Total pages in book: 158
Estimated words: 144908 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 725(@200wpm)___ 580(@250wpm)___ 483(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 144908 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 725(@200wpm)___ 580(@250wpm)___ 483(@300wpm)
“Are you always such a smart-ass, Mr. Ink?” She kicked off the offending flip-flops and made her way across the hardwood floor.
She looked a little like an injured ballerina. Master scooped her up. She smelled liked heaven. He was already getting used to that scent of hers. She was winning him over so fast it was a little on the scary side. He thought the explosive chemistry between them was what he was going to base his entire relationship with her on, but there was something else, something emotional and equally strong—maybe stronger—growing in him for her.
“Why, yes, ma’am, I most likely am,” Ink agreed with her. “And you can drop the ‘Mister’ and just call me Ink. Everyone does.”
“Are you responsible for all the beautiful tattoos on Master as well as on yourself?”
“Don’t be looking at him.” Master tried to sound like he was growling at her. He had that deep rasp in his voice, and apparently it worked very well, because she started that little musical laughter again. He deposited her in the passenger front seat of the truck, leaving Ink to sit in the back. “Seat belt,” he added. “Not a damn thing on that man is beautiful.”
“I think you need glasses, old man.” She didn’t back down for a second. “Did you even look at that sleeve?”
“Ink, you can run to the cabin. Get the fuck out of the truck.”
He was rewarded with another burst of laughter, this one a little longer. She made his chest ache. Ink ignored him, but when he glanced in the rearview mirror, Ink had the beginnings of a little grin on his face as well. The woman was magic.
“Do you have very many cabins on your property you rent out to people you meet in prison who need chances?” Ambrielle asked.
Master made a face. His hands tightened on the wheel. “It’s not like that. I have a few cabins. Nine I’ve renovated. They’re in use now. There are six other cabins that are in bad shape that I’m still working on.”
“Your property must be huge.”
He didn’t comment. It was. The cabins were tucked away in the forest. It was a pretty piece of land in heavy woods with several springs, a large pond and a smaller one on it. He liked working with his hands, and renovating the cabins, making each one different and as beautiful as he could while keeping them practical, had been his goal. His brothers had come often to help him, and he’d enjoyed the comradery while he worked, shaping each dilapidated cabin into a future home for someone in need.
“Wait until you see what he calls a cabin,” Ink said. “And it’s exactly like that. He finds some prisoner who can’t find a job, is struggling to find a place to live, is a recovering alcoholic or drug addict, and they wind up here. Half the time, they don’t pay much rent.”
“You really do want to walk, don’t you, Ink?” Master shot him a warning look.
It was too late. Ambrielle looked up at him from under those impossibly long lashes with far too much admiration. “You do have a heart of gold, don’t you?”
“It’s black, baby, all the way through, and you’d do well to remember that.”
SEVEN
Master reversed the truck, backing into the space, blocking Reese’s Jeep but facing forward for a quick escape. He texted two of the others in the Torpedo Ink club where they were and what they were doing, just in case they needed backup.
“Listen to me, Ambrielle. This is the perfect time for you to start learning to work with us. Hopefully, everything is cool and we have no problems, but if I give you the signal to hightail it out of there, you get to the truck however you can. Don’t worry about Ink or me, just get in the driver’s seat and get back to the house. Hit the lock on the security code and it will slam all armor in place. There are several caches of weapons in the house. The easiest for you to access is in the master bedroom in a panel in the wall directly behind the headboard of the bed. Text Czar. Tell him you’re alone and need backup immediately. Tell me you understand the order.”
She nodded. “I will, but I don’t have a cell phone.”
He handed her a burner. “Everything you need is in there. Stay behind me and stay quiet until I let you know it’s okay to speak. If for some reason I can’t direct you, take orders from Ink. Tell me you understand.”
Ambrie nodded again. “I understand.”
“That’s my girl. Right behind me.”
“You should be wearing a vest.”
He couldn’t help the little smile that came out of nowhere. It was rusty, but it broke through at her censure. “Yeah, babe. I should be. Wanted to get to him fast, before he did something really stupid. Just go along with anything I say.”