Total pages in book: 32
Estimated words: 30161 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 151(@200wpm)___ 121(@250wpm)___ 101(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 30161 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 151(@200wpm)___ 121(@250wpm)___ 101(@300wpm)
Damn, lucky for him because I want to go back into that apartment and put a few more bullets into him.
Slowly, I pull the tape from her mouth as gently as I can, realizing that plump, pink, suckable lips lie behind it. As soon as the thought hits my brain, I want to punch myself. So not the fucking time, but I can’t help my damn thoughts.
What does help temper them is the red, angry outline the tape leaves on her creamy skin. Any man who would do this to someone deserves to be six feet under. I take some solace in the fact that’s exactly where Flex Kilduff is headed.
Thank you, she mouths.
Her words are almost too soft to actually hear. Suddenly she recoils, a whimper leaving her. Her eyes are trained over my shoulder. Without a thought, I spin around, my hands wrapping around my brother's throat as I start to sweep his legs out from under him.
“It’s me!” Kane grips my shoulders. I’m sure his action is pure reflex, ready to take me down to the ground with him, but I catch myself. Barely.
“Sorry,” I mutter, letting him go to turn my focus back to my tiny snow bunny. “He’s fine. It’s my brother.” I can understand her fear. Kane is a giant fucker. Not that I’m much smaller. I’m not sure why she's not as scared of me as she is of him, but I don’t care. I’ll take it.
She gives a small nod. Her eyes flick to the side again. I glance over to see Pink standing there.
“Oh my God!” she gasps. “We need an ambulance!” she shouts as the police start to pull up.
“Going to pull my knife out to cut your hands and feet free,” I tell her. She nods for me. I reach down into my shoe and pull out the knife I always keep hidden there.
“You’re going to be okay, honey,” Pink tells her as I cut the ropes free.
My eyes rake over her, trying to see if there’s anything that needs immediate medical attention. I mainly spot bruises from where the ropes have been. There’s also one along her jaw and a crack in her lip. She’s wearing a white dress that is covered in dirt and smudges. There are a few small rips here and there.
I brush my fingers back and forth over her wrists after the ropes fall free, needing to comfort her in some way. The urge to do so is overwhelming. Never in my life have I felt more protective over someone than I do with her at this moment. That’s saying a lot since I grew up protecting my little sister, Ollie.
“Going to lift you out.” I release her wrists.
Again, she surprises me by lifting her arms to help me pull her out from the trunk. She wraps them around my neck, burying her face in it as I cradle her in my arms. She feels right there, but she also feels too damn light.
EMTs run toward us with a stretcher in tow. Kane has already shifted into police officer mode. Everyone recognizes him.
“Place her here,” the EMT with the red ponytail tells me, tapping the stretcher mattress with her hand. My snow bunny’s hold tightens on me.
“Don’t leave me,” she whispers.
“Not going to leave you,” I say loudly for everyone to hear. I’m not sure they heard her request. She lifts her head.
“Promise?”
“Promise,” I vow to her.
Sealing both our fates.
2
Bunny
“Ben!” I scream, shooting up from the bed. A sharp pain pulls at my arm. I go to grab it, but a firm hand wraps around my wrist, stopping me.
“I’m here, Bunny.” Ben’s soothing voice fills my ear. He pulls my hand away from the IV in my arm that I almost yanked out. Again.
They’d debated bracing my hands while I slept so I didn’t do it again when I was dreaming. The idea of having my hands bound sent me into a spiral that Ben quickly grounded me from telling them they’d be doing no such thing, he’d watch over me, and he has. He’s always watching me.
“Sorry.” I release a long breath, trying to calm my racing heart.
“Nothing to be sorry for.” He lifts his hand, tucking a piece of my hair behind my ear. “Nightmare?” I nod. “Remember it?” I shake my head no this time.
“Sorry.” I worry my bottom lip between my teeth.
“What did I say about all the sorries?” He gives me a half smile.
I start to say it again but catch myself, sealing my lips together. His half smile turns into a full one, making him look more handsome than he already is. He’s my very own hero that saved me from the darkness.
I don’t remember anything before I awoke to the darkness of that trunk. At first, I wasn’t sure if I was even awake. I tried opening and closing my eyes, but no matter what I did, everything was still black.