Total pages in book: 74
Estimated words: 69875 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 349(@200wpm)___ 280(@250wpm)___ 233(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 69875 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 349(@200wpm)___ 280(@250wpm)___ 233(@300wpm)
“What do you mean? You don’t know what he’s capable of, but I do. I was in that house. He didn’t care about me. He hurt me without a second thought, Lia.” My pleas fall from my lips, but there’s a look in her eyes that tells me she’s not going to listen. She’s made up her mind. “There has to be another way.”
“There isn’t, but I need you to do a couple of things for me, Miren.” She pulls me to my bed, and we sit, side by side. “Please, promise me.”
“Of course.” I nod, but the moment I can, I’m going to tell Monster what she’s planning. He must be able to stop her. Or Rebel. He can’t just stand back and watch her go.
“You can’t tell Monster about this. You can’t even tell any of the girls. But Patrick has proof I’m his daughter.”
My stomach bottoms out. My heart leaps into my throat, and my pulse thrums in my ears. I am deafened by the sound. My blank stare, which pins Lia to the spot, has her blinking as the tears fall down her cheeks.
“I saw the tests. I’m his biological daughter. And he needs me. I can’t walk away from this. The only way to keep the club and the girls here safe is if I go with him.”
I still can’t find the words to respond. Shock has overtaken me. The whole day has been nothing more than a movie reel. Everything has been made up. This can’t be real life.
“Let’s find another way,” I implore her, holding her hands in mine.
“The other thing I need you to do is be happy. Please. You and Monster are beautiful together. I need you both to just love each other. As much as you can.”
This makes me laugh. It’s a sad chuckle, pained. “I can’t do this without you. Please, let the guys come up with a plan. They had one in the van on the way back from the airport. We can fix this.” I look into those eyes that have only ever offered me kindness. Her smile is sad, and my heart aches.
“And the last thing I need from you is to give this to Rebel.” She hands me a letter, which has my heart sinking.
On the front of the envelope is his name in her elegant scrawl. I can smell the sweet orange blossom perfume she wears all over it. A smile tilts my lips, and then I blink away the tears that are burning my eyes.
“You can’t—”
“I’ve made up my mind, Miren. I’ve been through so much worse in my life. This is going to be fine. I know it is. I must do it for the family who showed me how to love again.” She rises and pulls me into a hug. Then she’s gone.
I grip the envelope in my hand and race from my room. I can’t wait. If she’s so convinced she’s leaving, I need to get to Monster now. The doors to the room they have church in are closed, which means they’re probably in a meeting, and I shouldn’t disturb them, but I have to. This is Callia.
I race to the doors and shove them open to find all the men seated around the table. “Callia is gone,” I tell them. “She came to my room to say goodbye, and then she told me she’s going to Patrick. She said he’s her father. I don’t know how, but he’s convinced her the only way to keep us safe is for her to go with him. She wanted you to have this,” I tell Rebel and hand him the envelope.
He pushes by me without a second glance. I know he’s going to look for her, but I also know he won’t find her. The rest of the men are on their feet, and they’re out the door once Monster shouts for them to find her.
He stops in front of me and pulls me into the room. “Tell me everything she said. I want to know it all. And then we’ll find Lia and kill Patrick.”
I follow him inside and sit. It’s time for more truths. This time, they’re not mine, but Callia’s.
Two Days Later
We’ve looked everywhere. It’s as if she’s disappeared into nothing. Tye rushes into the lounge, his laptop perched on his arm as he holds onto it. “I’ve found them. I think. They’re in Dublin. Patrick had a meeting with a few of his contacts down there. It seems he wanted passage out of Ireland without being seen. Not sure why he went to them, but—”
“I’ll call Razor. He’s one of the nomads I met while I was on my travels,” Sully says. He’s on his feet, his phone in hand as he makes the call. I look to Monster who’s on his phone. I feel helpless. I can’t do anything. Convinced that if they were to go South, I’d have to stay here. Monster has kept me in the house for the past couple of days. I can’t go out into the garden, and he most certainly won’t let me try to call Callia.