Total pages in book: 52
Estimated words: 49989 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 250(@200wpm)___ 200(@250wpm)___ 167(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 49989 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 250(@200wpm)___ 200(@250wpm)___ 167(@300wpm)
Priest was different.
Boss kept staring at her. The van felt way too small right now.
The men were assessing her as if she was going to turn into some flesh-eating disease or something. Did they expect her to fall apart? She didn’t want to be seen as weak.
It was all rather nauseating. On top of that, she’d been on cloud nine because having Priest in her bed, holding her, loving her, that had been something. Hearing him call her “his woman” was a fantasy turned reality. She wished the whole world and all its problems could just go away so they could be alone together again.
She was being torn apart on the inside, and the only person to see that was … Harb. No, she knew something was going on inside of Priest. Even in the short weeks she’d known him, she found he became quiet and irritated when he was upset about something. Boss said her father killed someone important to Priest, so she hoped he didn’t blame her for that fact. She wished she could get inside his head and learn all the twists and turns in his mind.
“You okay?” Priest asked. He gave her thigh a squeeze to comfort her.
Cleo glanced at him, feeling a little sick. She knew something about her father was a soft spot for Priest but didn’t know the details. Ever since talking with Boss before they left, he’d been off. Quiet. A million miles away.
“Nervous. I don’t know what to do. Do I have to, like be silent, or not look at him? I’m not sure what to do. I mean, I spent years thinking about the moment that I would meet my parents, but a contract killer or a monster, I never suspected that. I’m rambling again. What happened to my mother? If I have parents, then why was I put into foster care?” She rubbed at her temple, feeling her stomach swirling with sickness and the start of a headache coming on.
Priest took hold of her hand and locked his fingers with hers. “Just because he donated sperm does not make him your father, Cleo. You do not have to do or say anything you don’t want to. We’re going to be right by your side. We’ll protect you. I’ll protect you.”
“But I’m the enemy, aren’t I?”
“No, you’re not,” Boss said. “You’re a victim, Cleo. You are under our protection, and it will be you calling the shots in there, not us.”
“I have no idea what I’m doing.”
“You’ll do fine.”
The vehicle came to a stop at a very fancy, architectural building.
“I can do this.”
Harb pulled the doors of the truck open and stepped out. He held a gun in his hand, and Cleo realized there was a chance they were being followed. She could die tonight, before ever meeting her father. That was a rather depressing thought, but she hadn’t realized how much danger she was in.
All the men were heavily armed, like some kind of elite tactical team without the legal credentials.
Priest tucked her against his side as they moved swiftly to the main doors. Boss was in front and typed in a code, and the door made a beeping sound, letting them inside.
Once in the building, Cleo didn’t feel any sense of relief. There was so much glass everywhere. People could easily shoot her, or Priest, or his men.
They moved toward the elevator, the men surrounding her like a range of mountains. There wasn’t enough room for all of them inside, so she, Priest, Harb, and Boss were the first wave.
Boss pressed the button on the panel, and they traveled up in the elevator, heading toward her … father.
Would she get to meet him tonight?
“What if he doesn’t want me?” Cleo asked.
“Then he’s an asshole who will die tonight,” Priest said.
She chuckled. “You don’t have to kill him for not wanting me. I’m sure there are a lot of people who don’t want anything to do with their kids.” She winced. Cleo had grown up with many in foster care. “That sounds so awful, don’t you think?”
“There are a lot of bad people in the world, Cleo, and trust me, I’ve met most of them.”
She didn’t have to question him to know he spoke the truth.
There were a lot of bad people out there. Her father was supposed to be one of them. Target. What kind of name was that?
The elevator doors opened, and her hands started to shake. They were already clammy.
Stepping out of the elevator, she saw seven men standing in one room. Five men were holding guns, and they wore protective vests strapped with ammo. Two men stood slightly away from the main five.
One had to be Viko, and the other, she assumed was her father. She didn’t know who was who. They both turned toward their group.