Total pages in book: 76
Estimated words: 73724 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 369(@200wpm)___ 295(@250wpm)___ 246(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 73724 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 369(@200wpm)___ 295(@250wpm)___ 246(@300wpm)
“I thought it was okay because we’re in a hotel.”
The elevator finally stops on our floor, and grabbing her hand, I drag her ass down the hallway. I dig my keycard out of my pocket and shove the door open.
When I shut the door behind us, I let go of her hand and take a few steps away from her.
“I’m sorry, Lincoln. Please don’t be angry with me.”
I swing around and stalk back to her. Grabbing her by the throat, I lean in really fucking close. “If I lose you…If I...” My breathing starts to speed up even more, and my heart thunders in my chest.
The image of Ronnie’s body trapped beneath the bastard as he rapes her hits me.
I see the foam around her mouth.
I hear his grunts.
I see her body jerking with every thrust.
In a horrorstruck trance, I walk closer, and aiming at the man’s head, I pull the trigger. He falls over Ronnie, and I shove his body off hers. An unnatural sound tears from my soul as I look at my baby sister.
Chapter 26
CASSIA
Knight’s grip on my throat lessens, and as he starts taking choppy, harsh breaths, his hand drops away from me.
The angry expression on his face morphs into an agonizing look of pain.
Realizing he’s having a flashback, I quickly lift my hand to his face and frame his jaw. “Lincoln!”
He doesn’t react to my voice, and becoming even more worried, I wrap my arms around his neck and press myself to him while saying, “Deep breaths, ángele mou. Come out of it.” I drop kisses on his jaw and cheeks. “Just breathe with me…come back to me…I’m here…deep breaths.”
I hear his breaths starting to slow down, and I murmur, “That’s right…Come out of it.”
When his eyes finally focus on me, I let out a sob and hold him tightly. “I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to trigger you.”
Knight’s arms wrap around me, and he grips me so hard it borders on painful. I’m lifted off my feet, and he presses his face into the crook of my neck.
As he calms down, his body shudders every now and then. I just keep holding him, feeling absolutely rotten for giving him such a fright.
“I’ll never do anything like that again,” I promise.
He nods, and as he lifts his head, I move my hands to either side of his jaw.
He sucks in a deep breath, and his eyes lock with mine. “I can’t lose you.”
I nod quickly. “You won’t.” I press a kiss to his mouth, then ask, “Do you feel better?”
He lets go of me while replying, “Yeah.”
The doorbell rings, pulling our attention away from each other, and Knight goes to open the door.
A server pushes a cart inside and asks, “Shall I set a table for you?”
I shake my head. “No, I’ll do it.”
“Enjoy your meal,” he says before walking to the door.
“Thank you,” I reply, and when Knight shuts the door behind the man, I say, “I got a few different dishes so that you can pick and choose.”
He shakes his head. “I’m not hungry. I’ll eat something later.”
His worry for me and the flashback must’ve wiped out his appetite. Honestly, I’m not all that hungry myself after what happened.
Letting out a sigh, I ask, “Should we go to the cemetery?”
He checks the time on his watch before nodding. “Might as well.”
It feels as if he’s being distant with me, but I understand why. He probably needs time to work through the awful emotions left behind by the flashback.
I grab my handbag and follow him out of the suite. We’re quiet as we take the elevator to the basement, but as we step out into the parking area, he places his hand on my lower back.
He keeps it there as we head to the SUV, and when he opens the passenger door, his eyes scan the area while I climb into the cab.
I take a deep breath and let it out slowly while he walks around the back of the SUV. He gets in behind the steering wheel and starts the engine before asking, “What’s the address?”
I dig my phone out of my handbag and quickly unlock the screen so I can show him the message I received from Santiago earlier tonight.
Knight nods. “Got it.”
The drive to the cemetery is too quiet, the silence working on my nerves. My thoughts turn to my family, and my mood grows somber as my grief pushes to the surface.
By the time Knight brings the SUV to a stop, I feel like climbing onto his lap and crying my heart out. Instead, I shove the door open and climb out of the vehicle.
Knight comes around the front of the SUV and places his hand on my lower back again. We walk through the graves, searching for my family, then he says, “Over there.”