Total pages in book: 65
Estimated words: 63786 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 319(@200wpm)___ 255(@250wpm)___ 213(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 63786 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 319(@200wpm)___ 255(@250wpm)___ 213(@300wpm)
Because there is more at stake here than I could ever have imagined.
23
BROOKE
The next morning, I meet Agent Michaels at a diner down the road from the motel.
He’s already waiting in one of the booths by the window when I arrive. Dressed in his black suit and tie, he looks out of place amongst the interstate truckers and early morning construction workers pouring in and out of the diner for a pre-work coffee and bagel.
I slide into the booth opposite him and order a coffee from the waitress when she stops by the table.
“I must say, I was surprised to get your call,” Agent Michaels says once the waitress leaves. “I was starting to think we couldn’t be friends.”
I feel sick, and I don’t know if it’s the morning sickness or the fact that despite his earlier charm and good looks, there is something very icky about Agent Michaels. A wave of nausea rises and falls in my stomach, and I make a mental note of where the restrooms are because I have a feeling I’m going to need them.
“Let’s make no mistake about it, we are not friends,” I say, noticing how his bright blue eyes narrow slightly but how his white smile remains intact. “But I am here as a courtesy to you.”
His brow lifts. “You are? You got something you want to tell me?”
“I broke up with Lev.”
This time, his whole body shifts with surprise. “When?”
“Yesterday. I told him it was over and walked out.”
“And he let you?”
“Yes.”
Again, his eyes narrow slightly. “Just like that.”
“He didn’t have a choice.”
“He let you walk out and take his future heir with him?”
“I’m having an abortion,” I lie.
He scoffs. He knows I’m lying. “And he didn’t even try to stop you. Well, I’ll be damned.”
Those blue eyes burn across the table at me, waiting for me to crack.
But I don’t. I stare right back.
Two nights ago, I saw Lev murder a man right in front of me. I think I’m beyond intimidation from this guy. Especially when I’ve got a much bigger fish in the pond after me than this guppy.
“I’m leaving town,” I say.
Agent Michaels stares at me with a well-practiced, scrutinizing gaze, and it makes me wonder how many people he’s made talk just by staring at them this way. But then, without warning, his demeanor suddenly changes. His face softens. “Let me help you. Like I said, we can keep you safe. Tell me what I need to know in order to put this guy behind bars.”
I shake my head. “I’m not telling you anything.”
“You’re afraid, but you don’t need to be. We can protect you.”
I laugh coldly. “You can’t protect me from him. He’s smarter than you, and his reach is even broader than you could imagine. He’d find me. Besides, that’s not why I’m here.”
His face hardens. “Then why are you here?”
“I’m here to give you an official statement.”
He eyes me suspiciously but then pulls out his phone and places it on the table in front of me. He brings up a recording app and hits a bright red button to record.
“This is Agent Garrett Michaels, and I’m sitting with Brooke Masters, who has requested to make an official statement.” He nods to me. “Please state your name.”
“My name is Brooke Rachael Masters.”
“And this is a statement you are making of your own accord?”
“Yes.”
“And what would you like to state for the record?”
“That I am no longer Lev Zarkov’s fiancée. We broke up, and I’ve decided to move on with my life. Lev was nothing but a gentleman during our time together, and I have no knowledge of any criminal behavior that you claim he orchestrates. Lev is the CEO of ZeeMed and a champion of those suffering from dementia. If you need proof of any supposed crimes that he has committed, then you will need to find someone else to back them up because I certainly can’t.”
Agent Michaels has gone still and quiet. It’s like I’ve just dropped a bomb on the table.
“That’s your statement?”
“Yes.”
He stops the recording. “You fucking little bitch.” He says the words quietly but with a razor-sharp edge on every syllable. “You’re protecting him?”
“No, this is me protecting my baby.” I glower back at him. No point pretending I’m having an abortion anymore.
His eyes glow across at me, his high cheekbones pronounced in the early morning light streaming in through the window. He looks like he’s about to erupt. “I’ll make sure you go down as an accomplice.”
“I have nothing to do with Lev. I’m done with him, and I’m done with you. Stay away from me and my baby. And if you have any sense, you will stay away from Lev. He’s a good man, despite what you think.”
Agent Michaels suddenly grabs my wrists on the table. “You listen to me, and you listen to me good, you fucking cunt. I’m going to make sure that piece of shit goes down, with or without your help. I don’t care what I have to do, or what I have to fucking embellish, I’m going to destroy everything about him, everything he cares about, and if I have to start with you, then I fucking will.”