Total pages in book: 116
Estimated words: 106292 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 531(@200wpm)___ 425(@250wpm)___ 354(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 106292 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 531(@200wpm)___ 425(@250wpm)___ 354(@300wpm)
I nod, swallowing hard, hoping like fuck that I don’t have to go in there and be the reason for this execution to go ahead.
Zade points up toward a small panel on the wall. “If you’re bored, open that slider. You’ll see and hear straight into the trial. However, you will not be able to communicate through it. Think of it as the glass police use in their interrogation rooms.”
Zade looks over me one last time as if he’s terrified about the prospect of leaving me alone in here. But what exactly can happen? Anyone would have to get through the courtroom to be able to reach me, and I doubt anything like that is gonna slip past Zade and the boys.
Pulling the door closed behind him, I immediately move across the room and open the slider to get a good look into the courtroom. It quickly begins filling with people, and I watch with wide eyes as everyone takes their seats.
Zade, Easton, and Dalton sit toward the back, getting the perfect view of the whole room while Sawyer and Cara sit on the opposite side with an older woman who’s the spitting image of them. Other men in suits pour into the room, and I watch as nearly every seat is taken. Some of the men walk around with an air about them, acting as though they’re important. I can’t help but wonder if these are some of The Circle members. Yet, no matter how self-important they are, they all seem to watch Zade, waiting for and wanting his approval.
There’s too much chatter in the room to be able to focus on one individual conversation, so instead, I just watch. I only wait a few minutes before the door opens and Nikolai strides in with Harrison at his back. All eyes fall to them as Sawyer’s mom leaps out of her seat and races across to her husband, throwing her arms around him as she sobs. Something shatters in my chest as I watch Sawyer go after her, trying to pull her away as Harrison pushes Nikolai forward, forcing him to the front of the room.
His wrists are cuffed at his back, and as Harrison forces him into a chair, he locks the cuffs around the armrests of the chair.
Someone stands and calls attention to the room, getting the proceedings started, and it doesn’t go unnoticed how both Cara and Zade stare at this man with disdain. I can’t help but wonder if this is the infamous Hartley Scott. And in that case, I should be applauding Zade for his ability to remain seated so calmly instead of flying across the room to put a bullet through his head.
The trial gets underway with oaths murmured throughout the whole room, and as they start going through a long list of charges, I drop my ass to the chair, suddenly not feeling it. Zade said it could take twenty minutes or twenty days, and I’m starting to think my execution will come before Nikolai’s.
After the first hour, my ass starts to get numb, and after the second, I’m pacing through the room, groaning and trying to think of anything other than my need to pee. They take a short break, and I couldn’t be more grateful when Dalton appears in my little doorway and shows me to the bathroom. Hell, he even finds me some snacks while muttering about how this thing is taking so much longer than he thought.
Hearing the trial starting to commence again, he scurries out into the main room, and I find myself watching again when it occurs to me; if Harrison is here watching over Nikolai, then who’s down in the cells watching over my father?
I grow antsy in my little room. The more I think about it, the quicker I pace, circling the small space before glancing through the one-way window and starting the process over. It becomes a twisted cycle, and after another half hour, I almost make myself sick. Especially after noticing the keys hanging off the side of Harrison’s belt.
The voices in my head start whispering, telling me to make moves that I’m simply not ready for, but when might I get another chance like this? Both The Circle and the guys are occupied, while my father is just waiting down there to be set free.
Fuck. This is stupid.
This is going to get me killed.
I rub my hands over my face as if that could somehow scrub the thoughts from my mind, but it only brings me a new resolve. Without another second of hesitation, I move right to the door of my small room and settle my shaky hand over the handle.
Taking a breath, I push down and grin to myself as the door silently swings open, like a sign sent from the heavens above. The only good thing to happen to me since moving back to Faders Bay. You know, apart from the exquisite dick I’ve been getting along the way.