Total pages in book: 29
Estimated words: 27298 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 136(@200wpm)___ 109(@250wpm)___ 91(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 27298 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 136(@200wpm)___ 109(@250wpm)___ 91(@300wpm)
“I see.” Luke runs his hand through his short dark hair. “I’ll handle it. For now, you’re both coming with me.”
“I can’t. You don’t get it,” I tell him and dig my heels in.
“Come here.” He puts his hand gently on my back, leading us away from Marco. “I don’t want to have to do this, but you’re not giving me much of a choice.”
“You can’t call the cops. I’ll lie.” He shakes his head at me, and I can see what I’m saying is pissing him off.
“You either come with me or I’ll confront your father. I’ll do it every day until you agree. Either way, I have a feeling he’s not going to like that too much. So you’re either with me and away from him or I’m here with all of you.” I stare into his intense gaze and know he’s not bluffing.
“But Marco...” I remind him. “It would be kidnapping.”
“I said I’ll deal with it.” He’s so confident that my resolve is beginning to fade.
“Let’s say I go with you. Then what?” He makes it sound so easy, but it’s far from it. The thought makes me worry my bottom lip between my teeth.
“I will keep you safe.”
“You just threatened me,” I point out.
“For your own damn good,” he growls in irritation. Luke is trying to hold back his anger, but I can see it’s because he’s worried.
“Why are you doing this?”
“I’m not going to send you back somewhere you’re going to get hurt. Or to marry some asshole who I’m guessing was runner-up to Paul. I don’t even want to fucking know what comes second to that dipshit.”
A laugh pops out of me, and I know it’s not funny, but it’s so true. At this point, it’s either laugh or cry, and if I can choose, I’m going to laugh.
“So what? You whisk us away and save the day?” I laugh again and shake my head.
“Yes.” He leans down close with the most serious expression I’ve ever seen. My smile drops, and my breath catches in my throat. “That’s exactly what I’m going to do. And no one, not even you, is going to stop me.”
Chapter Six
LUKE
“You can’t go in with us,” Kelly hisses under her breath as we get closer to her building.
“I’ve told you that you’re not going in alone.” I agreed to let her go back and get something from her place, but I refuse to budge on leaving her side.
“Let’s just get out of here,” Marco suggests, and Kelly cuts her eyes at him.
“I need to get some things.”
“Whatever it is, I can replace it,” I tell her, but she’s already shaking her head.
“Just let me go in and grab it and then I’ll come right back out. If we all go in, there’s a chance things could get ugly.” I can see the fear in her eyes, which is why I’m not letting her go in alone.
“Not a chance,” I say firmly. Looking around the neighborhood, I’ve already seen a few people watching us. I have a feeling if Kelly’s father is home, he already knows I’m with her. I’m not willing to let her go in without me, and I’m not willing to leave Marco out here alone if the two of us go inside. “It’s all three of us or none of us. What’s it going to be?”
She presses her lips together tightly like she’s made a decision but she’s pissed about it. “Fine. Let’s get this over with.”
The building she lives in isn’t great from the outside, but as soon as we step over the threshold, I can see that it’s been kept up. There are a few guys in the stairwell that stop talking when they see me and then look between the three of us.
“Yo, Marco. Who's the suit?” one of the guys asks, but Kelly pushes Marco toward the elevator and glares at them without responding.
The three of us are silent as we take the elevator to the top floor, and once again, I’m surprised at how nice it is. From the outside of the building, you’d think it would be falling in, but I have a feeling that’s by design. Seems like someone doesn’t want to draw the wrong kind of attention.
Kelly takes out her key and unlocks the door. When we walk inside, I’m not surprised to see a couple of men seated on the oversized couch in the living room. The older man in the chair barely glances at Kelly and Marco, but when his eyes land on me, they narrow.
“Who the fuck is that?” he says loudly enough to get the attention of everyone in the room.
“This is a friend of mine.” Kelly’s voice is almost a whisper, and I see her move in front of Marco protectively.
Her father stands up, and that’s when it hits me. I know this man. My mind works rapidly, and then it's my turn to move in front of Marco and Kelly to protect them. I hold out my hand and put on my best smile.