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 hear movement on the other side of the door, and I don't hesitate to press my ear to it. I need to know what the plan is. Maybe I can be relocated to a different state. Forming connections and staying in the same place too long is what put me in this predicament in the first place. I just need to be on my own and constantly moving. I need to stay three steps ahead of Nathan at all times. It's the only possible way to survive him.
"But you didn't find out where they are?" someone says, and from the raspy tone of his voice, I bet it was that crazy-eyed guy who came into the room a few moments ago.
"She didn't tell me what Kincaid wanted to know," Beck assures him.
My blood runs cold.
"That's too bad," the other guy says.
I just argued that he was the pawn, but it seems I was the pawn all along. Did he tell me he loved me because it was a last-ditch effort to get me to confess to something they could use in court? Time has been running out since I got to the clubhouse back in New Mexico, but we're down to the final hour here, and he needed to try one last time to get something.
I know I don't have a right to feel betrayal, but it doesn't keep it from seeping inside of me. I swipe at the tears rolling down my cheeks.
In a different lifetime, I could've easily seen myself building a life with Beck, but he might possibly be an even bigger monster than Nathan. At least Nathan didn't pretend to be something he wasn't for very long.
Beck might try to keep me safe from Nathan but that's for his and Cerberus's own gain. It has nothing to do with me. I'm just a damaged woman incapable of repair. The real victims are the ones they've been looking for.
I feel used, but most of all I feel vindictive.
Maybe Nathan was right all along. There's a monster inside of me, and all I need to do is feed it.
Chapter 29
Newton
I'm no stranger to not sleeping. I think I could function on a couple hours of sleep a night for months at a time, but this morning it's hitting me worse than it ever has.
I knew telling her how I felt was a huge risk. It was a gamble I took thinking that the tables were tilted in my favor.
I was so wrong.
I know she lashed out last night because she's scared. Today is a huge day for her, something she has dreaded probably since the day she took off from here over a year ago.
God, I knew better. Why did I open my big fucking mouth? It isn't about me right now.
I added pressure to an already stressful time.
"It's all yours," Hemlock says, his voice always sounding like a growl of anger.
Steam follows him from the bathroom, and I can imagine that every surface in there is fucking damp. It wouldn't be an issue for me if I were sharing a room with Brielle, but it seems a little gag-inducing to go into the hot and damp bathroom after someone else. It's too intimate.
"We have an hour before we have to leave. Get your shit together."
"My shit is together," I snap.
"Sure it is," he says with his back to me.
My lip twitches in irritation as I stand, and he freezes when I take a step closer to him rather than grabbing my shit out of my suitcase and heading into the bathroom.
"We can go if you want to," Hemlock warns. "But I'm not going to fucking hold back."
I've seen what the man is capable of, and even though I'm looking for a fight, I know he won't stop until I'm required to eat out of a fucking straw.
He doesn't taunt me for backing down when I grab my things and head to the bathroom.
Fighting a teammate would be stupid, and it's something I'm well aware of but I just have this insane urge to fucking hit something. I want to scream and yell, go back in time, and take those words back. I want to change the trajectory of my life.
The way she looked at me last night like I was a stain on the bottom of her shoe was a defense mechanism, wasn't it?
It's not possible that she was pretending this entire time. I would've known if that were the case.
By the time I get done with my shower, Kincaid is in the living room part of the four-bedroom suite speaking with Hemlock.
"You need your vest," Kincaid says to me, looking over Hemlock's shoulder as I enter the room.
"I'll grab mine also," Hemlock says.
"That won't be necessary," Kincaid informs him. "ICE doesn't want you out in public."