Total pages in book: 121
Estimated words: 122550 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 613(@200wpm)___ 490(@250wpm)___ 409(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 122550 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 613(@200wpm)___ 490(@250wpm)___ 409(@300wpm)
That was Father’s Scotch.
He wouldn’t be happy if any of it was missing.
Jilly moved her weight from foot to foot worriedly. Father wasn’t a person you wanted to anger. Although she couldn’t see him getting mad at Regent.
Regent Malone was going to take over the family business one day. He was a man to be feared.
He was not a man that you got mad at.
Not unless you were stupid.
Walking over to her mother, he handed the glass of Scotch to her.
Jilly didn’t think she’d ever seen Mama drink. But she sipped the liquid.
“How?” her mother asked.
“It’s best you don’t know.”
What did that mean?
“Both of them, though? Together?”
“Orlando was trying to protect my father. He was shot first, then my father.”
“The shooter?”
“Disappeared. Don’t worry about them, I’ll figure it out.”
Shot?
Did that mean . . . was her father dead? Regent’s father too?
“I’m sorry for your loss,” Mama said.
Again, her voice was off.
“Thank you.”
“I . . . I suppose that you would like us to leave this house.”
Leave? They had to leave?
Wasn’t this their house? Her family had lived here for generations.
She didn’t understand any of this.
“Why would I want that?” Regent asked calmly, straightening. “I would prefer that you and Jilly stay here. I need someone I can trust here to guard the tunnels.”
Tunnels? What tunnels?
“But I’m not a man. Neither is Jilly.”
“Are you going to betray me? My family?” Regent asked in a cold voice.
Jilly had to slam her hand over her mouth to hold in her shocked gasp.
But her mother surprised her by standing, a fierce look on her face. “You know I would never betray you.”
“Then I see no reason for you to leave. You would actually be doing me a big favor by staying.”
“Then we will stay. You know I would do anything for you.” Her mother reached out and squeezed his forearm. “I stand with you.”
Regent leaned forward and kissed Mama’s cheek. Something warm filled Jilly.
Whoa.
Was she jealous of her mother?
Now she was acting crazy. But . . . sigh, she would really love a kiss on the cheek from Regent Malone.
Yes, she was aware that he was ten years older than she was. But she was nearly seventeen. That wasn’t too big of an age gap, right?
And she was mature for her age.
“Thank you.”
“I’m not sure why you’re thanking me when you’re doing me a favor,” he said.
Jilly was confused. It was like they were having a whole other conversation that they weren’t saying out loud.
She knew that she should probably feel bad that her father was dead. But he’d always been a violent, mean man who had hated her just for being born a girl.
When he’d been home, she’d spent most of her time hiding from him. He’d always find some reason to be upset with her. He’d yell and curse, throw things. Mama tried to protect her as much as she could.
Thankfully, he’d spent most of his time with Regent’s father.
So, it was quite hard to feel sorrow over the loss of a man who had despised and terrified her.
“I need to go.” Regent turned to the door.
“I understand. Anything you need, let me know.”
Jilly stumbled back and moved up the stairs as he walked out of the living room. Her mother didn’t follow. Regent paused at the door and looked straight at her.
“You should be in bed, Jilly. Not listening in on conversations.”
Guilt filled her. She hated that the first time he’d spoken to her in months was to scold her. Tears stung her eyes.
“Be a good girl for your mother, okay? Support her. I know you’re clever and smart.”
It was almost like he was trying to take the heat from the sting of his previous words. And she took them to heart.
She was a good girl.
Clever and smart.
She wasn’t sure that anyone other than her mother had ever called her those things before.
Regent was out the door before Jilly could reply. Then her mother was standing in the foyer, staring at the door.
“He’s going to be a force to be reckoned with. I just hope that running this city doesn’t do to him what his father failed to do while he was alive. Turn him into a monster.”
Jilly frowned at her mother. “How can you say that? Regent isn’t a monster.”
Mama turned to give her a solemn look. “Not now. But being who he is . . . that changes a person.”
“I thought you liked Regent.”
“I do, Jilly. But he’s dangerous, ruthless, and intelligent. And he’s just been handed the keys to a kingdom. What he does with it will make him into the man he will be.”
Jilly already thought he was a man.
A good one.
Sexy and intelligent. Dreamy.
“I know you have a crush on him, but Regent Malone isn’t for you, my Jilly.”
Jilly frowned. She didn’t care what Mama said.
One day, she was going to marry that man.