Total pages in book: 78
Estimated words: 78631 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 393(@200wpm)___ 315(@250wpm)___ 262(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78631 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 393(@200wpm)___ 315(@250wpm)___ 262(@300wpm)
I grip the blanket tighter, trying to keep myself steady. My only way out of this situation is through it, and that means I have to fight.
I jump down from the bunk, dropping the blanket onto the floor and standing tall. I’m not as big as they are, but another thing I learned at the other home is that I can use my size to my advantage.
“All right.” My heart pounds like a jackhammer. “I’m ready.”
Laughter breaks out from the shadows again, and I can only hope my voice doesn’t betray the terror that’s creeping up my spine.
“Good,” Tully grunts, cracking his knuckles.
His partner steps back, folding his arms across his chest and watching with a twisted smirk on his face.
With a lunge, Tully charges at me. It happens so quickly that I barely have time to react. But somehow, some way, I dodge his tackle at the last minute, stepping aside and letting him crash into the hard wall beside my bunk.
“Fuck you, you little pussy.” Tully groans.
Stunned silence fills the room, broken only by the heavy puffs of breath from the guy sprawled on the floor. My roommates, until then huddled in their own beds, are now watching.
“I’ll get him,” the other says.
“You better destroy him, Lewis.”
The smaller one—Lewis—steps forward, a murderous glare replacing his earlier smirk. He’s clearly not happy at how his friend ended up. This time, I brace myself for the attack, remembering a move I learned during a self-defense class at the previous home.
As he lunges towards me, his fist aimed for my head, I duck and sweep my leg low. He stumbles over it and lands with a grunt onto the cold floor.
My roommates gasp when he hits the ground. I’m panting, but the thrill of victory surges through me.
I did it.
I fought back.
And I won.
But no one cheers my triumph. The room is so silent now that you could hear a pin drop. Lewis and Tully, both still on the floor, look more surprised than hurt.
“Fuck, Dragon,” Zach hisses from his bed. “You just made things a lot worse for yourself.”
Present day…
Things can always get worse.
Things can get unimaginable.
Things can get downright hellish.
There’s a reason I told Diana I was sin.
That I could only take her to hell.
Because I’ve been to hell.
Part of me lives in hell every day.
I walk into the other room, leaving Diana on the bed with Teddy.
I wouldn’t mind cuddling with her myself, but I’ve got things to do. I call Alayna quickly.
“Yes, Alayna here.”
“It’s Dragon. I sent the money.”
“Great. Send me a screenshot of everything.”
“I’m on it.” I do as she asks quickly. “How soon will you have something for me?”
“Shouldn’t be too long. I’ve got a guy on my team who’s a master at this stuff.”
“So you’ll have a name and address for me?”
“I can’t make any guarantees, but I’m cautiously optimistic.”
“Good. Thanks, Alayna.”
“You got it. I’m on the road to Albuquerque now. Should get there by morning.”
“You’re driving all night?”
“With my partner, Brad Ness. We take turns.”
I pull up a map app on my phone. “Are you passing through Taos?”
“Yeah, we may pass through Taos. You want me to stop so we can meet face-to-face?”
Do I?
“No. We’ll meet eventually. Right now, Griffin is the main focus.”
“I agree. I’ll get back to you as soon as I hear from my colleague.”
“Got it.” I end the call.
I plug my phone into its charger, and then I head back into the other room to look in on Diana.
Her eyes are closed.
Good. She needs the sleep.
“You doing okay, boy?” I ask the dog.
Diana opens her eyes.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you.”
She sits up. “I wasn’t asleep. I’m not really tired.”
“I’d ask you what you talked to my mom about, but to tell you the truth”—I shake my head—“I don’t want to think about it right now.”
“I get it.”
What I really want is to fuck her silly. But she’s hurt. I can’t expect her to—
“Come here, Dragon,” she says, her eyes heavy-lidded.
“What for?”
She smiles. “I think you know.”
“You’re cuddling with the dog.”
She pats the mattress. “There’s plenty of room for you on the other side of the bed.”
Okay. Weird. Is the dog going to watch us?
“Diana, we’ve been through this.”
She scoffs. “You know something, Dragon? I wasn’t sure I could tell you this. I’m not sure you’re ready to hear it. But I’m done giving a damn.” She closes her eyes for a moment, draws in a breath. Then she opens them and rises into a sitting position, her leg still elevated on the pillow.
She meets my gaze.
Her brown eyes are on fire.
“I’ve got something to say to you, and you’re going to sit here and listen to it.”
Fuck. I just told her I didn’t want to talk about my mother. I don’t really want to talk about Griffin right now either.