Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 77295 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 386(@200wpm)___ 309(@250wpm)___ 258(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77295 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 386(@200wpm)___ 309(@250wpm)___ 258(@300wpm)
Camille was still in the house with me, but she was out of my life, and the bite of loneliness really stung. My time used to be occupied with work and whores, but now I didn’t care about either.
My mission to make Grave suffer couldn’t have gone better, and the high was potent—but also brief.
A piece of me seemed to be missing. A piece I didn’t even know was there in the first place. Lounging in my chair, I looked out the window over the grounds of the front of the house, my laptop and work ignored.
Then I heard the clank of clutches. It grew louder as she approached the doorway. I turned to see her appear beyond the double doors, wearing high-waisted linen pants with a ruffled top that showed her belly button piercing.
I watched her enter my study then sit down in one of the armchairs facing my desk. Slightly out of breath, she leaned the crutches against the other chair. After that night with the gun, she hadn’t left her room, so this was the first time we’d come face-to-face. Her hair and makeup were done, and with the little bit of belly she showed, she was appealing. In nothing but a baggy shirt with her hair in a messy bun, she was intoxicating. But right now, she looked stunning. Maybe it was the dry spell talking, but I’d never wanted her more.
Powerless to act on it, all I could do was look at her.
Her eyes avoided me for a bit, either because of my hungry stare, or because she struggled to find the words. “My ankle is a lot better.”
That was the last thing I expected her to say. “I heard.”
“I can almost put my weight on it.”
“Good.”
She looked at a couple paintings on the wall before her gaze shifted to mine. Once she looked at me, there was a noticeable tightening of her body, all the muscles contracting at the same time. Couldn’t tell if it was in disgust or longing. “I thought we should talk.”
My elbow propped on the armrest, and my folded knuckles slid underneath my chin.
“You really intend to keep me here forever?”
It was a heavy question, so I continued to stare.
“Seems pointless to me. We’re down the hall from each other but practically strangers.”
“A stranger wouldn’t hesitate to kill me.”
“Okay, not strangers. Enemies.”
“An enemy would have kept firing until the barrel was empty.”
“Okay…then I’m not sure what we are. There’s no reason to keep me.”
Couldn’t disagree more. “When you first came here, you asked me to kill him.”
“I remember. What’s your point?”
“I’ll do it.”
Both of her eyebrows moved up her beautiful face. “What?”
“I’ll kill him. You can walk out of here as a free woman.”
She considered what I said for a long time. “What brought this on?”
“It’s headed in that direction anyway. He’ll kill me to get you back, so I’ll kill him first.”
“But he’s your brother—”
“He’s a worthless piece of shit. That’s what he is.”
Her eyes flicked away at my anger.
“I’ll kill him, and you’ll be free. But I want something in return.”
Her eyes moved back to mine, the surprise unmistakable.
“You.”
Emotions passed across her gaze, none of them readable. “You just said it’s coming to a head anyway. I don’t need to cooperate.”
“You want me to release you so you’ll be his prisoner instead?” I challenged. “I imagine you must be tired of changing hands by now. Impossible to chase your dreams with an invisible leash around your neck. You need me to kill him, just like you originally wanted, and I’m willing to do that if you give me what I want.”
Now that fire erupted. “You already had me, asshole. Look how that turned out.”
“I want you still.”
She abruptly turned her head away, as if insulted.
I stared at the side of her face, seeing the mix of anger and hurt, all caused by my insatiable need for revenge. “We have a deal?”
A quiet sigh escaped her lips, her eyes still elsewhere.
“Your feelings for me haven’t changed.”
Slowly, she turned to look at me, her eyes drenched in gasoline and hungry for a match. “Trust me, they have. Just because I didn’t shoot you doesn’t mean I forgive you. Doesn’t mean I want you in my bed ever again. Doesn’t mean I would ever care for you the way I once did. You had all of me, Cauldron…all of me. Even if I agree to this, it would only be a sliver. I would be back on the clock, paid to pretend to feel something when I feel nothing at all.”
I suddenly felt winded, as if an invisible fist had just punched me right in the stomach. I did my best to keep a straight face, keeping my hand of cards close to my chest where she couldn’t see. “You want to know the worst part of all this?”