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)
He cocked his head slightly. “Should I not trust you?”
“No.” I told Theo not to come back because I didn’t want to sneak around behind Bolton’s back. Even if nothing happened, I would still feel morally obligated to share. I would have told him the truth in the first place if the two men wouldn’t tear each other apart like two lions.
He continued to pierce my face with his angry eyes.
I felt his silent wrath, felt the danger that he must show to men before he killed them. I’d never thought of Bolton as dangerous or harmful, but he’d never been angry like this in my presence. It was a new side to him. “You’re the one I chose. I want to work on this with you.”
“You said he broke it off with you.”
“He did.”
“Then what do you mean, you chose me?” His eyes narrowed.
“I just mean I want to be here.”
“Did you speak to him again after that?” He lowered his voice, but now he seemed more deadly.
“No.”
“Because it sounds like he tried to change his mind, but you said no—”
“No.” I lied to protect Theo from Bolton. I lied to protect Bolton from Theo. One was a trained killer, and the other was a drug kingpin. Put them in a ring together, and I had no idea who would be the victor. But either way, I would be the loser. “I just mean that it’s always been you, Bolton. Even when I was with him, it was you.” I would never have believed I would be capable of lying so effortlessly, but terror had quickly corrupted my morality. Lying was the easiest thing in the world…if it was to save someone else.
He continued that piercing stare.
“I’d like to stay here, Bolton. You don’t need to prove anything to me.”
6
THEO
Axel called a couple times.
Left a few messages.
I knew if I ignored him completely, he would think I was dead, so I responded with a simple message. I need space right now. That single sentence would tell him everything that happened without the details.
He didn’t reply.
I worked as usual, and none of the guys seemed to know anything was amiss. I’d always been quiet and moody, so it was just another day to them. When I was home, I drank and smoked and stared at the fire. When I didn’t want to be home, I went to the bar to watch the football game. I considered paying my favorite escort to fuck Astrid out of my head, but I had no appetite for the flesh.
Well, someone else’s flesh, at least.
So I sat in my study and stared at the fire and the paintings on the wall, the paintings that I didn’t have the heart to take down. I smoked too many cigars and my tongue started to feel fuzzy, but I continued to fill my lungs with smoke and drink my scotch in the hope my lungs would either suffocate or drown.
Didn’t matter which.
My butler came into the open doorway. “Sir, you have a guest in the foyer.”
I sighed in annoyance. “Tell Axel to go home.”
“Actually, it’s Scarlett. Should I send her up?”
I felt the surprise move across my face because Axel’s wife was not who I expected. “Yes.”
He gave a slight bow before he walked off.
I stabbed my cigar into the ashtray and put it out, the smoke still coming from the pile of ashes that sat there. Then I walked to the armchair behind the desk and found a sweater that I’d left there a few weeks ago. I pulled it over my head and was immediately suffocated by the heat.
“You don’t have to clean up for me, Theo.”
I pulled the sweater down to the top of my sweatpants then turned to face her.
She stood near the door, wearing skintight black jeans and heeled boots with a tight sweater over her thin frame. Her dark hair was in curls, and her enormous wedding ring was a sparkle of light. She wore a slight smirk on her lips, but there was pity in her eyes.
I sat in the armchair again. “I know Axel would prefer me clothed around his wife.” I was bigger than he was, and that was always a playful strain on our friendly competition. The biggest difference between us was I adhered to my protein necessities, but he was married to a chef so he didn’t have the discipline to stick to his macros religiously like I did. He was muscular and cut, in great shape, but he didn’t have the muscle that I did.
She rolled her eyes as she joined me in the study, sitting in the other armchair. “He knows he’s the finest man I’ve ever seen, so you don’t have to wear that hot sweater.”
“It sounds like you want me to get undressed.”
She smirked. “I’m just saying I don’t mind it. And you don’t have to put out your cigar either.”