Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 92133 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 461(@200wpm)___ 369(@250wpm)___ 307(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 92133 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 461(@200wpm)___ 369(@250wpm)___ 307(@300wpm)
This was the biggest animal shelter near the city. When I’d been thinking of volunteering here, I had not considered my husband locking me up in his penthouse suite. I was just thankful I’d not made any arrangements ahead of time, as I’d have looked like a fool.
Andrei didn’t let go of my hand until we were at the car, where he helped me into the passenger seat. He surprised me even more, leaning in and fastening my seat belt. I could do it, but with how close his face was to mine, I got a little distracted. The sight of his lips so close. The two kisses I’d now shared with him had completely ruined me. I wanted to hate him, to put him in a neatly organized box of a monster. He wasn’t that.
But a few kisses didn’t make him a good person. He was messing with my head, but I had a feeling he wasn’t doing it on purpose.
He slammed the door closed and rounded the vehicle, climbed behind the wheel, turned over the ignition, and pulled out of the shelter.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
He didn’t say a word. His focus was on the main road. I noticed his guards had followed us to the animal shelter. Another hit of harsh reality—that we couldn’t go for a simple visit without someone there to guard us.
Was his life in danger every single moment of every single day? I’d read about the fictional side of the Bratva life in books, but I figured they were overdramatized versions. With how fast he drove, I had to wonder just how true they were.
Gripping the edge of my seat, I was sure he was going to crash into something. I closed my eyes at certain points, not wanting to see the danger ahead. I’d already considered the best way to die, and as far as I could tell, it was to not be conscious for it. Lame, I know, but I hated pain. Physical pain. I’d do anything to avoid it.
“Andrei, what’s going on?” I asked.
He still didn’t talk to me.
I hated this.
Squeezing my eyes closed, I hoped a cop was close by just so he’d stop us or do anything that would slow him down. I didn’t want him arrested. The cop thought was a bad one. Andrei or his men would probably kill him. A cop wasn’t a good idea. It was a very bad one. No cops. Just get us home in time.
The odd thought made me pause. Home. I’d never considered the penthouse suite a home before. It wasn’t my home. It was Andrei’s, but I felt like I was going home. Was this all part of the Stockholm syndrome thing? I wasn’t sure what qualified Andrei as a captor. I nearly burst out laughing when I thought of Andrei as my kidnapper. He was my husband, but he might as well have been the villain in my story.
We arrived back at the penthouse suite’s underground parking lot, alive, in one piece. When I climbed out of the car, I nearly sank to my knees and kissed the cold cement floor, but alas, I didn’t have that luxury.
Andrei acted like a crazy person. He grabbed my arms, snapped his fingers at his men, and marched me toward the elevator doors. His grip was bruising, but he didn’t let me go.
What had I done wrong? What had happened? I’d been a good girl my whole life. All I did was take him to the animal shelter. One by one, I tried to find the reason for his sudden change of behavior, and nothing came to mind. I drew a complete blank.
Did he hate the dogs? Was that his issue?
I hated this.
His guards travelled in the elevator with us. This was a first as far as I knew. He’d kept a lot of the guards away from me. Just the guy on the door, who was a pain in the ass. We got to Andrei’s penthouse suite, and it had become his, seeing as he was now hurting me.
“Andrei, what’s going on? Please talk to me,” I said.
“Shut up and go to your room.”
He spoke to me like I was a child. What happened to the man who wanted me to kiss him in order to earn rewards?
“Why won’t you talk to me?”
“I don’t have time for your childish behavior, get the fuck to your room, now.”
There was something in his eyes and the fact his men were so close, that I knew if I disobeyed him, he’d hurt me. I was not entirely sure if that was accurate, but holding the cell phone I was able to grab from his glove box before he became … this, I walked away and did not give him a second look.
I closed the door quietly and rushed toward the closet where I’d seen several chargers in a drawer. Rifling through them, I tried to find the perfect fit for the phone I had. It took me three attempts to find the right charger. Sliding the cable into the wall, I fired up my cell phone. I was amazed it still worked.