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)
Deciding I have no reason to hold back, I force a smile across my face, but it doesn’t get far. “I snooped through your office and found my phone,” I start, watching the way his gaze darkens with anger, but I go on before he starts to think that’s all there is to it. “You remember that dude who asked me out at Danny’s Bar last week?”
Zade doesn’t respond, but his lethal stare is confirmation enough. “He asked me out, and I’m meeting him for dinner tomorrow night.”
“Like fuck you are,” Zade spits as a strange look flickers through Sawyer’s eyes. Jealousy maybe. Apprehension?
“Considering I just saved your stupid ass from getting a bullet right between the eyes, you really have no leg to stand on. So this is how it’s going to go,” I tell him. “You’re going to drive me back to your place and pump me full of painkillers and bandage me up. Then I’m going to go to bed and probably sleep right up until the late afternoon. I’ll get up and get myself dressed, and I might even put a little extra effort into my hair and makeup. And then the four of you overbearing assholes are going to accompany me on my date. You’re going to sit way across the restaurant and pretend you don’t even know me. You’re not going to interrupt or send me scathing looks, you’re going to sit and enjoy a meal with your friends. I’m going to laugh at the guy’s jokes and try to enjoy myself while getting to do normal things with normal people who don’t get off on the thought of tearing my heart out of my chest. I’m going to let him pay for my dinner, and then I’ll kiss him on the cheek and let him think there might be something between us. He’ll offer to drive me home and hope that I’m going to spread my legs for him, but I’ll kindly let him down and play the whole, I don’t sleep with guys on the first date angle. He’ll leave, and I’ll wave goodbye knowing that I will never see him again.”
Sawyer leans around Easton, catching my stare. “So, you’re not interested in this guy?”
“Not in the least.”
“Then why go out with him?”
I shrug my shoulders as I see Dalton appearing out of the woods, his lips pressed into a hard line, clearly not happy. “Because I have every intention of having a normal, fulfilling life over the next twenty-three days, and if that means going on the equivalent of a Tinder date, then that’s what I’m going to do.”
Zade clenches his jaw, clearly not liking this. He shakes his head, muttering under his breath until he finally comes out with a barely audible, “No.”
“Zade, disrespectfully, fuck you,” I tell him as Dalton clambers into the Escalade with a huff and Zade hits the gas, not down with hanging out here a moment longer than necessary. “You brought me out here to use as bait, and you failed. You didn’t get what you needed and nearly lost your life in the process. If it weren’t for me, you’d be dead on the warehouse floor. So, you’re going to accept that I’m going on a date tomorrow night. You don’t have to like it, but you have to respect it. Otherwise, I’ll be the one putting a bullet through your head, and this time, I won’t hesitate.”
Zade lets out a huff and focuses on the road, going awfully quiet as Dalton whips around. “Tell me you’re not going on a date with that fucktard who asked you out from Danny’s Bar? You know he won’t be able to fuck you like I can.”
“Oh, believe me,” I say with a laugh before cringing as the subtle movements make my body scream for sweet relief. “Nobody can fuck me like you can.”
Pride surges in his eyes but as he glances back at Zade, the pride falls away, replaced with something much more sinister. Dalton’s lips press into a hard line, already knowing what he’s about to hear.
“You didn’t get him, did you?”
“I’ve told you a million times before,” Dalton murmurs darkly. “Santos is a fucking ghost. Not even you could have gotten him tonight.”
“Fuck.”
My brows furrow, and I turn to meet Sawyer’s stare. “Who’s Santos?”
Sawyer shifts his gaze to the gaping bullet wound in my arm before glancing back up again. “The fucker who gave you that,” he says as his gaze darkens, venom pooling in his wicked stare. “But don’t worry, Doll. Not even a ghost is safe from us.”
And with that, he settles back into his seat, my gut screaming that this is only the beginning. We’ve only hit the tip of the iceberg, and sooner or later, this sinking ship is going to be nothing but a horrendous wreck at the bottom of the deepest ocean.