Total pages in book: 62
Estimated words: 59004 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 295(@200wpm)___ 236(@250wpm)___ 197(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 59004 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 295(@200wpm)___ 236(@250wpm)___ 197(@300wpm)
“Yeah, so we need to move.” I give her a knowing look and then unmute the call, returning it to my ear. “Why is he coming?”
“Something about Vitali. I haven’t even heard anything about it from any of my contacts. I guess he finally got something settled. He didn’t want to wake you up. I told him you were still sleeping when he called. You need to hurry the fuck up. I don’t want to be caught up in your mess, even if you are my boss.”
“It’ll be fine,” I say in a rush, swooping my things up and throwing them into the overnight bag. “I can make it there before him.”
“Yeah, well, brush your teeth on the road and hurry the fuck up.”
“I’m gonna kick your ass when I get back.”
“Bring it on, old man. You’re welcome for the heads-up.” With that, Gerard hangs up the phone and I shove my phone into the front pocket of my jeans.
“What will he say if he finds out?” Liz says, frazzled as she scurries around the room, throwing her things together. She’s already dressed in the same clothes she had the previous day and slinging her bag over her shoulder. “God, he’s going to kill me.”
I purse my lips as I tug a T-shirt over my head. “Liz… Eventually, he’s going to find out about us. Whatever we have is something, and I’m not ready to quit exploring it.”
She stops, her lips in a flat line. “I don’t want to be the end of your friendship or business.”
Or life.
I clear my throat. “I think with some time, I can come up with a good way to get your dad on our side. You just have to give me some time to figure it out.”
“Right,” she mutters, shaking her head. If there’s one thing I don’t think she believes, it’s that I can actually handle her father. Truthfully, it’s the one thing I’m not totally convinced of myself, but I know I’m willing to die for Liz. That’s enough to push me to figure it the fuck out.
“Are you ready?” she snaps at me as she rips open the bedroom door. “We really need to get on the road.”
I chuckle, sliding my shoes on and following her out. “I’m always ready, baby.”
She rolls her eyes at me, and I can’t help but find amusement in the moment. Liz has no idea how charming her sass is, and I’m pretty sure I’ll never get tired of it. Together, we rush through the beach house that we didn’t even get to enjoy and trot down the steps.
“Do you think we could stop and get coffee?” Liz asks as I unlock the garage door, her foot tapping against the concrete. “I don’t know if I can deal with all this without some caffeine.”
I look over my shoulder at her and shoot her a grin. “Whatever you want, baby.”
Her cheeks flush with a red hue. “Why are you calling me ‘baby?’”
“Because you are mine,” I say, my voice darker, “and I’ll call you what I want to.”
She raises her brow in protest, but the flash of desire in her eyes tells me she likes the idea. “Hmm.”
Within a few minutes, we’re heading down the road in one big race to beat Henry back to the cabin. I’m hoping, like hell, we can beat him.
CHAPTER 15
Liz
“I don’t understand why he didn’t call,” I say as Troy whips the car down the road leading to the cabin. “I turned the location off on my phone before he left.”
Troy tenses in the front seat. “You had your location on at the cabin?”
“Well… I mean, it’s just so my dad can find me. He always keeps tabs on me for safety or whatever.” It sounds ridiculous when I say the words out loud, but it’s not that outlandish, given that people might be trying to hurt me. However, he did it long before that, too.
Okay, Dad might be a little controlling.
“Shit… Hopefully, he won’t take that as a sign that you ran off.” Troy’s words come out through gritted teeth. “You need to have a good solid fucking reason why you turned the location off your phone.”
“Can’t I just say that you told me to?” I reason, shrugging my shoulders and leaning back in the seat. “You could’ve suggested it because of safety? I mean, you are there with me.”
“I guess. That’s fine. Just use that. I’ll take the heat for it.”
“Why would he give you any heat?” I demand, growing irritated the more I talk about it. “I’m a grown-ass woman. I’m not his to order around. I’m not anyone’s to order around.”
“Yeah,” he mutters, not offering anything more. “Let’s see if he’s already at the cabin first.”
The car bumps down the gravel road, and I grip the door panel, digging my nails into it. My heart rate jumps as I catch sight of the cabin coming into view, my eyes focused on the driveway.