Total pages in book: 124
Estimated words: 114936 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 575(@200wpm)___ 460(@250wpm)___ 383(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 114936 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 575(@200wpm)___ 460(@250wpm)___ 383(@300wpm)
“What do you want?”
“Go to the front door, get in a car, and await my next instructions.” I do as I’m told, my footsteps moving faster than I would have liked since I’m trying to sneak out of a fortress filled with men who have an eager eye.
Grabbing the keys to the McLaren, I close the front door quietly, in time for no one to hear.
“Very good. And you better hope for Jordan and Christopher’s sake that they don’t follow you.” I swallow past the lump in my throat, jogging toward the car and pushing the button to unlock it. I don’t wait for my phone to connect to Bluetooth. I floor it and the car shoots forward, down the driveway and out the parting wired gates.
“Okay, now what?” I yell toward my phone on the passenger seat.
“Keep driving to the docks.” I direct the car onto the on-ramp and drop it down into second. I haven’t been to the docks in years, but lucky for me, Kiznitch is fairly easy to remember. My hands move over the steering wheel, as if they’ve driven this path many times before. When the off-ramp comes into view, I hook a left, slowing my speed to the limit. Driving over the smaller bridge, the water comes into view and I slow down even further when I round the parking lot.
“I’m here! What am I looking for?”
“A very large white boat.” It annoys me that he says it so relaxed.
“There are a lot of very large white boats.” Pushing the button, I turn the car off and relax against the leather. Silence wraps around me in a way that makes my skin prickle with unease.
“Get out of the car and go down to the docks. You will see a white boat with red writing on it.” I slide out of the driver’s seat and lock the car, following instructions. It’s dark now, the sun finally setting over the mountains that enclose Kiznitch. The water is placid like liquid, yet somehow still majestically peaceful. I take the first step onto the jetty and search every boat I pass.
Nope.
Nope.
Not big enough.
No writing.
The red writing comes into view first, and my feet slow to a stop.
“Good, you found us. Now come on—” Dominic stands on the plank, a glass of whiskey in one hand and his other outstretched to me. “Don’t be shy.”
“What do you want?” I cross my arms in front of me, taking in what I can without being obvious. He’s wearing white slacks and a white suit jacket with a blood-red silk shirt beneath. His hair is slicked back to the nape of his neck, and I can smell the stench of his cologne from here. So loud and desperate.
“You don’t have a choice, Poppet. Get in the fucking boat.” He jumps down off the plank just as hands are around my waist, shoving me forward.
I shrug out of them and sneer at the man over my shoulder. “I know how to walk. Get your hands off me.” Following behind Dominic while maintaining a long enough distance, I shove my hands into my pockets, feeling for my phone.
“Sit, Ice Queen. Sit—” Dominic gestures to the seat opposite him at the front of the boat. There’s a spa and a bar that’s lit by strings of lights. “Before we go downstairs, I want to run some things by you.” He clicks his fingers, and a woman emerges from the shadows. She’s naked and bruised, with blood running down her temples.
“Okay. What is it?” So long as this boat doesn’t move, I can talk and remain calm. Vibrations shake beneath as the sound of engines roar to life. Fuck.
“First.” He points to the table. “Put your phone here.”
I place it in front of me, watching as the young girl lines cocaine out on the table. Her hands shake as she tips each line, and I bring my eyes to Dominic. “Where’s Eli?”
“Oh, that’s to come. First, I want you to pick up your phone and I want you to call—” He leans down, shoving a rolled bill up his nostril and sniffing the line. “Killian Cornelli!” He waves his hands out as if announcing some prized pet. I don’t want to ask why Killian, I don’t care. At least if I call Kill, they’ll know where I am.
I watch as the bridge up above us gets closer and closer, scrolling through my phone and tapping the green button on Killian’s name.
He answers instantly. “Where are you?”
“I’m—”
“—don’t be shy, sweetheart, turn the screen around so he can see me.” I set the phone down on the table, using the stand on the back of my case to rest it upward.
“With him,” I finish.
Killian’s eyes turn wild, the muscles on the sides of his jaw throbbing. “You said we would have more time.”