Total pages in book: 92
Estimated words: 88215 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 441(@200wpm)___ 353(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88215 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 441(@200wpm)___ 353(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
I lay my towel down in the middle of the small front yard, the only section for miles that isn’t a tangled web of vines and weeds. I’m not two paragraphs into my book when The Warden appears, nudging my book with his wet nose.
“Okay, okay, boy” I laugh, taking the tennis ball from his mouth and tossing it across the yard.
After a few minutes of play, The Warden tires and lays down next to me, content to chew on his ball instead of chase it. I do the same and pat his head with one hand while lying on my stomach and holding up my book with the other.
“Mind if I join you?” Nine asks. I look up to find him shirtless. A big goofy grin on his face.
I sit up and put down my book. “You’re the babysitter. I think if you left me alone that would kind of be beside the point.”
“True. Although Smoke’s on his way back. He just called so I’m gone soon. I just wanted to give you something first.”
“What’s that?”
Nine hands me a mini zip drive. “Hide it. I hope you can somehow use it to help your cause.”
“Thank you,” I say, taking the drive and tucking it into the pages of the book.
“And there’s one other thing,” he says. His hands come around from behind his back and before I know what’s happening he’s spraying me with cold water from a hose. The Warden barks, and I yelp in surprise, then spend the next ten minutes trying to take the hose from him to get him back.
When we’re all out of breath, we collapse onto the towel, and I dry my hands, picking back up my now somewhat soggy book.
Nine is on his back with his hands behind his head and his eyes closed to the sky. I’m next to him on my stomach, again with my feet in the air.
“I hope things work out for you,” Nine says, sitting up. “And just for the record. I would save you if I could.”
“Thank you.”
He lights a cigarette. “If nothing else. It was nice getting to know ya. I hope Smoke does the right thing as soon as he figures out what that is.”
“Me, too,” I say with a sigh.
The sound of a rumbling engine shakes the ground. We both turn our heads.
Smoke pulls into the pebble drive and kills the engine.
“I guess this is good-bye,” Nine says. He takes me by surprise when he leans in.
“What are you doing?” I ask.
“Just go with it,” he whispers. “Trust me.”
I’m too shocked to pull away. His lips land on mine for a kiss two seconds too long to be considered a peck. I feel Smoke’s presence behind us.
“Who knows? Maybe, we’ll run into one another one day,” Nine says, standing. He looks to Smoke and smirks. “Good thing I parked in the back.” With a wave to an approaching Smoke he turns to leave, but then pauses and kneels to quickly whisper. “The thing on your leg? It’s not a bomb.” He stands back up then disappears behind the house.
I don’t even have time to process what he just said when a familiar shadow is cast over my entire body.
Smoke.
I look up and am met with his stone hard gaze.
“Shit,” I swear.
His jaw ticks.
“What’s going…” I’m lifted off the ground and tossed over Smoke’s shoulder with ease. The leather of his cut is hot against my bare skin. “What are you doing?” I ask, kicking and yelling, pounding my fists against his back.
“I should break his fucking neck,” he seethes.
“Whose neck?” I shriek.
Smoke doesn’t answer. He doesn’t even stop until we’re back in the bedroom. He throws me down on the mattress and removes a set of cuffs from his wrist, cuffing my wrist to the headboard.
“What the hell!” I yelp.
“I should do a lot fucking more than cuff you.” He looks as if he’s trying to gain control over himself but he’s losing. His breaths are rapid. His vein is pulsing in his neck. His knuckles are white.
“I don’t understand. Why…” I don’t get a chance to finish my question because he’s already gone. The bedroom door is left partially open. I hear the front door slam shut and his bike engine roar to life.
I’m so wound up. I can’t think straight. There’s a sinking feeling pulling me down into its depths. I’m pissed the hell off. If I had any chance in hell I’d strangle Smoke with my bare hands. The pain and anger is crippling.
What the hell just happened?
All signs point to Smoke being jealous but is that even possible? He can’t be mad that Nine kissed me. It was just a friendly kiss. But then I realize that’s exactly what he is.
Smoke’s jealous.
I scoff. He has no right to be. Not after the redhead. Not after he kidnapped me. I’m furious and hurt and feeling more alone than I ever did at home.