Total pages in book: 67
Estimated words: 70628 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 353(@200wpm)___ 283(@250wpm)___ 235(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 70628 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 353(@200wpm)___ 283(@250wpm)___ 235(@300wpm)
“So you don’t feel any ghosts here?”
“I truly don’t. Luke is not the same person that he was. I never really believed people could change, but he’s proof of it.”
“What if Ice Man could change? Would you want him exonerated?”
Katelyn’s lips tremble.
Good. I’ve made her think. Not that I don’t want her to be happy with Luke. I do. I actually do think Luke has changed, and even Buck will admit it when I press him. Alcohol was a big part of Luke’s problem. And for the rest of what was going on in his mind, he’s been through therapy. He’s probably still going.
But what about Ice Man? Or Chris Pollack, as Luke says his name is.
He wasn’t a hunter, so I never had any run-ins with him.
But he was the one Katelyn hated the most.
Which is interesting because he didn’t ever put a mark on her.
But it was the humiliation. The degradation.
I was humiliated on the island as well, but in a completely different way. Sometimes the scars you can’t see are worse than the ones you can.
Just one more reason why I need to let Katelyn out of this.
I want her to be safe. Safe with the man she loves.
And now…
I’m so in love with Buck. And because I love him so much, I must leave. I must leave and do this on my own.
Everyone I love needs to stay out of it. My father. Katelyn. Luke. And especially Buck.
I don’t know exactly what he went through during his tours, but I know it was as bad as or worse than what I went through on the island.
The best thing I can do for Buck—the man I love—is to leave him in peace.
9
BUCK
“I’ve got a lead on one of the men from the island,” Luke says. “His name is Chris Pollack, and he was one of Katelyn’s tormentors.”
“And he’s not in fucking prison?”
“No. Although by the time I get done with him, he will be.”
I clench my fists. “He cut a deal then.”
“So it would seem.”
“I’ve seen the documentation,” I say. “Most of the men who paid to hunt on Derek Wolfe’s island have disappeared.”
“Yep. Because they have the money to do so. We’ll never find them. And frankly? It’s probably best that we don’t.”
“How can you say that?”
“I’m just being realistic, Buck. These people have more money and power than the two of us can imagine, and if we stir up trouble with them, they’ll hit us where it hurts.”
I clear my throat. “Aspen and Katelyn.”
“Bingo.”
“But this guy, this Pollack. He’s still around?”
“Yeah. I came into contact with him when we were in Manhattan. He came into the restaurant where I worked, and he recognized Katelyn. And like the moron he is, he approached her.”
“Fucker. He’s obsessed.”
“That’s right. He went so far as to find out who I truly am and make a deal with King. Didn’t work out so well for him—King, that is. But Pollack is still at large.”
“Do you think this is somehow related to what happened to Aspen?”
“There’s no way to know. But as long as Pollack is out there…”
I clear my throat. “You want my help with Pollack, and you’ll give me your help figuring out the Aspen situation.”
“It’s not a dealbreaker, Buck. That’s not who I am. Not anymore. But yeah, I’d appreciate your help with Pollack.”
I owe this man nothing.
Not a damned thing.
Yeah, it’d be nice if that were actually true, but if he hadn’t rescued me from Gloria Delgado’s house, I might have bled out on her freaking living room floor.
Plus, he does seem to love Katelyn, and he seems to genuinely care about Aspen.
“And if I say no?”
“If you say no, then your answer is no. I told you it’s not a dealbreaker. I’m going to help you. I owe you. For Katelyn.”
And I owe him, damn it. Fuck it. I’ve been to hell and back so many times. What’s one more time?
These people have to be brought to justice.
“What kind of immunity deal did Pollack get?”
“The books are sealed. I’ve used all my sources to try to find out. Maybe the Wolfes have sources I don’t.”
“I suppose I could ask.”
“I’d appreciate it.”
“But whether or not we can find out the conditions of his deal, you want him eliminated.”
“Not by my hand or yours. My days of participating in murder are over.”
“Yeah, so are mine.”
I lost count of the bodies that died by my hand in Afghanistan. After a while, they ceased to be human.
And that’s the scariest part of all.
I clear my throat. “All right. I’ll help you with Pollack. But Aspen has to take priority.”
“As long as Katelyn stays safe and Pollack stays out of the picture, I’ll make Aspen the priority. But if Katelyn is ever in danger…”
I nod. “Got it.”
I’m starting to understand Luke better. He never loved my sister. No, he was obsessed with her, and the obsession was aggravated by his alcoholism and precarious mental health. He’s sober now, and he’s in counseling, according to Katelyn.