Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 76812 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 384(@200wpm)___ 307(@250wpm)___ 256(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 76812 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 384(@200wpm)___ 307(@250wpm)___ 256(@300wpm)
I head straight for the back of the house, knowing there's no point in going to my room to gather any of my things.
Dead women don't need a purse or a change of clothes.
The crisp winter air whips around me as I open the door leading into the yard.
As private as the property is, this place isn't a fortress. The walls aren't here to keep people trapped inside, making it easy to use the side gate and let myself out.
No one of importance is here, so Cerberus isn't standing sentry at the street. They did that for a while after I first arrived, but after Nathan didn't show up with guns blazing, they backed off at Victoria's insistence.
I have to get out of town, and running for the hills is the best plan.
There's no point in trying to help Beth. She's as good as dead, and, honestly, I know I am as well. But I'm also a fighter, and I can't just give up.
Nathan promised me that only death would keep him from me, and he always keeps his promises.
Chapter 3
Newton
No one tells me to sit my ass down when I follow them out of the clubhouse.
Victoria, the director at the shelter, called Emmalyn before Cerberus personnel could make it there.
As we suspected, Nathan Adair knew Brielle was at the shelter.
Victoria didn't hear the entire conversation, and Brielle took off from the house before she could be asked, but what Brielle doesn’t know is that for legal purposes, the phone calls on the landline at the house are always recorded. There has been more than one occasion when someone's abusive spouse has managed to track down the house or the phone number and has made threats. These, of course, are used in court cases. This is why all the women are urged to use that phone number when applying for jobs rather than their personal cell phone numbers. For an extra layer of added safety, they use a different address, one that would take an abuser to a storage facility on the other side of town if they somehow managed to get that information out of an employer.
"We have to move them," Em says as she follows us out onto the porch.
"We will," Jinx promises. "I'm going to have some of the guys stay on the house. The rest of us are going to the park."
It's quite possible that Nathan will have planned more than one attack at the same time, but more than half of Cerberus is still in New Mexico. Other than the team that went to Santa Fe, everyone else is here.
"Newton," Jinx says when I follow him to the SUV. His eyes dart down to my arm encased in the sling. "Don't get in the way."
I don't argue. He could've easily told me to keep my ass here.
I feel out of place in the middle of a group of Cerberus members who are all geared up to take on the world, while I sit in the back seat of the SUV in a t-shirt and a pair of jeans. I didn't even bother to grab my jacket before leaving the clubhouse. A little cold wind and a sprained wrist aren't going to keep me from supporting my team in any way they might need me.
Brielle is discussed as we drive off the property. Cerberus would never consider using her as bait, even if she hadn't bolted.
I can't blame the woman for taking off. Fear is a very strong motivator, and there are few people willing to face them and the danger a man like Nathan Adair is capable of. That woman knows firsthand just how vicious the Adair men are, and, honestly, she was lucky to have escaped them the way she did.
The three SUVs split up as we near the park. We're hoping to be able to catch Nathan, but we know better than to think that he'll just show up at the park with Beth for an easy trade.
The conversation we listened to in the conference room that took place between Nathan Adair and Brielle made it very clear that Beth was as good as dead. It was up to Brielle and what she chose as to whether or not it was going to be an easy death or not.
My heart clenches for Oracle and the possibility that he may lose his wife today.
I realize as we take position on the far side of the park, watching Boomer, one of the smaller Cerberus guys and, honestly, the only one who wouldn't stand out, as he walks a small dog along the track that circles the small park.
"Whose dog is that?" I ask, still a little awed at times, with how fast plans can come together for the club.
"Tug’s," Jinx answers, lifting his binoculars to his eyes.