Total pages in book: 99
Estimated words: 93002 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 465(@200wpm)___ 372(@250wpm)___ 310(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 93002 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 465(@200wpm)___ 372(@250wpm)___ 310(@300wpm)
Sterling nodded in recognition. “I know who you are.”
“Good,” Callum Leary said. “Saves me time. I have to ask you again—what are you doing with this guy? It’s been a year, so I figure Powell can’t solve it himself. What did he offer you?”
“Twenty-five percent,” Sterling said, taking a step away from me.
I had to resist the urge to yank her behind me. Every cell in my body told me to drag her to the car, to get her away from Callum Leary and his partner by any means necessary. But I stayed put. Better to find out exactly what their plan was. I didn’t like where this was going. I hated hearing him lay it out like that, reducing what I was to Sterling to percentages and all the reasons I didn’t deserve her.
“You don’t need the statue anymore, do you?” Callum asked.
Slowly, Sterling shook her head. Fear spiked down my spine, turning to ice in my gut. “Sterling,” I said under my breath. She ignored me.
“So, you don’t need him either,” Callum said, nodding at me. “You’re the code breaker. He’s just dead weight. And we’ll cut you in for a hell of a lot more than twenty-five percent. I like to have smart people on my team.”
“That’s why you hired Elliott Hall?” I asked, staring down into Callum’s sharp gray eyes. I wanted to keep him talking so I could figure out an angle to get him away from Sterling.
He shook his head. “Elliott Hall was a mistake. I don’t know who he’s working for now, but it sure as hell isn’t us. But you?” He nodded approvingly at Sterling. “You, we could make use of.”
Sterling didn’t say a word.
“Think about it,” Callum Leary said. “We could make you a rich woman.” He held out a black business card with silver print. I reached for it, and he jerked it away. “This conversation isn’t about you, friend.”
This time, I kept my hand at my side, the ice in my gut spreading as Sterling took the card, looked it over, and shoved it in her back pocket.
“We’ll be in touch,” Leary said.
Sterling’s eyes were serious as they met Callum’s, and she gave a slow nod. It seemed to be enough for him. He turned and strode out of the park, his partner beside him.
Sterling and I watched them go, their dark figures shrinking as they crossed the street and disappeared from view. I heard her draw in a long breath and hold it. She let it out in a rush and gave me a tight smile.
“I think I’m in the mood for ice cream.”
I stared down at her, frozen in indecision. I wanted to grab her shoulders and shake her, to demand she give me that business card so I could tear it into tiny pieces and light them on fire.
And she wanted ice cream?
“Fine,” I muttered. Yelling at her wasn’t the answer. Sterling wasn’t going to give me that business card unless I wrestled her for it.
I followed her across the street, my eyes scanning everywhere for a glimpse of the Learys. Nothing. They were gone as abruptly as they’d appeared.
As much as I hated the idea, my first instinct was to head straight to Heartstone Manor. Between Griffen and Hawk—both former Rangers who used to be in elite security—and the crew they’d assembled for the Heartstone security team, we had ample resources to keep Sterling safe. And Hawk knew all about the Learys.
But I also wanted to follow my father’s scavenger hunt. And Sterling wanted her cut of the money. The problem was, things had changed. The business card in her pocket meant the stakes had just gone up. Way up. We were in over our heads.
I ordered my strawberry ice cream and followed Sterling back to the park, my eyes still scanning every inch of the square and coming up with nothing but a normal weekday morning in Willow Springs, Georgia. She led me to the bench and sat on the side I’d always sat on.
I took my place where my father used to sit, and we ate our ice cream in silence until I finally broke. “Are you going to use that card in your pocket?” I demanded.
Sterling looked up at me, her eyes narrowed with scorn. “Do I look like an idiot? I know about the Learys. They almost shot my brother and kidnapped Scarlett and Thatcher. They threatened to torture them. If Griffen hadn’t sent someone after them, God only knows what would have happened. I don’t care how much money they promised me.” She shook her head and snorted in disgust. “I can’t believe you think I’d be that stupid.”
“Oh, come on, I know you’re not stupid, but I also know you don’t want anything to do with me.”
Sterling gave another snort. “I’m thinking you’re the only idiot here,” she said. “First of all, yes, I’m pissed at you. You’re a liar and a user, and you broke my heart. But that doesn’t put you in the same category as the fucking Learys. I’m fairly certain you’re not going to shoot me, for one thing.”