Total pages in book: 59
Estimated words: 55912 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 280(@200wpm)___ 224(@250wpm)___ 186(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 55912 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 280(@200wpm)___ 224(@250wpm)___ 186(@300wpm)
“I could fuck your tight pussy right now,” he growls in that almost possessed voice. “Don’t act tough with me.”
“Is that a threat?” I snap.
He lets me go, shuddering. “I’d never hurt you,” he says darkly, “unless you were enjoying it.”
Perversely, my belly and ass tingle, the physical evidence of his darkness. “I mean it, Jamie. She wouldn’t lie. If you’re making this up, just… just tell me now. Right now. Maybe I can forgive you then.”
“It’s the truth,” he says, returning to the kitchen. “Throw a tantrum if you want. It doesn’t change anything.”
I rush forward and grab the plate, scrambled eggs going everywhere. I almost throw it at the wall, but then I see Demon looking up at me, head tilted, staring like I’m nuts. I put the plate down. It clatters against the obsidian surface.
“I’m not going to trust some paid killer over my own mother,” I tell him, even if it hurts to say these words. “When you save her, I’ll ask her. Until then… just… just leave me alone.”
I don’t mean it. I’m going through the motions, but these are the right motions. This is how I should behave as a loyal daughter. I can’t just believe him because of how he makes me feel. I have to be smarter than that. Yeah, brilliant, like telling the person who’s going to save my mom to leave me alone. That’s real clever.
“You’ll be with your mom soon,” he says. “You can ask her. If she lies to you again, it’s your choice if you believe her.”
He stares at me firmly, no flinch, no mercy. I stare back, trying to be brave, but I look away first, almost running into my bedroom. That was a mess, but I can’t believe him. I can’t trust him even if I want to. I’ve known Mom all my life, and this man feels like the love of my life, but he’s a stranger.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Jamie
Demon watches me as I approach her bedroom door. It’s been several hours since the standoff this morning, before sunrise. It’s ten a.m. now. Lena hasn’t come out of her room. She didn’t believe what I told her, but I had to say it. I couldn’t let her think I’d kissed her mom and been with her. She couldn’t believe that about me.
I place the duffel bag on the floor, then knock. “Lena, there’s clothes and sundries out here for you. I’m leaving now. I’ll be gone all day. When I come home…” I swallow. I shouldn’t say this, give her too much hope, but I can’t stand her being mad at me. “I’ll have your mom.”
Nothing, no response, but when I turn away, the door opens. She’s wearing her tank top and pants, making me almost lose it again, especially when I see she’s not wearing a bra. I have to tame that part of myself. From how she looks at me, last night was a one-off for her, but I can’t ever let her go.
“Good luck,” she says, stepping over the duffle bag and giving me a quick hug. I barely have time to lay my hand atop her before she steps away. She won’t look at me. “I’ll talk to Mom, then. I’ll ask her, but no, get her back, please.” She brings her hand to her wrist, then lowers it. It’s like she was going to bite on her sleeve and then realized she doesn’t have one. “And, uh, thanks.”
Things are so awkward between us now. I turn away. It doesn’t matter. It does. She matters more than anything, but none of this means anything if I don’t save her mother. Then… then what? Then she leaves me? I can’t let that happen.
One thing at a time. I head for the exit. I’ve got a lot to do today—arrangements to make. Antonio Romero’s erratic, cracked-out violence routine might work on regular criminals, but I’m a very unusual criminal. This isn’t going to go how he wants, and if he decides to make it nasty, I’m happy to do that. I’ve already made all the necessary phone calls. Favors can get a lot in this world, especially if you’ve got as many IOUs as I do.
It’s getting dark when I drive out to an abandoned fair in the middle of a field. It must’ve been quite the location once. There’s a sense of irony as I pull up to the discolored sign with the giant faded clown on the front. A fair is where Simone said I kissed the cotton candy off her nose. That’s a sick image for Lena to have in her head.
I focus on the driving. I demanded the meeting location two hours before the meetup time. It’s been tight, but I’ve got everything in place. Antonio was reluctant until I sent him a photo of the hard drive with the custom whalebone design. The unit itself, with the extremely fast timeline, cost me an obscene amount of money, but Antonio won’t get a penny of that.