Total pages in book: 102
Estimated words: 97865 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 489(@200wpm)___ 391(@250wpm)___ 326(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 97865 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 489(@200wpm)___ 391(@250wpm)___ 326(@300wpm)
“It’s not as bad as it looks,” Fay says, lying in bed, her face covered in bruises and her leg in a cast.
I make my way over to her, needing to touch her and physically see that she’s okay. “Fuck. . . Fay. I’m so sorry.”
“Why are you sorry? Did you push me?”
If I weren’t surrounded by people, I’d spank the shit out of her. “I swear, I’m going to find out who did this.” I lean over and gently kiss her, trying to avoid the scrape on her chin. “What happened? Did you see the person who pushed you?”
“No. I was trying to get service on my phone for an Uber, and someone called my name. I barely raised my head to see who it was before I was thrown into traffic.”
Her words create a visual that plays over and over in my head. The images of those hands thrusting her into the street. Her fear. Rage builds inside my core. A wave of anger I’ve never experienced before fuels an urge to hunt down the fucker who dared touch her, let alone cause her pain, and decimate them. End their existence.
I breathe slowly to remain calm. “Jesus, Fay.” This was intentional. Someone was there waiting for her. “Why were you even outside? I asked you to stay put.”
“And I planned on it. Until I had a visit from Alana.”
My shoulders tense. “What?”
“Yeah. Guess she still has the key to your place.”
My eyes blaze into hers, searching for the punchline. “She doesn’t have a key.”
“Apparently, she does. Walked right in like she owned the place and told me how much I didn’t belong there.”
Alana’s name has just been added to my list of people I’m destroying. I clench my fists and stoke the flame of my hatred as I picture how far Alana will fall. And if either of our fathers played a part in this? Nothing will stop me from ending them. “What else did she say?”
“Let’s see. That I was only temporary to you. That I wasn’t the first toy you brought around and wouldn’t be the last. She warned me to run away before you hurt me. Oh, and she called me naïve, a bottom feeder.”
“You’re looking better.”
I turn at the sound of another voice. The doctor. I straighten and reach out to shake his hand. “Theo Monroe, Fay’s boyfriend. I want to know everything.”
“Nice to meet you, boyfriend Theo. Fay was very lucky. X-rays showed a fracture in the tibia. We have her in a cast, and she’ll need to make an appointment with an orthopedic surgeon for a follow-up. Everything else is superficial. She’s going to be pretty sore, so I’ve ordered a script for the pain. We’ll send her home with some ointment for the deeper scrapes.”
“Great. When can I take her home?”
“Let me start the paperwork, and we can have her discharged shortly.”
I thank the doctor and focus my attention back on Fay. “You okay? Do you need anything?” God, I hate seeing her like this.
“Well, you can call yourself my boyfriend again.”
Fuck, she’s cute. I lean over and kiss her. “I like calling you mine better,” I whisper against her lips, then force myself to pull away, remembering we have an audience. The officer finishes his notes, closes his pad, then looks up.
“I think I have everything I need, Miss Evans. If there’s anything else you remember, give me a call.” He reaches out, and I take his business card. “Luckily, it’s a nice area, so I’m sure one of the cameras on the surrounding buildings caught something. We’ll be in touch.”
Fay’s mother walks up to the bed. “Are you sure you’re okay, honey?”
“I’m fine. Again, it could have been way worse.”
I don’t even want to think how else this could have turned out.
“Okay, well, I’m going to go call and update your father. Then we can get you home.”
“I’ll be taking her home with me,” I state.
Her eyebrows raise. “To your home? I’m sure you’re a busy man. She’ll need someone to take—”
“I plan on taking time off. My sole focus is on her and her recovery.” The woman blushes like a schoolgirl. When I glance over at Fay, she’s rolling her eyes.
“Well, all right. Fable, I assume you’re okay with this?”
I peer over at Fay, and she frowns back at me. “What’s wrong? Do you not—”
“That’s how it’s going to be?”
“What?”
“I have to get hit by a car for you to take off work? Offering sexual favors was a no-no—”
“Fable.”
“But getting taken out by a rusty Honda Civic does the trick?”
“Fable!”
“I was going to do some pretty filthy, downright nasty things to you, but nooo.”
Her mother covers her ears as I fight not to smile.
“I’ll just leave you two alone. I’m going to call your father.” And she walks out of the room.