Total pages in book: 139
Estimated words: 135958 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 680(@200wpm)___ 544(@250wpm)___ 453(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 135958 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 680(@200wpm)___ 544(@250wpm)___ 453(@300wpm)
I was a good liar. I didn’t feel proud of that, but with the way I lived, I had to be in order to survive. But somehow the lying always put a wall between myself and anyone I might be involved with. I began to feel more and more empty the longer I was with someone, and that meant the only other option was Blade. But the romantic feelings weren’t there with him.
“Okay.” Jonah pressed on my stomach. “Do you feel pain in any of these spots?” He moved and pressed on four areas on my stomach. I shook my head every time.
With a sigh, he sat back and reached for the pricking machine. “Your levels are fine. You’re not diabetic, so I’d surmise your seizure was stress induced, mixed with the havoc your body experienced yesterday. It can happen. It’s rare, very rare, but I’ve heard of it before.” He frowned, hesitating, but reached into his bag again. He pulled out some papers, sliding them to me with a pen on top. “I’d like to request your file. Would you give me permission to do that?” He indicated the papers. “This more protects me, just so you know.”
I got what he was saying. The file was probably already with him. Kai would’ve demanded it, with or without permission, and that was just a way to cover Jonah’s back in case it was needed. With what this family could do, I was relieved to see one member followed the law.
I nodded and reached for the pen.
His mouth pressed in a firm line as I signed. “It wasn’t supposed to be like that.”
He stood, staring at Tanner. I couldn’t see his face, but Tanner didn’t seem fazed.
He shrugged and yawned. “Don’t look at me, little brother. You and I both know we don’t make the decisions.”
“Yeah. Well.” Jonah bent down to pick up his bag, putting the strap over his shoulder. He looked back to me, one of his hands sliding into his pocket. “Drink the juice and have some toast. Tanner will get it for you. Wait with the coffee. You should be fine now, but you’re dehydrated. You need to be replenished before drinking that stuff.”
He gave Tanner one more lingering look. Then he went back out the door and turned down the hallway, not going to the front entrance, leaving me alone with Tanner. Well, Tanner and the guards—two by the door and more I knew were just outside.
Tanner picked up the glass of juice he’d poured for me and stepped away from the counter. He paused, seeing where I was looking.
Motioning to the guards, he said, “Hey, Marco?”
One of the guards inclined his head.
“Take off. She won’t leave, and Jonah will be back. We’re good.”
The guard didn’t move. He didn’t say anything either.
Tanner’s eyes flicked upward. A soft curse slipped out under his breath. “Fuck’s sake, guys. She can’t take me. You all are outside every exit, and there’s no way she can leave the grounds. The girl is helpless, and she won’t attack me either.” His eyes shifted to me. “Or I don’t think she will.”
The guards’ response was to cross their arms in front of their chests and roll their shoulders back, raising themselves to their full heights.
Tanner growled, “Kai is the boss, but you’re forgetting this is my place too. I can make your lives hell if I want to. Get gone. I mean it.”
The two now shared a look, and Marco relented. “We’ll be right outside the front door.”
“Yeah.” Tanner waved at their backs as they turned to leave. “You go stand there.” He moved toward me as they left, closing the door behind them. He placed the juice in front of me. “Drink.”
He stepped back to the counter as two pieces of toast popped up.
“Kai is scary, but so is Jonah if his orders aren’t met.”
I picked up my glass, taking a sip. The juice felt refreshing, and my stomach growled, as if remembering it was beyond the empty mark.
Tanner began to butter the toast.
“Jonah’s a doctor?” I asked.
“Mmm-hmmm.”
How did one brother become a doctor when another killed people for a living? I eyed Tanner. He was pulling fruit from the fridge. What did he do? How did he fit into this family?
“Did he kill the others last night?” I asked instead.
Tanner paused, straightening a little, his eyes growing more alert. “They’re alive.”
He picked up the plate of toast and bowl of fruit he’d put together. He walked them over to me.
“And they aren’t here, if you’re hoping to go look for them,” he added. “They were moved to a different facility.”
My mouth watered at the smell of the toast and the sight of the strawberries in front of me now. I hated that. I wanted to go through all levels of resistance, even a hunger strike if it came to it, but I couldn’t. My stomach growled like a volcano ready to blow.