Total pages in book: 132
Estimated words: 124923 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 625(@200wpm)___ 500(@250wpm)___ 416(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 124923 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 625(@200wpm)___ 500(@250wpm)___ 416(@300wpm)
Grey shrugs a shoulder, as if it doesn’t really matter to him either way. “Good enough for me.” I knew he’d carry his fair share of residual hatred for my uncle, and my—our—dad. He doesn’t like being related to us any more than we like being related to him, but more than that, he hates that we’ve claimed his baby sister as ours.
We come to a stop, looking up at the sprawling estate. I smile over at my temporary ally, already feeling the adrenaline in my veins. “Ready?”
He turns the handle in response and throws it open, sending the door flying into a potted plant next to it that shatters on impact. The sound echoes through the foyer, alerting everyone in a five-mile radius to our presence.
“Way to make an entrance.” I look over at him, eyebrow raised, and he only shrugs, once again. The sound of high heels hurriedly clacking along the floor draws my attention to the other side of the foyer to find my aunt Rebecca staring at the pile of fractured porcelain and soil. Her hands cover her mouth in shock, but when she sees me, her shoulders sag with relief.
“Oh honey, step aside. You don’t want to get all dirty. Or worse, hurt,” she says as if I’m a kid who just spilled a glass of milk. “Let me get the broom.”
Grey sends me an is this bitch serious look. Unfortunately, the answer is yes.
“Where is he?” I ask, stopping her from skittering out of the room. She swallows hard, clearly more unnerved than she was letting on, and motions toward the kitchen with a tilt of her head before making herself scarce.
We walk into the kitchen to find my uncle eating at the table. He doesn’t so much as glance up from his plate when he hears us approach. He stabs a piece of meat with his fork and happily plops it into his mouth. He isn’t surprised by my presence. In fact, I’ll bet he was counting on it.
“Well, you wanted me here. I’m here.” That’s why he left the earring, isn’t it? He was sending a message. He had to know I’d show up.
He finally looks at me, holding up his index finger, signaling for me to wait while he finishes chewing. “Holden,” he greets me with a fake-ass smile. “Good of you to stop by.” His eyes travel past me, flashing with surprise when he realizes Grey is with me. That’s one thing we both didn’t see coming. “Traded out your usual sidekick, huh?”
I cross my arms over my chest, not responding to his goading. Grey is silent next to me, completely unreadable.
Samuel’s gaze ping-pongs between us before accepting that he won’t be getting anything in terms of a response. “I get it. Brothers can be tricky.”
“You know what else must be tricky? Sneaking into little girls’ dorm rooms without anyone noticing.”
“On the contrary, you have no idea how easy it was.” He stands from the table, smoothing out his tie. “Funny story. During the gala, a young girl approached me, not-so-subtly trying to pump me for information. In my own home, to boot. It didn’t make sense to me then. I didn’t recognize her.” He smirks at me. “And believe me. A girl like that? I’d remember.”
I clench my jaw so hard my ears ring.
“Quite the coincidence that she lives right across the hall from you.” He rounds the table, coming closer to where we stand. “But I don’t believe in those. What were you looking for in my office, Holden? If you have questions, all you have to do is ask. There’s no need to drag innocent people into this. We don’t want anyone else getting hurt, do we?”
I charge at him, pushing him back until he’s against the wall behind him with my forearm at his throat. “Stay the fuck away from her. If you have a problem with me, take it up with me.”
He tries to pry my arm away but fails, his face turning red. I loosen my hold enough for him to get his words out. “I was simply returning something that belonged to her.”
I’ve had enough of the cryptic games. I shove my forearm back against his windpipe, watching as he struggles to conceal any sign of panic or pain. “I’m sitting on something that can end your entire career, your entire fucking life. My patience is wearing thin. Stay away from Valen. Stay away from Shayne. Or say goodbye to everything you’ve worked for.”
I step back, releasing him, gauging his reaction. I’ve always assumed that he knows about the video, but it’s not until this moment that I know for sure. He doesn’t seem fazed by my threat in the slightest. His answering smile is arrogant, and I know with that one look that he’s about to drop a bomb.