Total pages in book: 112
Estimated words: 112567 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 563(@200wpm)___ 450(@250wpm)___ 375(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 112567 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 563(@200wpm)___ 450(@250wpm)___ 375(@300wpm)
She frowned. “You can’t keep me hostage.”
I raised my eyebrows. “Is that what you think?”
“I know you’re the Mountain Master, but. . .” She shrugged. “I do have options.”
Intrigued, I loosened my grip on her wrist. “And what are those options?”
“Banks and Marcy.”
Is she serious?
I let her wrist completely go. “Get your phone out.”
She stepped back. “Why?”
“Call them. I would rather you know now, than have to find out later.”
“Find out what?”
I leaned forward, letting my gaze bore into hers. “That if Marcelo even tries to take you from me, I will not only rip his head from his spine, I will turn all of the South from green to blue, simply due to his audacity.”
She widened her eyes.
“You want a war over you,” I spoke through clenched teeth. “Call them. I have the men.”
“It would not have to be a war—”
“You don’t leave my side.”
“Lei,” she shivered, “You can’t keep me forever.”
The hell I can’t.
I swallowed, tasting the bitter tang of fear in her words.
“And you can’t keep holding onto Chanel, either.” Monique shook her head. “She’s gone. At some point, you are going to have to deal with her death in a healthy way. Or. . .pain and darkness will destroy you.”
Tears stung at my lids.
I clenched my fists. The urge to lash out at Monique and scream overwhelmed me.
But I couldn’t.
Not when she was the only one who was keeping me grounded.
Taking a deep breath, I forced myself to calm down.
Monique raised her other arm and rested her hand on my bare chest. The touch was so electric, the world seemed to pause for a brief moment.
“However. . .there is the other side of things,” Monique whispered, “Chanel is here. In your heart. Not in that decaying body.”
I shivered.
Monique moved her hand from my chest and pointed to my head. “She’s here, too. You can always think of the memories. And fuck it. . .since you are clearly okay with being. . .different. . .you can talk to Chanel in your head, too.”
Monique stepped back and placed her hands to her side. “I have never told anyone this, but I talk to my mother in my head all the time. Sometimes we have full conversations to the point where I swear to God, she is right next to me. . .and maybe she is.”
Monique’s words brought a smile to my lips, even though I wouldn’t show it.
“But anyway. . .” Monique held her hands out. “I’m not standing down on this, and I’m not compromising with you on having her body. Come on, man. It is outrageous.”
The line of my jaw twitched.
“You say you would start shit with my cousin and Marcy, if they came and got me.”
I eyed her.
“And although I really don’t want that, I would still call them.” She fisted her hands. “Because in the end, I would rather we all fight, than for me to stay by your side and pretend like everything is cool with you being absolutely and insanely selfish.”
Goddamn it.
She glared. “And by the way, if you or your people hurt my cousins. . .I’m fucking you up.”
I wanted to scream so bad, my whole damn core shook.
What is this? Why can’t she just simply bend to my desires?!
Chen would have stood down.
Duck and the rest of my men too.
And then there was this odd thing happening within me due to her goddamn stubbornness.
As I watched hot defiance spark in her eyes, this unfamiliar warmth spread through my body. It was a heat that had nothing to do with desire, and everything to do with admiration. Despite the daunting situation, she held her ground, her chin high and her eyes brimming with a courage that left me speechless.
I swallowed.
Slowly, Monique slid her hands into her pocket and took out her phone. “So. . .what do you want to do, Lei? Deliver Chanel to her people or have another battle with my cousin and me this week. . .in addition to dealing with your father? Or. . .you can just let me go. That’s three options.”
“I’m not letting you go, so take that one off.”
She blinked. “Then two options, deliver Chanel or fight my cousin, Marcy, and me.”
The air hummed with the intensity of our confrontation.
There she stood, this delicate creature wrapped in an unbreakable armor of strength. My gaze traced her body, from the set of her shoulders to the clenching of her fist as it held the phone.
Her lips, usually curved in a sweet smile, were set in a tight line of determination.
But it was her brown eyes that truly captivated me. Within their depths, I saw a flame that refused to be snuffed out—a relentless strength that could weather any storm.
She was a force to be reckoned with, and her determination was slowly chipping away at my resolve.
I ran my fingers through my hair, needing to do something with my hand.