Total pages in book: 132
Estimated words: 129408 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 647(@200wpm)___ 518(@250wpm)___ 431(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 129408 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 647(@200wpm)___ 518(@250wpm)___ 431(@300wpm)
Everything about her was hollow. And ugly.
She tapped away on her phone, the fake claws on her fingers clicking on the screen.
He wasn’t supposed to be in there, watching her tragic life play out. He sure as fuck didn’t want to be in there. He was supposed to be stationed outside, on the perimeter. Despite the fact that in the two months he’d had this gig, he had never even sniffed a threat, she’d apparently contacted Greenstone because of her serious concerns for her safety.
Luke was beginning to think that she thrived off the attention, and also that she’d heard the stories of the men who worked for Greenstone. They were quickly becoming one of the most sought after agencies in the city, with Keltan having to employ more men. Which was how Luke tumbled into the gig. He’d first come to LA after handing in his badge to employ Keltan to help him find Rosie. He’d tried himself, with the resources at his disposal. That was why he delayed handing in his gun and badge, not because of reluctance to leave the only job he’d ever known, the only job he thought he’d ever have. No, he’d stayed so he could misuse his power to find her.
Something his self-righteous past self would’ve rebelled against. But he had already crossed that line he’d set in the sand the day he put on his uniform.
Once he’d crossed it, there was no going back.
He didn’t want to go back.
Which was why he’d left. Searching for her. He hadn’t planned on staying; his plan was just to get a lead, chase her. He’d stayed because he realized that she wasn’t like any other women. She wasn’t running because she wanted to be chased. To be rescued.
He just had to wait for her to come back so she could rescue him from the hell he’d been renting in her absence.
“Luke, so sorry to keep you waiting,” the nasally voice interrupted his thoughts.
He would never get lost in them on a job usually. But this wasn’t normal circumstances. And this job was a fucking circus.
“I just had to finish some important tasks,” she finished, setting her phone down.
Luke barely restrained a snort. This woman wouldn’t know important—or hard work, for that matter—if it bit her on her bony ass.
“No problem, ma’am,” he replied, crossing his arms and watching her approach blankly.
She clearly thought she was sashaying, the bottom of her robe trailing behind her, purposefully untied just enough to show her chest. Though there wasn’t much to show but bones rising up from the skin.
“Must you call me ma’am?” she whined. “It makes me feel positively ancient.” She stopped in front of him. Too close. Luke’s jaw hardened as her perfume choked him. “Plus, it’s so formal. I like to be informal with employees. Treat them like friends.” She eyed him with a clear intention in her eyes.
One that made Luke feel vaguely sick. Beyond the fact that what she’d said was a flat lie. She treated her staff like slaves, screaming at them routinely and firing at least one person a week.
“I prefer to keep friends and business separate, ma’am,” Luke said firmly. “Now what is it you called me here to talk about? I need to get back to work.”
She flinched a little at his tone, and he didn’t give a shit. Normally he gave women respect and actively tried not to hurt them. This was an exception.
She straightened her shoulders and tightened her robe sash. Luke’s eyes stayed upward, uninterested.
“I have an event tonight. Black tie,” she said. “I need you to come with me.”
No question. Luke bristled.
“And you only just ask this now?” he gritted out.
She regarded her nails. “I only just decided I wanted to go. And of course, it will be full of overzealous fans. I need you there. It’s your job, after all, no?”
Luke clenched his jaw. “Yes, ma’am.”
“We can’t fire a client, Luke,” Keltan said, the fucker grinning at him from behind the desk. “Especially not one who pays as much as that empty-headed Barbie doll.”
Luke clenched the beer in his hands. “She wants me to go to a gala with her tonight,” he gritted out.
Keltan choked out a chuckle, swallowing it with his own beer when he caught Luke’s glare. “No shit?”
“I look like I’m joking?” Luke didn’t joke these days. Or smile much.
Now that Rosie was back, he had even fewer reasons to smile. Having her in the same city as him with that empty and haunted look behind her eyes was almost worse than not knowing where the fuck she was.
No.
Nothing was worth than that.
Keltan’s smile disappeared, and despite his current predicament, Luke kicked himself for being responsible for that. Keltan hadn’t had many reasons to smile for the last few days.
In fact, the last few days had given him reason not to smile for the rest of his life.