Total pages in book: 133
Estimated words: 123212 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 616(@200wpm)___ 493(@250wpm)___ 411(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 123212 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 616(@200wpm)___ 493(@250wpm)___ 411(@300wpm)
“Nearly,” Kai grunts, leaning in closer to get a better look. “It’s lodged in the fucking bone. I don’t want to do any more damage.”
Eli groans, biting down on the shirt harder than humanly possible. “JUST. GET. IT. THE. FUCK. OUT.”
Kai glances up at Sebastian, “Get in here with that vodka, man. There’s fucking blood everywhere.”
Sebastian runs around and takes one look at the back of Eli’s shoulder before peeling off his own shirt and using it to help mop up the blood. I roll my eyes. Stupid fucking boys. Do they have no concept of infection control?
The bullet is finally pulled from his shoulder and Sebastian instantly gets in there with the vodka. He presses his shirt over the wound to control the stream of blood and Eli finally lets up on my hands.
I pull the shirt from between his teeth and he lets out a slow breath. “Are you alright?” He questions, still white as a ghost.
“I’ll live,” I grumble, glancing away.
All three of the boys stare at me and without another word, I turn my back and walk away.
“O,” I hear called in perfect unison by all three of them.
I spin around, fixing each of them with a hard stare. “Why the hell did you three just randomly appear in my life?” They all hesitate and the words come flying out of me. “TELL ME.”
Sebastian’s jaw clenches, the only sign that he’s about to talk. He raises his chin, finally ready to give it to me straight. “Kian learned who you were and put us in your life. He wanted to have you watched. He knew that you didn’t know who your father really was and he used that against him.”
Pain slices through me, right down to my core. “So, it was all a lie? You weren’t my friends at all. You were there watching my father and screwing over his daughter in the process.”
Kairo nods. “At first, but then we got to know you. You’re one of us, Ocean. Who cares how we fucking met? What we have is stronger than that.”
“You really think so?” I laugh. “Our whole friendship was based on a lie. We have nothing. Not anymore.”
I turn away and don’t dare look back knowing damn well that if I did, I'll break. If anything, I’ve overstayed my welcome, not that I had any in the first place. I’ll check on Nic one last time and then I’m out of here.
I start walking back to the bar to take my seat beside him, only he’s no longer there. I glance around the large, warehouse-style compound to find him having a whispered conversation with a guy who has a phone glued to his ear.
Nic’s eyes flash up to mine and the look within them nearly tears me apart.
This isn’t my Nic. The man staring back at me is a complete stranger. This is the lethal, dark version of Nic that could rip a man to shreds with his bare hands. This is the version of himself that he’s always tried to protect me from, but something has changed, that need to hide it from me is gone.
I falter, bringing myself to a stop in the middle of the compound. Something screams at me not to take another step, that I should stay away, but as usual, I’m so fucking drawn to him.
I swallow back the confusion and realize the right thing to do is leave. I can’t see him like this. I’ve always known this is a part of who he is. This is his dark side, the side that will have grown men shitting their pants and begging for forgiveness. Seeing him like this … it’s going to crush me.
Nic has always been larger than life for me and while I’ve always known about this, I’ve never had to watch him at his worst and I’m terrified of being scared of him, of knowing just how far he can go. Sure, I’ve seen him beat the ever-loving shit out of a man. I’ve seen the way he dominates every fucking situation, but whatever comes next … that’s going to change it all.
A hard body presses into my back and as hands claim my waist, Sebastian’s low voice sends chills running down my spine. “I’ve seen that look, Ocean,” he tells me, his voice barely a whisper. “You need to go.”
I nod and as I go to step around him a guy starts pulling on a thick chain, pulling the roller door up. The only proper door in the warehouse is slammed shut and locked and Sebastian pulls me back into him, clutching onto me tighter. “Fuck. Too late.”
The deafening sound of Harley’s fill the warehouse as they creep through the roller door, surrounding all sides of the black SUV, the same one that had only rolled past here less than an hour ago with guns hanging out of the fucking windows.