Total pages in book: 30
Estimated words: 28041 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 140(@200wpm)___ 112(@250wpm)___ 93(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 28041 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 140(@200wpm)___ 112(@250wpm)___ 93(@300wpm)
“Get down,” I tell Raina. “Out of sight, baby girl.”
She slides down into the front seat as I pull up to my house and stop alongside the curb. I won’t pull into the driveway just in case I need to get her out of here. The stranger doesn’t look like he’s here to sell me anything or question my relationship with a religious deity.
I get out of the car and stand at the edge of my property. The orange haze scattering across the late afternoon sky tells me night will come shortly. Every line separating my property from my neighbors draws my attention to make sure there isn’t a breach in the fencing or gates.
The grass needs mowing as it grows between the grid of the wide slate path leading to a short staircase of large stones I picked as steps. The dark gray and blue stones complement the light cream wooden panels that cover the front of the house. The trim is navy blue to tie in with the path, and it’s a home I’ve worked too hard to afford for a stranger to make me uncomfortable being there.
“Can I help you?” I ask the man who turns to square his stance as if he’s ready to charge at me. He’ll have to get a running head start to reach me from nearly 30 feet away. At least anything he does isn’t going to take me by surprise.
“Call me Chuck. I need to talk to you about your partner, Owen Olsen,” he replies. His black hair looks like ink. The handlebar mustache doesn’t give off an air of hospitality, and the leather vest with metal spikes around the bottom emphasizes his menacing gaze.
“Last time I spoke to Owen was last night. He’s in the hospital, and I don’t have much else to say other than that,” I tell Chuck, who I’m not sure is giving me his actual name.
He looks around and narrows his gaze over my shoulder. I move to block his line of sight. I don’t want him to see Raina unless I know exactly who he is and what he wants.
He grunts a bit. Clearly, having to talk to me is irritating to him. “Is Owen here? Has he stopped by or contacted you this morning?”
“No.”
“Are you sure?” Chuck asks again. His insistence is starting to piss me off.
“Of course, I am. What do you want with him?”
Chuck digs through his pockets and pulls out a badge, showing he’s a federal agent. “Owen walked out of the hospital at some time between last night and this morning.”
I stifle a laugh. “How do you lose track of a man with a broken leg and ribs?”
“That’s not important. We need to get to him before he has a run-in with Lorenzo.”
An exhale of exhaustion pushes out of me. “He’s not here, and I haven’t heard from him. You’re going to have to find him the old-fashioned way—by looking for him. I can’t help you, Chuck. Thanks for stopping by. Please see yourself off my property.”
He hands me a business card and takes a step away from me. “If you hear from him, let him know that the deal offered to him is contingent upon his cooperation.”
“You don’t look like an agent. I don’t want to call you, and you set him up to turn him over to Lorenzo or something.”
“You don’t have to worry about what I look like. Just worry about Owen if he doesn’t find his way back to the hospital. We don’t know how much Lorenzo knows about his cooperation, and we’d rather have him safely tucked away. If you run into him or talk to him, tell him to come back in.”
6
RAINA
The murmurings of Rex speaking to someone on his doorstep have my nerves firing on all cylinders. I can hear bits and pieces of the discussion until the sound of heavy footsteps comes close to the car. My heart races, wondering if the stranger is about to find me.
It’s only after Rex opens the passenger door that I can get out of the car. His hand wraps around mine, easing the anxiety racing through my body. He helps steady me as I stand up with his gaze scouring up and down the street. The stranger standing on his doorstep is nowhere in sight. I stare at Rex, hoping he doesn’t see the fear and worry in my eyes.
“You’re safe with me, Raina,” he says. Apparently, I’m easier to read than I realize. It doesn’t make sense to keep on a brave face as the severity of what Owen’s gotten us into weighs on me. Rex grips me by the chin, forcing me to look into his eyes as he tells me, “What did I say?”
A ripple of lust courses through me as his gaze burrows into the depths of my eyes so I can feel every word he says. I have to answer him. “I’m safe with you.”