Total pages in book: 225
Estimated words: 218500 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1093(@200wpm)___ 874(@250wpm)___ 728(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 218500 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1093(@200wpm)___ 874(@250wpm)___ 728(@300wpm)
My hair is up in a twist with just a few pearl embellishments on the sides. I’m not wearing a veil. My pearly white heels are perfection. I’ve got on a white lace garter with a shot of blue ribbon through it and Grace’s stylist, who was lovely and seemed to have a good idea of my predicament judging by the way she didn’t seem to take my somber mood to heart and didn’t inundate me with questions you’d expect a hair and makeup pro to ask a blushing bride, said the hair embellishments aren’t new as they’ve been in her inventory a while so could be classed as the “old”. Since the dress and shoes are “new” she presented me with a pair of diamond earrings that are my “borrowed” courtesy of Grace Steele.
“Not gonna answer?” Derek asks, looking up at me.
“What can I say, Derek? That you’re out of your mind? That it’s not a real proposal if you’re forcing me to marry you to keep my loved ones safe? I think it’s better that I say nothing.”
“I guess I deserve that,” he says as he rises and takes my left hand into his before dropping a kiss on my freshly manicured hand. He smiles as his thumb strokes my ring finger. “Though, instead of asking you to marry me I’ll amend it and give you a different proposal. No… don’t get excited, you’re still marrying me, but I propose this: give this a chance. Give me a chance. Let me show you how real I am. I want to be your husband. I want you to be mine. Only mine. Permanently. I want that more than anything. That’s why I’ve so decidedly pursued you. I’ve never been surer about anything, Chloe. Let’s do this. Jump in with me. The water’s fine. I promise.”
I stare dumbfounded.
“We’d better go,” he says without looking upset that I’ve said nothing in response. “There are people waiting.”
It’s almost eleven o’clock. I’ve been standing by this door for ten minutes waiting for Craig to get me inside through a private entrance to the building. But I spot Adam. He’s parking. He sees me and looks immediately panicked.
What in the world is he doing here right now? Has he heard about Steele’s plan for upcoming nuptials? Did Craig break my confidence so Adam can come swoop in to Chloe’s aid? I’m about to approach when the door behind me opens.
“Psst, Alannah,” Craig calls out. “Get your ass in here.”
“Adam’s over there.” I jerk my thumb behind me, “He saw me and now he’s looking at you.”
Craig looks at Adam and his forehead crinkles. We both murmur what the fuck in unison.
Craig, Adam, and I are in a meeting room inside the city hall in a town half an hour from home. It’s clear we all know what’s going on with Chloe even though Adam refused to answer questions about why he was here at first.
I told him I suspected it had something to do with Derek Steele and all the shit he’s been pulling, and Adam’s face said it all. I pressed and pressed, and he finally admitted he was here because Derek told him to be here for eleven. Derek told me to be here for eleven thirty. And this has me concerned.
Adam looks scared. Beyond afraid. Craig went into cop mode slash best friend mode and told Adam that I’d spilled the beans to him last night, which I had to do because I couldn’t figure out what else to do to help.
I swore Craig to secrecy and gave him the skinny on the Chloe situation. He went a little ballistic, filling me in on just how dodgy the whole Steele family is, how they’re the bane of Craig’s department’s existence, but due to a plethora of issues he can’t get into, the police haven’t been able to do much about them.
Jeff said similar things. Derek’s father and oldest brother maintain some dodgy relationships. One of Derek’s other brothers is getting deeper into the shady side of their family business. Nobody knows how Derek is or isn’t involved because he’s rarely in town and stays under radar for the most part, but Craig has always been sure Derek’s hands are less than clean. When I told Craig how Derek overheard me and Chloe talking about Adam’s hall pass, it seemed like a eureka moment because Craig muttered that he bets Derek Steele has all his nightclubs bugged so he can trade information to help his father and brothers.
Craig spent the night at my place and followed me here this morning after making a few calls to make sure he could get in here and book a meeting room as well as get me inside early, so we could do a run through before Chloe gets here.