Total pages in book: 86
Estimated words: 78732 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 394(@200wpm)___ 315(@250wpm)___ 262(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78732 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 394(@200wpm)___ 315(@250wpm)___ 262(@300wpm)
"You're in danger," I whisper.
"From sickos like you who think it's okay to pick a woman from a line to marry," she mutters, but her body has lost some of the tension. "I want you to leave."
"I'm not here to find a wife," I argue. "I'm here to find you."
She jerks her head back, eyes scanning mine, as if she can't believe what I've just told her.
"What? How? Why?"
I shake my head. "Now isn't the time to discuss this."
She opens her mouth again but snaps it closed when I shake my head.
"The room is being monitored. Look over my left shoulder."
The tiny gasp that she releases tells me that she can see the camera in the corner of the room.
"You're in danger, and if you cause another scene and don't let this play out, then I'm in danger as well."
The way she glares at me tells me she isn't too concerned for me at this point.
"Pick someone else. I need to stay."
"Do you have any idea what will happen to you if I leave and someone else comes and picks you?"
Her jaw flexes but she remains silent, the hint of a tear forming on her bottom lash.
"There's another woman," she whispers, eyes still searching mine. "I need to know what happened to her."
"I can help you figure that out, but I can't leave you here."
She still shakes her head.
"You're willing to stay and be married off to some creepy asshole who is going to fondle you and do all sorts of unforgivable things to you so you can try and figure out what happened to your friend?"
Even with this information, I don't know that I've convinced her.
Chapter 10
Kaylee
I open my mouth to continue arguing, but the door opens back up.
"Is she your one true love?" the big guy asks as he steps back into the room.
"Not yet," the stranger says as he takes a step back, releasing his grip on my wrists. "But she will be."
The big guy laughs like they have an inside joke between the two of them, and I want to slap both of them across the face. The man standing in front of me raises an eyebrow, a challenge to trust him. As annoyed as I am that he's here, the other night was miserable, and as close a rein as the men here have on the women, I can't see myself having the chance to break away from the group and go snooping around.
From the way this guy is talking, doing so might be a death sentence, and as brave as I'd like to pretend to be, dying isn't on my list of things to do today.
"He make good husband," I say in broken English and an accent so fake and terrible that the stranger in front of me coughs to hide his laughter.
The big guy narrows his eyes at me as I walk past him out of the room. Before the stranger showed up, I might've been trembling and terrified from the look, but there's something about this man that tells me maybe he will protect me like he claims he will.
It doesn't, however, answer the millions of questions I have for him.
"I hear we have a love match!"
My head snaps in the direction of the voice, my eyes landing on Dima who has his hands pressed together and a sinister look in his eyes. I swear the man is pure evil, and I pray this guy isn't full of it and can actually help these women.
"She's feisty," the stranger says, leaving me standing there while he crosses the room toward the big boss. "Ellis Burke."
The two shake hands like there isn't a woman literally being sold, standing on the other side of the room.
"She's new," Dima says, a warning in his tone. "Are you sure you don't want one of the others?"
"She's perfect for what I need her for," Ellis says, not bothering to look over his shoulder in my direction, even though he's talking about me.
"If you're sure, the van is waiting."
"Van?" Ellis asks, a hint of surprise in his tone.
"We have to go to the Marriage License Bureau," Dima explains.
Ellis takes a step back from him.
"What is this?" Dima asks, suspicion filling his tone as he points at the man. "Why are you nervous?"
"What if she says something to the clerk?" the man asks, clearly shocked that we would leave this place and present ourselves in front of others so soon.
Dima looks from him to me, a slow evil smile spreading across his face. "Her friend Morgan assured me that she'll be the perfect wife."
I swallow the bubble of terror that tries to force its way up the back of my throat. I never mentioned my friend to him. It seems he has spent some time since yesterday afternoon doing research on me. I hear the hint of warning, knowing that I've put my one and only dear friend in danger, all the while trying to find out what happened to a woman whose last name I don't even know.