Total pages in book: 52
Estimated words: 49388 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 247(@200wpm)___ 198(@250wpm)___ 165(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 49388 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 247(@200wpm)___ 198(@250wpm)___ 165(@300wpm)
“My guess is Thane will try contacting Abner,” I tell her before gulping down another mouthful of the strong black coffee. “The bastard might be behind bars, but he can still talk to his associates on the outside.”
It bothers me that, even though Abner Lancaster is in prison, he’s still alive. I would much rather he was dead. But it wasn’t my call to make. It was Ares who had the final say, and he chose to let his father live.
I look at Grecia, who’s watching me intently.
“I agree.” She nods. Then smiling, she turns the laptop toward me. “There’s been someone dialing the prison to speak to Abner every day at midday.”
I scan the cell number and think I know who it belongs to, but I decide not to tell Grecia until I can confirm my suspicions. Instead, I open the tracking app on my laptop, insert the digits, and then hit Enter.
The app will allow us to see any messages that have been sent to or from the cell phone. I watch as the percentage of transferred data increases. With every second that passes, I can feel Grecia’s gaze on me, and it’s hot. But I know there’s suspicion in her eyes.
Once all the messages are transferred, I open the first one, which I can see is addressed to my uncle. There’s nothing of importance in the communication, other than to inform him that the sender has made contact with Abner.
I knew I recognized the number as soon as I saw it, and when I finally meet Grecia’s questioning gaze, I admit, “Hilary Durand may have left Tynewood, but she’s not given up on winning back her son.”
“Etienne doesn’t want her in his life. He told her—”
“One thing you have to learn about our parents, Grecia, is that they’re not the kind of people who like to be told what to do. Unless it’s Abner giving the orders, of course.”
“So, you’re telling me that Hilary intends to return to Tynewood?”
I’ve no doubt Etienne’s mother will eventually go back home, but I have a feeling she might need my uncle’s permission first. Hilary Durand has some skeletons in her closet, and I’m pretty sure Thane knows them all. He’s probably holding something over her. It’s how he likes to operate.
“Thane is planning something,” I tell Grecia as I meet her gaze. “And I have to find him before he carries out whatever the fuck it is. My intuition tells me it’s not going to be good.”
Grecia nods, and pulling the laptop toward her, she scans the rest of the messages while I grab a refill of coffee. I take a moment to observe her. I watch as she draws her bottom lip into her mouth and locks it between her teeth while she focuses on the screen. Then she sighs, and her lips pout, full and pink, and I imagine them wrapped around my dick. My blood turns hot as it races through my veins. It’s a sensation I’ve been fighting for months whenever she’s close.
I’ve known Grecia for most of my life, but the physical response I have to her now started when we first went to college. Whenever we were in the same room, I’d find myself staring at her until Ares or Etienne would shove me and ask if I wanted to have a go at the Birchwood beauty. I would always deny any interest and tell them they were full of shit, but deep down, I knew I was burying the burning need that sprang up each time she was near me.
As the daughter of one Crown and the stepdaughter of another, I know Grecia’s life hasn’t been easy. Greg Birchwood is nothing short of an army sergeant in the way he rules his household, and Leonard Harding, her stepfather, is an asshole of note.
When Greg left, Leonard swooped in and made a play for the beautiful Geraldine Birchwood. Even I can admit Grecia’s mother is stunning. After she married Leonard, though, that’s when all the shit started. Kelli, Leonard’s biological daughter, has never got along with Grecia, and whenever they’re in the same room, they’re at each other’s throats.
Grecia glances up and catches me staring at her.
“What?” she asks as she sits back and folds her arms across her chest, revealing more of her cleavage and intensifying my desire.
I’m sure she loves taunting me. When we were back in Tynewood, it was easy to walk away and forget she existed. But now she’s here all the time, within my grasp, and it’s getting more and more difficult to ignore her.
Shrugging, I slowly sip my coffee.
“Nothing,” I eventually respond as I stand up and make my way to the door that leads to the balcony.
Stepping outside, I focus on the sun rising above the distant horizon. My headache is easing, thankfully. The early morning sky is a strange mix of colors, graduating from the dark blue of night to a deep orange that’s illuminating the world.