Total pages in book: 70
Estimated words: 67905 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 340(@200wpm)___ 272(@250wpm)___ 226(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 67905 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 340(@200wpm)___ 272(@250wpm)___ 226(@300wpm)
The guy continued to back up and raise his hands in the air. “It’s the boss’s wife.”
The man on the floor tried to pull himself away, still gripping his wound. “Jesus fucking Christ.”
I gave him a hard kick and made him squeal before I walked off, still holding both of the guns. Voices began to come down the hallway as men started to run, to try to understand all the commotion.
I leaned against the wall, my guns hidden behind my back as they ran past.
Then I kept going, taking a different way back because I knew Bolton would come to check on me. The ceiling dipped low in one of the hallways, so I chose that one, knowing the men wouldn’t take this passage if they had to stoop down. When I exited the hallway, I found the bar, mostly cleared out because the men had gone to investigate.
Bolton’s seat was empty.
I hurried to my chair, grabbed my big coat, and threw it on, putting the pistols inside the pockets where they couldn’t be seen before I headed for the exit. I left my phone on the table so he couldn’t track me.
When I made it to the doors, the bouncers let me pass without questioning me at all, assuming I was just a whore fleeing the violence. I took the stairs and made it to the ground floor. When I stepped into the night, it was bitter cold…but it smelled like freedom.
I made a snap decision and turned right, walking as fast as I could in my heels. I turned right again as soon as I could, knowing I needed to get off the road because Bolton would comb the streets for me the second his men told him I was the one who pulled the trigger.
“You think you can run from me, baby?”
I gave a shout as I jumped in my heels and almost toppled over.
He stepped out of the alleyway, like he’d somehow known I would turn down this street and cross his path. He must have taken another exit to the surface. There were sewers and passages all underneath the streets. He obviously knew his way around in case he ever needed to escape a rough situation at the Brotherhood.
He raised his phone from his pocket. “It’s not your phone that I track.” He returned it to his pocket then tapped his ears.
The earrings he gave me.
“Phone is too obvious.” He stepped toward me, moving his hands to his pockets.
I stepped back, my hand gripping the gun in my pocket.
The evil smirk slowly disappeared, but his eyes remained just as dark. “Things were going well. It seemed like we were happy. And now I have to do this. I have to do something I absolutely don’t want to do.”
I gripped that gun like my life depended on it.
“Choose the easy way or the hard way. It’ll determine everything that comes after.” He held his ground like he had no idea I had a gun in my pocket, but he must have known I was armed and it would have been stupid for me to leave the guns behind before I ran for it. “I thought we were happy.”
“No, Bolton. I became obedient because I got tired of being tossed around like a fucking rag doll. This isn’t real. We’re just playing pretend. For the love of god, let it go.”
He stared at me with tired eyes, hardly blinking as he stood with me on the sidewalk, no one around because it was past midnight. I’d tried to get off the street as quickly as I could because I knew I was on display. But he was too fast, too smart, too paranoid. “We promised forever—until death do us part.”
A shiver moved up my back like a snake that slithered up my spine. Even though the book had run out of pages, our story continued. He’d grabbed another book off the shelf, a different tale from a different author, but he read it like it belonged to us—because he’d lost his goddamn mind.
“We promised not to fuck other people too. You can’t pick and choose what you want, Bolton. This is marriage is over. I’m leaving.”
He wore the blankest stare, like he hadn’t heard a word. “Don’t make me do this.”
“Just let me go.” My voice softened with a plea. Even though I wanted him dead, I didn’t want to be the one to do it. I didn’t want to live with the blood on my hands. But if I didn’t shoot to kill, this would never be over. “Please, Bolton. If you love me, you’ll let me go. You’ll treat me like a human fucking being.”
His stare didn’t change. The man was made of stone. “You’re my wife—”
“Stop it.”
“And you’re going to stay my wife—”
I pulled out the gun and aimed it right at his face. I took a step back, making sure he couldn’t lunge at me and knock me to the ground.