Total pages in book: 67
Estimated words: 65585 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 328(@200wpm)___ 262(@250wpm)___ 219(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 65585 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 328(@200wpm)___ 262(@250wpm)___ 219(@300wpm)
I push up onto my hands and knees, groaning as I stand and dust the dirt off my legs. Just as I do, the front door unlocking catches my attention. I launch into the bushes beside the stairs, heart racing. If they see me, after what I just saw, I don’t know what will happen. My mind is racing, who are these people? Who the hell are they? Why were they beating that man? I close my eyes, trying to calm my trembling body as I listen to the voices that fill the quiet night.
“He’s not talkin’,” Rhett says, his voice gruff.
“He’s not goin’ to, whoever he works for is obviously a fuck load more powerful than us and he’s a hell of a lot more scared about what will happen to him if he talks, he’s willin’ to die. That says something.”
That’s Enzo.
“We need to find a way to get him to talk, we need to know who is involved in this shit.”
What shit? What shit?
“I’ll lock him up, get Madden to find out what he can, see if there is somethin’ we can use against him.”
“Do that, I’m goin’ to check on our guests. We can’t be doin’ this shit while we have them here, if one of them sees, this entire thing will come crashing down.”
“Got it, boss.”
Footsteps disappear back inside and then I hear shuffling as someone moves down the stairs. It’s Rhett, and I hold my breath as he walks past me, thankfully not looking down. He goes toward the cabins. Shit, he’s probably looking for me. I try to think quickly and stand, scurrying toward the barn as fast as I can, falling twice as I do. When I reach it, I can just see Rhett approaching the paddock to cross it over to the cabin.
“Hey,” I call out.
He pauses and turns, squinting his eyes as he tries to see where I am.
“I’m here, at the barn,” I call out.
God, quick thinking might have just saved me here.
Rhett walks toward me and when he reaches me, he glances down, eyes narrowed. “What are you doin’ out here?”
“I, ah, I wanted to say goodnight to Porky.”
God, I’m a terrible liar.
“You wanted to say goodnight to a horse?”
His voice is skeptical, and if I don’t think fast, he’ll start wondering if I might have seen or heard something.
I giggle, it’s fake but I know how to put on a good show. I took drama in school and was damned good at it. “I had a bit too much to drink, I think I got a little lost if I’m being honest. At least I know where the barn is, I was going to do a direct run toward the cabin from here when I saw you walking over there.”
He seems to relax a little. “You go to the house?”
“God no, and risk you seeing me like this?”
That seems to work.
“How much have you had to drink?”
“Enough that I tripped over and hurt my knees,” I admit.
“C’mon, let’s get you to the cabin and I’ll take a look.”
He takes my arm, a little more gruff than usual, and we walk back to my cabin. It’s quiet when we get in, and he glances around at the other cabins, narrowing his eyes. “Where is everyone?”
“Still at the fire last time I checked, they were walking back soon so they won’t be far off.”
He nods and I open the door, stepping inside. Rhett closes the door and immediately goes to the kitchen where he comes back with a first aid kit. I take a seat on the sofa and look down. Oh, I’ve got some blood running down my leg, I must have hit my knee harder than I thought.
“Shit, I’m so clumsy,” I murmur.
Rhett kneels in front of me, kit in hand. His hand runs up my leg as he lifts it, placing my foot on his knee. I try really hard not to whimper with delight, because man, seeing him in front of me, fixing me up like this, it’s hot.
I’m also drunk so there’s that.
I watch as he cleans up my knee and then puts a little bandage on it before placing my foot back on the floor. I could whine out loud, because I wish that went on for a whole lot longer than it did, but I don’t. I just watch him stand, put the kit away, and then come back over with a glass of water. A glass of water. Swoon.
“Drink this or your head will hurt in the morning.”
“You’re too nice to me,” I murmur, laying back on the sofa and exhaling.
“Drink, Lei.”
I do as he asks, I lift my head just enough to drink a sip of the water he still has in his hand, then I lie back down and close my eyes. I must drift in and out, because I feel him sit beside me, his hand running through my hair softly, before a warm mouth and scratchy beard touches my face as he kisses my forehead.