Total pages in book: 116
Estimated words: 118042 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 590(@200wpm)___ 472(@250wpm)___ 393(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 118042 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 590(@200wpm)___ 472(@250wpm)___ 393(@300wpm)
The other guy leapt to his feet and reached behind his back.
I lodged a bullet in his chest before he found his weapon. Leaping over the couch, I put another three in him…just to be sure.
Rolling him onto his stomach, I snatched his gun, gathered the gruesome cards, and slipped out the door.
Two down…how many to go before I could rest?
Chapter Twenty-Seven
………………………….
Ily
“HE’S WHERE?”
Q rolled his eyes as if my constant questions pissed him off. “I just told you. He’s hunting. But he’s not in any condition to wage war, and he won’t get far targeting the sort of men he’s after—”
“Wait.” My head swam. “He’s hunting people?”
“Putain,” he snarled and raked both hands through his hair. “If you know my brother well enough to be in love with him, then you should know what he’d do the minute he saw you flatline. He couldn’t cope. He stole Dr Harl’s car and has turned off my phone. The GPS location says he’s made two stops to addresses of men on my list. He’s now in the Eurotunnel to England.”
“Your list?”
“Fuck, I don’t have time for this!”
“You came to me!”
“He’s getting revenge, don’t you see? He’s committing suicide by rapist.”
My heart stopped. “But I didn’t die.”
“He doesn’t know that.”
“Then we need to tell him!”
“That’s what I’m trying to do!”
“We’ll go get him.” I swung my legs out of bed. I went dizzy. “I’ll come. We’ll bring him back. He can see for himself that I’m—”
“You can’t go anywhere. It’s too soon, and I won’t run the risk of you dying again. I just…” Slapping a phone into my hand, he barked, “Keep ringing him. Maybe you’ll have better luck than me and will be able to get through.” Striding to the door, he huffed, “I’ll fly to the UK and track him down. Tell Tess to call me if you manage to speak to that idiot.”
He vanished before I could agree.
* * * * *
For two days, I kept trying.
I sat in a pretty conservatory with a babbling fountain, tropical plants, and an aviary full of colourful birds. Mum and Dad sat beside me, reading and throwing side glances my way. Krish rested a little apart, lying on the floor and looking up through the glass roof as clouds drifted past and Tiger hopped around, exploring.
“Come on, Henri. Pick up the damn phone.”
Nothing.
It wouldn’t even ring.
My thumb hurt from stabbing the recall button, over and over again.
The phone had to be plugged in twice a day with how quickly I drained the battery.
While I fought to get ahold of Henri, Rachel sat quietly beside me looking at maps, drawing red dots on each address of the men on Q’s list.
He’d printed us off a copy.
He’d mentioned that Henri seemed to be working his way through them.
We could track him. Somehow.
But any one of those men could kill him.
Rachel had almost fainted when we’d seen how many names and red dots existed.
After everything she’d gone through on Victor’s island. After seeing Masters finally pay a price and earning a small amount of joy at being told Victor was dead—that all vanished beneath the godawful knowledge that there were so many men like him. So many other girls like us.
Tears lived in the back of my throat.
I’d cried when Rachel told me Peter hadn’t made it.
My entire soul threatened to crack and sob, but…I couldn’t break. Not yet.
I wanted to mourn him and all the other jewels that I hadn’t been able to mourn. All those lost in the cave, and in the Temple, and in the bedrooms of those despicable Masters, but first, I had to keep my twin flame alive.
I dialled again.
It gave an empty dial tone.
Henri…come on.
Pick up.
Feel me.
Hear me.
Come back.
Another night fell and Rachel helped me to the dining room where we sat down to dinner with my parents and brother along with a fluffy rabbit called Tiger. I forced myself to eat even though I tasted none of it. I tolerated the doctors checking me over and said goodnight as everyone went to bed.
And I stayed up all night, ringing.
* * * * *
Three a.m.
I lay beneath comfy silver blankets alone.
The novelty of being utterly by myself after six months of being surrounded by Masters and jewels left me oddly uncomfortable.
My skin prickled every time I heard a creak or a crack.
I couldn’t stop staring at the door, just waiting for Victor or one of the guards to come barrelling in.
Rachel told me what happened to Victor. How the jewels had left him in pieces, each sharing a role in his demise, but…I couldn’t quite trust that he was gone.
Just like I couldn’t believe Peter was dead.
It didn’t feel right.
He’d survived so much for so long. He’d seemed almost immortal to me.
And yet…whenever I asked Rachel if she was positive Peter died protecting me, she’d burst into tears and could only nod.