Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 73580 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 368(@200wpm)___ 294(@250wpm)___ 245(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 73580 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 368(@200wpm)___ 294(@250wpm)___ 245(@300wpm)
I wave her on. “I don’t care about that. Get to the part where you realized you were in trouble.”
Her voice wavers. “My alarm didn’t go off. I remember it clearly. I woke up, the house silent, and yet, I just felt like I wasn’t alone.”
“And then…”
She keeps her eyes on her lap. Maybe to protect herself, or maybe so I can’t read things she doesn’t want me to see in her eyes. “I grabbed the gun I keep under the pillow, and the second I felt the air stir around the bed, I fired the first shot. I must have hit someone, because I heard them go down and then someone grabbed me around the throat. I put the gun against his head, and I fired again. I don’t think he expected me to react that way while he was choking me.”
Carefully, she curves her fingers around her neck, again, as if protecting it. There’s a faint purple smudge there I hadn’t noticed. Or maybe she covered it up with makeup.
I shift on the bed and gently peel her fingers away. “Is this a bruise?” A purple necklace rings her neck, and I’m ashamed of myself for not having noticed. I spent so much time trying not to look at her, that I missed something vital.
I jerk the covers off her lap and look at her legs. There are bruises on her knees, one on her thigh almost near the hem of her shorts. “Are there anymore? What else are you hiding?”
She flinches at my tone, and I curse myself. “I apologize. I didn’t mean to make it sound like your fault, but I need to know what they did to you. Exactly. Did they…” I glance at her skinned knees.
“No, this was when I stumbled over the side of the bed and landed on my knees instead of my feet. I was just trying to get out from under the guy who grabbed me, so I didn’t think. There were others waiting, but I had a bag for emergencies in the closet and an escape route. I hid there, dressed, and snuck through the tunnel hatch to exit the garage and ran into the small patch of woods behind my house.”
I nod, encouraging her. “You were smart to have a backup plan. Did you see anything else? Anyone you recognized, any vehicles?”
She toys with the hem of her tank top, then slowly lifts it to reveal a large bruise across one side of her ribs. It looks like it’s healing, but there’s no way to know if her ribs broke too. “Did you get that looked at?”
“Yes, my sister knows a doctor. He checked everything out, said I was fine.”
I open a note on my phone. “What’s his name? I’ll want to speak to him.”
“He didn’t have anything to do with it. Neither did my sister.”
I sigh. “That’s not what I asked. I’m just trying to get the details. This will be easier with all the facts.”
She shakes her head. “He helped me. I’ll tell you everything I know, but I won’t risk him or my sister in this.”
“Where is your sister?” I hadn’t thought about asking Kai or her if they knew she was safe.
This time, she shrugs with a rueful smile. “If I know my younger sister Julia, and I certainly do, she’s probably working her own angles to figure out what happened to me.
Julia…Julia…where do I know that name? It hits me. “Your sister is Julia Aquila?” Why hadn’t I put that together before, about Selena, or Kai for that matter? Holy shit. One of the few most respected and well-known members of society, Julia Aquila’s reputation as an assassin who can’t be bribed precedes her.
“As I said, I want to keep her out of this, at least as much as she’ll allow me to.”
I’m still a little dumb struck, so I simply nod. “Did you get any threats at the season opening party? Or anything before then? Or any offers of alliance you turned down that might have angered anyone?”
She shakes her head. “Only that bitch of a head councilwoman, and the man you met at my house the other night. Do you think she orchestrated things? Put all this in motion to stir the board while she went for Kai?”
It’s a possibility I have to consider. If Selena isn’t in danger anymore, then we’ll know soon enough. But for now, we operate as if she’s still at risk.
She pulls the covers over her lap again, hiding her bruises, and all her tan bare skin. “Any other questions?”
My mind shifts back to the councilmember who showed up at her house. “Had you met that man before?”
She shakes her head. “No, never. Why?”
“Maybe he knows something that can help. I don’t suggest offering an alliance, but at the very least, we might be able to make friends and see what he can do for us.” More than he already has.