t kidnap me, we…” she bites her lip.
“We had to disappear,” Ash growls lowly.
Keily nods. “These guys, they were bothering me at work, a lot, and one night when I was closing up, they…”
She pales, and Ash steps forward, putting and arm around her.
“Russians,” he mutters at everyone. “Look, I had to step in, and when I put down four of theirs, I knew the shit was going to hit the fan. We managed to get away, but they were hot on our heels. I took Keily underground with me for protection.”
He frowns, turning to me.
“Charlotte, right?”
I nod.
“I’m sorry, Charlotte. She wanted to call you, but it was too dangerous. Those Russian fucks knew who she was, which means they’d know to watch you and even monitor you.”
I smile wryly as I glance at a grinning Gavin and Ben.
“Seems to be a theme these days,” I mutter dryly as they both wink at me.
“Charlotte,” Keily murmurs, hugging me close. “I wanted to reach out so badly, we just couldn’t chance it.”
“The hell was your plan, Ash?” Clay mutters. “Stay here and screw until you ran out of food?”
Ash’s eyes narrow for a second at Clay, who I gather is technically his boss.
“Easy, Clay,” he growls. “All due respect but watch your mouth.”
Clay bristles for a second, and the tension palpably ratchets up in the room, before suddenly he grins.
“My mistake, brother,” he grunts, nodding at Ash. “That was out of line of me. But the question is the same.”
Ash nods. “The plan was to stay out of sight until the heat cooled a little. Honestly, it was going to be another day, tops. Then I had some boys I know down at the docks ready to fake Keily and I on a manifest for a ship headed to the U.K.” He grins. “Let those vodka-swilling shitheads chase a couple of ghosts all around Europe while I brought Keily in to base here with you and get this sorted.”