Total pages in book: 71
Estimated words: 70162 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 351(@200wpm)___ 281(@250wpm)___ 234(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 70162 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 351(@200wpm)___ 281(@250wpm)___ 234(@300wpm)
I turned to Ghost. “Why did you—”
“I didn’t want it on your conscience.”
“I didn’t care about him. He didn’t deserve—”
“It’s better this way. For them.” He tilted his head toward the agents I knew were hidden behind us.
One of them—Jones, I remembered his name because he’d argued with everything Ghost had said—stepped forward, shaking his head. “You really did pull this off like you wanted to.”
Ghost nodded. “I did.”
“You even managed to rope him in after you were told not to.” The agent tilted his head toward me.
I glanced between Ghost and his colleague. “What’s he talking about?”
Ghost snarled at him. “That is not what happened.”
He ignored Ghost and focused on me. “He didn’t think he could get away with using you to get what he needed, but apparently, he actually can charm someone when he wants to.”
My stomach began to churn. Had I just been used again? Was Ghost no better than Teddy?
I’d thought… At first, I hadn’t wanted to even hope there could be more than desire between us, but I’d convinced myself there was a hell of a lot more. All those times he’d told me I could do anything… Was he just fucking flattering me so I’d agree to his plan?
“You can finish this on your own.” I shoved my gun into my waistband and headed for my truck
“Wait,” Ghost called. “Let me explain.”
I increased my pace, forcing myself not to look back.
I heard the unmistakable sound of a fist connecting with someone’s face. I did look back then. Jones was sitting on the ground rubbing his jaw. Ghost stood over him looking like he’d be as happy to end the other agent’s life as he’d been to end Teddy’s.
Ghost glanced up, saw me, and started running my way. “Rogue, wait.”
I shook my head. “You got what you wanted from me. Don’t contact me again.”
“I didn’t. This wasn’t—”
I was almost swayed by the look on his face. He seemed so damn sincere, and with the costume makeup on, he looked hurt and needy. I couldn’t let myself fall for that. He was a cold schemer, but he was also a ghost, so he didn’t have the power to touch me.
He tried to grab my arm as I got into the driver’s seat, but I pushed him away and slammed the door in his face. He stumbled back, and the pain in his eyes made my heart skip a beat.
No. I couldn’t trust him. I put the truck in gear and took off.
18
ROGUE
I was several miles down the road before I stopped trying to hold back my tears. I didn’t bother to wipe them away as they rolled down my cheeks. I just let them come. How had I been so stupid? How did I let myself get tricked yet again? I’d thought… I’d really thought this time I might have found someone who understood me, someone who wanted me for me for who I was, not because I was a rodeo star, or because I could do the hard parts of their job for them, or because they felt responsible for me like my brothers.
Are you sure he doesn’t care?
If he cared, he wouldn’t have tricked me.
Did he trick you? Or did you jump to conclusions? You could have at least listened to him.
I could have. Jones was clearly an asshole, but Ghost must have talked about luring me in. Why would Jones just make that up? Did it matter? It wasn’t like we were going to last anyway.
I pulled up at the barn, praying Rhys would be involved with training and Grant would be somewhere else—fucking Jacob or doing something that would occupy him for a long time. I needed to be on my horse. Riding was the only thing that could help me stop thinking about Ghost.
I didn’t bother with a saddle, only putting a pad and a harness on her. Luck was with me, and I felt like I damn well deserved it. No one came into the barn before I had Mischief ready to go.
Rhys would be sure to notice that my truck was back, but maybe he would think I dropped it off and left with the man I told him I liked.
It turned out I no longer liked him at all. It turned out he was an asshole just like all the rest of them.
I rode through fields and then onto a trail. All I wanted to do was keep riding forever. That wasn’t going to happen, but I would keep going until my horse needed to rest. Then I would probably sit down and cry.
Eventually, I would go back to the ranch. My brothers needed me, and I wasn’t going to disappear on them.
I’d been riding for a while, taking it slow because I knew I wasn’t in the right headspace to control the horse at high speed, and the slower we went, the longer she could go. I was moving across an empty pasture when I saw Ghost standing in the shadow of some trees. He might think he could hide from everyone, but I had no doubt I would always know when he was around.