Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 81141 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 406(@200wpm)___ 325(@250wpm)___ 270(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 81141 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 406(@200wpm)___ 325(@250wpm)___ 270(@300wpm)
The corners of her mouth lift in a thankful smile.
I grab my car keys, and opening the front door, I wait for Mila to walk out before I follow, drawing the door shut behind us. I keep holding her hand as we walk to the elevator, and the doors slide open immediately. Stepping inside, I press the button for the ground floor then let go of Mila’s hand so I can wrap my arm around her.
“Are you ready for this?” I ask.
Glancing up at me, a small smile plays around her lips. “Yeah.”
When the doors open and we step out into the foyer, I tighten my hold around her shoulders and pull her into my side. My eyes keep darting around us as we leave the dorm, and whenever I see a student look in our direction, I scowl at them.
Reaching the car, I open the passenger door, and once Mila climbs in, I grab the seat belt, and pulling it over her, I clip it in.
There’s a questioning look on Mila’s face, and it has me asking, “Is something wrong?”
She shakes her head. “No, but I can put on the seat belt myself.”
“I know.” Pulling back, I shut the door and jog around the front of the vehicle. Getting in, I start the engine and strap myself in before I steer us out of the campus.
It’s a short and quiet drive to my parents’ house, and my mind keeps alternating between wondering if Mila is really up for this visit and what my mom’s going to tell us.
Maybe she wants to talk about when Aunt Kingsley almost drowned? Or perhaps it’s about what my grandmother did to Aunt Layla? My mind runs circles around all the possibilities. I don’t have any contact with my grandmother, but I know she served a sentence for almost murdering Fallon’s mom.
Figuring that must be it, I pull up the driveway and park behind my father’s car. I unclasp both our seatbelts, and getting out, I dart around the vehicle and open the passenger door for Mila.
After she’s out of the car, I take hold of her hand, and we walk into the mansion. “Mom,” I yell, so I’ll know where she is.
“In the sunroom,” Dad shouts. He comes out of the kitchen and smiles when he sees Mila with me. “Hi, Mila. How are you feeling?”
“Much better, Mr. Reyes.”
“Mom said she has something to tell us?” I ask as we walk with Dad to the sunroom. Last year, Mom converted the entertainment room into an indoor garden and replaced that part of the ceiling with glass. Since then, she spends all her free time there.
“Yes.” Dad doesn’t say anything else as we walk into the room.
A smile instantly forms around Mom’s lips when she sees us, and she gets up from the plush couch to hug me.
“You look pretty,” she compliments Mila, only giving her shoulder a squeeze.
“Jase, let's give the ladies some time alone,” Dad says.
What?
My eyes dart to Mila, and she quickly says, “I’ll be fine. Go catch up with your dad.”
Dad takes hold of my shoulder. “Come on.”
Letting go of Mila’s hand, I hesitate until Mom gives me a comforting smile. Walking out of the room, I glance back and watch as Mila sits down next to Mom.
I follow Dad to the living room, and he pours us each a tumbler of whiskey. “Let’s sit.”
I take the drink from Dad and sit down on the couch. When he takes the seat next to me, I start to frown.
“There’s something I need to tell you,” Dad begins. “First, you need to know we didn’t tell you because we felt it wasn’t something you needed to know.”
I take a deep sip from the amber liquid as my heartbeat begins to pick up its pace. I have a feeling whatever Dad’s about to tell me is bad.
Dad sets down his own glass before he turns his body toward me. His eyes scan over my face before he says, “While your mom attended Trinity, she was stalked by a serial killer.”
What. The. Actual. Fuck.
“She was what?” I snap, stunned to hell and back by what my father just said.
Dad shifts closer to me and places his hand on top of mine. “You need to know your mom is fine, son. We’ve kept it quiet so the media wouldn’t get involved. Only a handful of people know about this.”
“Hold up.” I pull my hand from under my father’s and frown at him. “Let’s go back to the part about the serial killer. What happened?”
“The man stalked your mother, and he managed to abduct her, but we got to her in time. That’s all you need to know.”
That’s all I need to know? Seriously?
“How can you say that?” I explode. “You can’t drop this bombshell on me and say that’s all I need to know!”