Total pages in book: 120
Estimated words: 109976 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 550(@200wpm)___ 440(@250wpm)___ 367(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 109976 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 550(@200wpm)___ 440(@250wpm)___ 367(@300wpm)
“People are gonna talk.” Her voice sounded more petulant that worried.
“Do you care about that?” I kinda knew she would, but her answer isn’t the one I’d expected.
“Not for myself but for you, your business.”
“My business is fine, and even if it wasn’t going to be, do you think I’d sacrifice you for it? What do you take me for?”
She has no idea that when she acts like this it makes it harder for me to hold onto my resolve not to murder the senator in cold blood. He deserves that and worse for what he’d put her through, but even now I know she wouldn’t want that. Not that I plan on telling her when I end the bastard.
“Gavin!” She swallowed hard as if having trouble with what she was about to say.
“What is it?” I cupped her cheek again and looked into her eyes. Oh baby…patience Gavin, it’s only been a few days. It’s been a fucking lifetime.
“Do you really love me this much?”
“What do you think?” She put her head on my shoulder and wrapped her arms around my neck. I felt the slight nod of her head and smiled.
“I’ve loved you since the first moment I saw you. I have no doubt I’ll love you for the rest of my days.”
That seemed to please her and she lifted her head and beamed at me, easing some of the knots that were tying themselves together in my gut. “No more sad eyes okay.” She gave me the thumbs up sign and moved off my lap to go play with her new toys.
There was a knock on the door and I got up to leave the room to answer. “What’s up Kev?” He made the come ahead sign and I went back into the bedroom to tell her I’d be back. “I’m right next door.” We walked down the hallway to the room next door where he was staying.
“I checked in as soon as we landed and already got a nibble. Apparently he’s sent his dogs out hunting for her. He tore his office apart because she hasn’t been answering his calls and now her phone appears to be off the grid. She didn’t bring it with her did she?”
“No!”
“Good, because he was planning to put a trace on it.” I didn’t even think of that when I destroyed it but whatever. “Did you get everything taken care of for tomorrow?” Sticking his nose in my shit.
“What do you think? It’s set for ten in the morning. We have to postpone our outbound flight to the day after though, she wants to see the damn rock.”
“Sure! This is good, Dave can get to see his relatives while we’re here.” He thought that shit was funny.
“I’ll remember to tell him you called him a macaque.”
“Shit starter. I’m heading in for the night, see you in the A.M.”
I stood in the hallway alone for a few before going back to her. She was sitting up in bed setting up her phone. Since she didn’t hear me come in I just stood and watched her feeling at peace, a rare occurrence for me. “I saw in the journal you spoke of those friends you lost contact with. Why don’t you look them up when we return?”
“Really?” She looked so hopeful, like a little girl being offered a treat. It was one thing to read her thoughts about what she went through but quite another to feel what she had, something I know is virtually impossible. But with each new discovery I was coming to understand more and more the hell she’d been through. Now I have to undo all of it.
“What’s that look now?” She had a new wistful look on her face as she rubbed her finger over the face of the diamond encrusted phone.
“It’s been a while since I’ve been out with friends. For the last year or so I hardly even left the house. I had my groceries delivered and stayed pretty much in my room, only leaving when I absolutely needed to.”
I’d finally looked over the rest of the photos Kev had sent me and knew this to be true. The room had looked lived in. She’d even had a hot plate in there with her, something I can’t imagine the sophisticated beauty in front of me having to endure.
“Now that I know, won’t you tell me what else you’ve left out?” She jumped as if I’d goosed her. Well hell, what the hell else could she be hiding? What could be worst than the words she’d already written down?
“There’s nothing…”
“Don’t lie to me, and don’t look at me like that, like you expect me to harm you. Don’t you understand by now that there’s nothing that can make me not love you? I understand that your life was hard, and I’m willing to give you the time you need to get over it, but you’re gonna have to learn to trust me.”