Total pages in book: 170
Estimated words: 160166 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 801(@200wpm)___ 641(@250wpm)___ 534(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 160166 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 801(@200wpm)___ 641(@250wpm)___ 534(@300wpm)
“Could be.”
“Let’s pay a visit to some friends tomorrow and see what we can find.” I nod and before I can pour a glass, he tells me, “We got a message from N about the rat too.”
“What did he say?” N is a big deal on the West Coast, friends of ours work for him and he’s someone we trust…well as much as we can trust anyone outside this house.
“It wasn’t just Scarlet. There’s at least one other woman but it’s someone in the bureau. One of their men got wind that they picked you up today because someone told them.” He pauses only a second before asking me, “Who knew?”
Adrenaline courses through my body, “Nate told the men at the bar he’d be with me.” I swallow down the pissed-off feeling. “So it could be anyone.” Frustration rings over me but the one thought that causes tension is that Braelynn could be lumped into that group. She could have told them and given them a heads up. I swallow the lump in my throat. “Obviously Braelynn knew but—”
“It wasn’t her,” Carter cuts me off with a hand on my shoulder.
“You checked her phone?” I question and shock is present in my tone but also hurt. He didn’t trust her, but then again, I already knew that didn’t I? Not only that, but my first thought was, when I’m back in the room, I need to check the monitoring device.
“Yeah…just to cover our bases. She didn’t send a single message or make a single call. It’s not her. It couldn’t have been. I believe her and I trust you on this. It’s not Braelynn but there is another rat.”
“You believe her now?” I ask him and he only nods. Relief floods through me as Carter pours two glasses of whiskey. The crystal tumblers clink as he picks them up.
“We’ll figure it out,” he says and passes me mine, “we always do,” he adds before clinking the glasses and downing his.
He sets his down on the counter as the amber liquid soothingly burns its way down my throat. “You tell the others?”
“Of course, they all know it wasn’t her,” he tells me, looking me right in the eye.
Some part of me wants to break down and stop fighting simply from knowing I’ve won that battle. It wasn’t my naive girl. But the other part of me feels nothing but rage. “It’s the same person who set her up to take the fall. I know it. I know it is.”
Carter pats my shoulder again, firm and indicating agreement.
“We’ll handle it tomorrow. Sleep well.”
I tell him good night and stare at the whiskey bottle a little too long, realizing her name is cleared. That my brothers believe her.
I didn’t realize how much I needed them to believe her until this moment. Emotions I’d rather not acknowledge swarm me as I make my way back to her, knowing all too well the war isn’t over.
When I open the door, the first thing I see is her beautiful form, the second is a stack of papers.
The marriage license lays unsigned, a pen laying across it on my nightstand. As I stare at it, Braelynn turns in bed, rustling the sheets.
Pushing her hair from her face, she peers up at me through thick lashes. Her naked body is covered by only a sheet from her waist up and the comforter hugs her hips. She’s tucked it between her legs and untangles herself from it.
“Declan?” she murmurs my name and I swear I’m getting used to her waking up to me hovering over her.
I close the door and tell her it’s all right and to go to bed.
She groans a sweet and sexy sound as she rolls and her breasts nearly show, but the sheet still covers them. Fuck, she’s so goddamn gorgeous. I’m hard instantly. I close my eyes and hold back a groan as I strip down.
“What time is it?” she asks and I let her know it’s nearly 4:00 a.m.
“We should sleep in tomorrow,” she says sleepily and then hugs my pillow, scooting close to my spot, as if she’s waiting for me to join her. I love it. I fucking love the little things she does like that.
It doesn’t change the guilt though. It only makes it grow in my chest.
I tell her, as I stand at the foot of the bed, “I’m sorry I got you into all this.” My voice is low and at first, I think she hasn’t heard me, but then she speaks.
“I had an idea of what I was getting into.”
“If you could go back,” I dare to ask her, “would you?” The bed groans as I climb in next to her.
“No. That’s the part I can’t get over,” she murmurs, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. The raw honesty is something I didn’t quite expect.