Total pages in book: 48
Estimated words: 44450 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 222(@200wpm)___ 178(@250wpm)___ 148(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 44450 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 222(@200wpm)___ 178(@250wpm)___ 148(@300wpm)
I scoffed and shook my head.
“Arvo doesn’t have friends. He has toadies, girls he uses, and people he tolerates to further his position,” I reminded him. “At a time, both of you were like my brothers, but things have changed.”
Sol held my gaze, the tension between us rising. We had shared many experiences together, and so much had changed for the Kings over the years. We weren’t the same people any longer. That was probably a good thing.
“Well, at least you finally see how dangerous Arvo is,” he said.
I gestured to my bruised face.
“Trust me, I knew. I just didn’t expect his violence to be directed toward me,” I muttered. “He’s more dangerous than ever before because he’s so close to getting what he wants.”
“What are we going to do about your father and Arvo’s father?” Theo asked.
I paused, not knowing how to reply. Even Sol didn’t say anything, waiting on my answer since my father was involved. I was still furious with my father, but he was also helping us. That made my feelings regarding him a bit complicated to figure out.
“He deserves to be punished for what he did,” I told them. “I’ll handle him. For Edward… we can try to negotiate for Biba’s release. If things escalate and it’s Biba’s life or his, I’m sure we’ll all choose the same thing.”
Theo and Sol nodded their agreement.
“I guess that’s our plan. Corner Edward in the catacombs, negotiate for Biba’s return, capture both Edward and your father, and free Biba,” Theo said as he glanced between Sol and me.
It wasn’t the most intricately laid out plan, but it was enough to get us going. We couldn’t anticipate what Edward would do. That was one of the most dangerous things about Arvo and his father. They were unpredictable. How he reacted to our attempt to negotiate would determine what we did next.
“I’m not coming out of those catacombs without Biba. If things get hairy… I won’t leave without her,” Sol told us firmly.
“I’ll be right there with you,” I replied evenly as Theo nodded. I looked between them as I drew in a breath. I wondered if Biba knew how deeply and widely she was loved. She had three people willing to die for her.
As much as I loved her and wanted her to myself, I also loved her enough to not make her choose between the three of us. Even if there had been tense times between Theo, Sol, and me, I did have some respect for them and their devotion to Biba. If she chose one of us, I would have to respect that. If she chose all three of us, I would respect that too.
For now, all I cared about was rescuing her and telling her how sorry I was for what happened between us. I should’ve trusted her over Arvo. Hell, I should’ve trusted Sol over Arvo. Arvo pointed out everyone as a villain except for himself, and I stupidly believed him. I had to right my wrongs, and this was how I could do that.
“I’ll tell my father that we’re ready,” I said as I pulled my phone out. I dialed my father’s number and lifted the phone to my ear. I needed Biba to hold on just a little bit longer. Soon, she would be back in our arms, and I had a feeling that we weren’t ever going to let her go after this.
CHAPTER 12
BIBA
I had a terrible feeling about today. Edward was intent on tormenting me, making more comments about how he would kill me and what he wanted to do to me before I died. All of his sharp, amused comments sank into my soul, making my eyes glisten as he kept touching me and laughing at me. I was ready for this torture to end.
When his fingertips brushed my cheek, I turned my head away, feeling dizzy from the motion. Even moving my head made me ache all over, bordering on passing out. I didn’t have enough energy to fight back as hard as I wanted to, so I felt like a limp doll that Edward got kicks out of playing with.
“Stop,” I managed to murmur, my voice coming out quietly and breathlessly.
Edward didn’t listen. He brushed his fingers through my hair, touching me everywhere he could just to spite me.
“Would you just get it over with already?” I finally built up the energy to snap at him, trying to jerk forward in my chair as he grinned at me.
Edward smirked and looked over at Williams, who seemed uneasy as he stood off to the side quietly. He was quieter than usual today, not even telling Edward to knock it off when he touched my thigh or my neck.
“Got a bit of an attitude today. I might need to fix that,” Edward commented as he stepped closer to me, grabbing me by the hair roughly. He leaned down so close that our noses brushed. “You’re no fun anymore. Such a shame. We could’ve had a good time together. It would’ve been one reason to keep you alive a little longer.”