Total pages in book: 114
Estimated words: 103918 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 520(@200wpm)___ 416(@250wpm)___ 346(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 103918 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 520(@200wpm)___ 416(@250wpm)___ 346(@300wpm)
"Lex!" I yelled as I climbed off the bed and knelt next to him. There was a cut above his eye that was bleeding. But despite the wound, Lex was still in flight mode.
"I have to go," he said frantically as he pushed my hands away from his face.
"Lex, baby, please, talk to me," I begged, but my words fell on deaf ears.
"I have to go," he repeated.
Despite his desperation to escape me, I held on to him as he climbed to his feet. He was so frantic that I knew if I let him go, he'd only hurt himself again in his efforts to get away from me. I couldn't risk him running out of the cabin and getting lost in the darkness.
"God, Gideon please, please let me go."
"I will, Lex. But I need you to calm down first—"
That was as much as I got out before I was grabbed from behind. The next thing I knew, I was on the floor and a heavy fist was slamming into my jaw. But it wasn't Lex on top of me, attacking me.
That much I was sure of.
When a second blow glanced off my cheek, I threw my own punch. I couldn't make out the face of the man above me, but I was satisfied to hear the grunt of pain when I landed a blow to his kidneys. I sent a silent thank you to my father for forcing me to take up boxing as a kid because he'd thought I was too much of a pansy.
While the boxing skills helped keep the guy from knocking me out instantly, I knew I was no match for him in the long run.
"Lex, run!" I shouted as I did my best to fight off my attacker. If I could keep him busy, Lex could make his escape. I repeated my order for Lex to run.
At the same time, the man, in a voice that was cold as ice, asked, "Did he hurt you?"
The man landed another blow, this one catching me in the temple. After that, several things happened at once, though it was hard to keep up with any of it after the blows I’d taken.
I heard Lex yell, "King?"
Right after that came a vicious snarl off to my left. There was a frenzy of growls and shouts as the man's weight disappeared. I managed to pull myself together enough to see that Brewer had a hold of my attacker's arm. In turn, the guy had his hand on Brewer's muzzle. He had his fingers at the corners of my dog’s mouth but for some reason he didn’t seem to be using any force to attempt to pry the animal’s jaws open.
"Call him off," the man said, his voice calm but deadly. "I don't want to hurt him."
I would've laughed at the comment if my head hadn't been pounding like a son of a bitch. The one thing that did make sense was the fear in Lex's voice when he yelled, "Gideon? Gideon!"
He was standing only a few feet from the man and Brewer. His hands were out in front of him, desperately searching for something. I stumbled to my feet and hurried to him. I was dizzy from the blows but somehow, I managed to stay upright and when Lex's hands closed around mine, I finally managed to take a breath. Brewer and my attacker were still locked in combat, but my only concern was for Lex. I had to get him out of there.
"Lex, we have to go," I said as I began dragging him toward the door.
"No, wait," he shouted as he used all his weight to stop me. "King?"
"Tell him to call the dog off, Lex!" the man, King, demanded. How the hell did he know Lex's name? And what the fuck was he doing in my house? Even as I had the thoughts, something about the man’s name felt familiar.
Brewer whined as the man began to apply pressure to his muzzle, but the loyal dog didn't let go.
"Brewer!" Lex called, but the husky held on to his prey. Lex shook my arm and said, "He's my brother, Gideon! Please, he's my brother!"
Despite the information, I didn't call Brewer off right away. Even if the guy really was Lex's brother, he’d broken into my house and attacked me for no reason.
"Gideon, please!" Lex repeated. The panic in his voice was clear.
"Brewer!" I yelled. I had to call the dog two more times before he released the man's arm. The big dog backed up several steps so he was standing between me and Lex and the guy.
"King?" Lex cried out as he released me and tried to step forward. He bumped into Brewer who refused to let him pass. The big animal moved back and forth to keep Lex where he was. I reached out to grab Brewer by the collar so he wouldn't inadvertently trip Lex. Admittedly, it hurt like a son of a bitch to watch Lex stumble toward the man who'd attacked me.