Total pages in book: 59
Estimated words: 55087 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 275(@200wpm)___ 220(@250wpm)___ 184(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 55087 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 275(@200wpm)___ 220(@250wpm)___ 184(@300wpm)
Sadie had darted into a bathroom to give herself a few minutes. Making up an excuse to return to her car, she’d washed her hands and exited the bathroom. At the door, two large men had stepped in front of the exit, trapping her inside.
“I forgot my phone in my car,” she’d said quickly.
“You won’t need that for work, anyway,” one had told her in a heavy tone that cut off any argument.
She’d turned and walked down the hallway to the IT department. Rounding a corner to the right, Sadie had braced herself against the wall. She’d had no doubt that the gurus in the computer section would not have wanted to talk to her, but someone else would.
A door banging had made her jump and automatically look for the source. The janitorial service had arrived and were entering and leaving from the emergency door. Without hesitating, Sadie had tucked herself in between the two men hauling garbage outside. The moment her feet had touched the pavement, she’d taken off at a run.
The call of a bird in the New Zealand night sky startled her from the memories. Sadie pressed a hand against her chest and felt her heart pounding from the fright that day still provoked. Pushing away the horrible nightmare, she stood and walked back to the entrance.
She hadn’t seen the guys for hours. They must be early birds, she decided, looking up to see the rooms on the top floor were black. Sadie felt better having them around. Last night, she’d been the only one inside the resort’s hotel. The creaking floors of the old main house had kept her awake until the wee hours.
Riding in the elevator to her apartment on the fourth floor, Sadie slumped against the door. She hoped this place would be far enough away that Sylvester wouldn’t find her. New Zealand was a beautiful place. She could stay here for a while.
In a short time, she was locked safely in her room. Sadie went straight to her bed. She’d risked going to her apartment that fateful day for only two things. Her home computer and Edgar, her stuffie from childhood. The bedraggled penguin was bald in a few places and floppy. None of that mattered. Edgar was her oldest friend, and he kept the bad things away.
As always, she ran through the highlights of her day with Edgar. “The men came. They talked to whoever owns this place. I couldn’t hear what was happening, but they looked totally different when they came out than when they entered—like someone had turned on a lightbulb inside them. He must have told them what their jobs would be here at Danger Bluff.”
“Then… Then he kissed me and tricked me into telling him I was a Little girl.”
When Edgar looked at her funny, she admitted, “Okay, he didn’t trick me. He put off these Daddy vibes that are too hard to resist. Somehow, he knew everything about me.”
Hugging Edgar closely, she added, “He’s a really good kisser. Like a twelve on a scale of one to ten. I think he might be my Daddy. I’m going to be careful because I can’t trust anyone.”
Chapter Eight
A sudden knock at Sadie’s door made her jump to her feet. Her heart was racing as she stared at the door. No one had ever come to her room at night since she’d arrived at the resort.
Finally, she remembered Rocco had said he would come to her apartment tonight. How could she possibly have forgotten that?
She knew the answer. She’d blocked it out of her head as soon as he’d told her so that she wouldn’t spend the rest of the day hoping he would really come.
“Sadie?”
At the sound of Rocco’s voice, she rushed over to the door and opened it. “Hey.”
He smiled at her. He was holding a single rose. “Please tell me you didn’t forget I was coming tonight.” His voice was teasing, but he lifted a brow.
She swallowed. “I, uh…”
Both his eyes went wide, and his smile faded. “You did forget?”
She shook her head and admitted softly, “No. I just didn’t permit myself to believe you would come.”
He took a step closer. “May I come in, please, Little girl?”
She hurried to back up, holding the door wider. “Yes. Of course.”
He held out the single rose. “There isn’t exactly a florist nearby, so I cut this from the garden. Hopefully, no one will notice.” He winked.
“It’s so pretty. Thank you.” She reached for it, but he pulled it back.
“It has a lot of thorns, sweetheart. Why don’t you let me stick it in a glass of water for you. Roses are pretty, and you may lean over and inhale the scent, but I don’t want you to nick your skin.”
Sadie nodded and spun around to head for the kitchenette in her little studio. She suddenly realized she was still holding Edgar and blushed deeply as she tried to set him discretely on the small counter.