Total pages in book: 76
Estimated words: 71348 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 357(@200wpm)___ 285(@250wpm)___ 238(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 71348 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 357(@200wpm)___ 285(@250wpm)___ 238(@300wpm)
He was coming closer because of Madeline. I was fucking sure of it. My hands fisted, and I inhaled sharply. I could put a bullet in his head from here. This shit would end. Madeline wouldn’t have any more hell in her life.
But if she ever found out I’d killed her real father, would she forgive that? FUCK! How was I supposed to protect her if I couldn’t kill the motherfuckers who could hurt her?
“Not the right time.” Huck’s voice came through the earpiece. He always knew what I was thinking.
He was right. I had to know more. Right now, I wasn’t one hundred percent positive that he had been behind Madeline’s abduction. From what I’d learned, the fucker was well liked. He had made important connections by selling high-end pussy to powerful men. That was why they liked him.
He smiled then at something one of the other men had said. My gut clenched. There was something about it that looked like Madeline’s smile. God, I hated this. Not knowing and needing to keep her safe.
My phone vibrated in my pocket, and I pulled it out to see an alert that Madeline was moving. She was driving. Where the fuck was she going? It was lunchtime. She shouldn’t be leaving the ranch yet.
“Pull back for now,” I said to the others, then headed back to the truck.
Something was off. As soon as I was back inside the truck, I dialed her number, but she didn’t answer. Slamming my hand on the steering wheel, I backed out and looked at the tracker to see where she was heading. Huck would need to ride back with Gage and Levi. I had to go make sure Madeline was safe.
Eighteen
Madeline
The test was tucked in my purse as I pulled back onto the road and headed back to the ranch. I had successfully gotten in and out of the pharmacy in less than five minutes. No one would notice my absence. Turning onto the road that led down past Moses Mile and then to the Hughes Farm, I finally relaxed.
Blaise had called me when I was leaving the pharmacy and I’d ignored it. I could just tell him I’d left my phone in the office and had to go get lunch at the house.
I hated the idea of lying to him, but right now, there was no other option. Except to tell him the truth, and that idea made me sick. He was the one who had gotten me on the shot. He didn’t want to chance getting me pregnant. If I was though and the shot hadn’t protected me from it, then what? I would have no choice but to tell him.
“Please let it be negative,” I whispered.
I didn’t know who I was talking to because I’d given up praying to God when I was a kid. He had never answered my prayers, and eventually, I tired of it. I had grown up.
The big, arched entrance to Hughes Farm greeted me as I pulled in and went to park exactly where I had this morning. Grabbing my purse, I headed for the office, glancing around only for a moment to make sure I hadn’t been seen. I needed to take this test before I went back to the house today. I didn’t want to toss it in the trash there, where it could be found. If I’d had time, I would have taken it at the pharmacy and tossed it away there, but I’d been in a hurry.
My office door was open, and thankfully, the room was empty when I rushed inside and closed the door behind me. I needed a moment to calm down again. My adrenaline was pumping. There was a bathroom attached to the office, and I knew I’d have my privacy. Plus, I had several more hours of work. Plenty of time.
Sinking down into the black leather chair, I looked down at the paperwork in front of me just as the door to the office swung open. Blaise came walking inside, his gaze locked on me. He looked like a man on a mission, as if he knew I was keeping something from him and he intended to figure out exactly what it was.
“Blaise,” I said breathlessly. He’d startled me.
He cocked one eyebrow, but said nothing.
I waited, and silence remained as he studied me.
Finally uncomfortable with his not speaking, I cleared my throat. “Uh, are you here for a reason?” I asked.
He narrowed his eyes and tilted his head to the side. He continued to look at me as if he could find the answers to his questions on my face. That was when I realized he knew I’d been gone.
Had he come here before I returned and parked somewhere I couldn’t see his truck? Oh crap, had he called me when he arrived and I was gone?