Total pages in book: 192
Estimated words: 189782 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 949(@200wpm)___ 759(@250wpm)___ 633(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 189782 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 949(@200wpm)___ 759(@250wpm)___ 633(@300wpm)
“Shut the fuck up!” Leo roars. “You’ve caused enough damage.”
“Stop yelling.” She stands taller, fisting her hands at her sides. “Monty didn’t cause this. I did. You want to fight? Fight me.”
She’s lost her mind. None of us would harm a hair on her head.
And fighting each other doesn’t solve a damn thing.
Monty won’t share her with us. Leo won’t share her with Monty. I just want to be with her, but she’s drawn a line in the sand. She won’t choose between us.
There’s no win here.
I won’t live on this island and watch her fall deeper and deeper in love with a man who wants her for himself. They have a history, a marriage that Leo and I can’t rival. We need to get her away from him.
“We can’t stay here.” Anger and hurt throb beneath my skin as I meet her eyes. “You’re coming with us.”
“You’re not thinking rationally,” Monty says. “There’s a serial killer on the loose, and Frankie is the target.”
“We’ll take guards.” Leo turns and storms down the hall, his footsteps echoing like thunder. “Let’s go, Frankie.”
“Don’t do this.” She chases him, reaching for him, trying to stop him. “Don’t let this destroy everything we’ve built.”
“Him or us.” He whirls on her, catching her arms as she crashes into him. “Decide. Are you staying or going?”
“I won’t stay here without you.” She shakes her head rapidly, ignoring Monty’s objections. “And I won’t leave with you.”
“That right?” Leo laughs coldly. “Well, those are your only two options, love.”
“If you leave…” She juts her chin. “I leave. By myself.”
“I forbid it.” Monty’s eyes flash.
“Where the fuck would you go?” I ask incredulously.
“The on-call room at the hospital has a bunk bed and bathroom.” A tear splashes onto her cheek, and she slaps it away. “I’m the problem. I’m the one who needs to leave.”
Her anguish cuts through me like a knife, twisting deeper into raw wounds.
“That’s bullshit.” Leo tangles a hand in his hair. “Either you’re staying here or coming with us.”
“I’m not going with you.” She steps closer, her eyes pleading. “Stay with Monty. I choose all three of you. All three of you together, with or without me. I just want you to stay together and take care of one another.”
“They can’t be fixed,” Monty mutters so quietly, so deliberately imperceptible by the ear.
He forgets I hear tones most humans can’t.
“What the fuck did you say?” I lean toward him, a vein throbbing at my temple.
“You heard me.” He lifts his chin, daring me to hit him.
So I rear back my fist and drive it straight into his throat.
The force of the strike doubles him over, shock flashing in his eyes as he grabs his gullet and coughs through the pain.
Sissy.
“Kody!” she gasps.
“He’ll be fine.” I back up and lean against the wall.
I barely throat-punched him. Just enough to stun him. He’s already straightening, glaring at me like he wants another one.
But the look on her face…
Oh, shit.
She goes still, and a cold, dark shadow crosses her features.
“Out of line, Kodiak Strakh.” Her tone is so calm it chills. “Out of fucking line.”
“He deserved it.”
“Then I deserve it, too.”
I push off the wall. “I would never—”
“No. You know what? That’s it.” Turning, she paces off into the bedroom with Leo hot on her heels.
Monty and I stand with a stiff distance between us as our stares intertwine in a silent battle.
In the bedroom, I hear the sounds of drawers slamming and the rustling of bags being packed.
“You’re not leaving on your own,” Leo says.
The angry zip of a bag is the only response.
Monty opens his mouth to say something, but she charges out into the hall with two bags strapped over her shoulders.
She walks straight up to Monty and takes his face in her hands. “I would never force you into anything you don’t want to do. I love you.” Releasing him, she steps back, her eyes wet but determined. “The marriage between Frankie and Monty Novak ended a year ago. There is no you and me. There is only you, me, and them.” She points a shaky finger at us. “You are Strakhs, and in my dream of the future, I share that last name with all of you.”
“Frankie.” Monty reaches for her.
She evades his hand and pivots toward Leo. “I love you, and I want the best for you. Your anger is too great, and your trauma is too deep. It worries me. That goes for all of you.” She glances around at us and returns to Leo. “It affects you and your relationships. Seek help. If you won’t do it for me, do it for each other.”
“You’re turning this around on me?” Leo narrows his eyes angrily. “Like this is my fault?”
“No. I take full responsibility for what happened tonight.” Her gaze shifts to me.