Total pages in book: 60
Estimated words: 55510 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 278(@200wpm)___ 222(@250wpm)___ 185(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 55510 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 278(@200wpm)___ 222(@250wpm)___ 185(@300wpm)
However, a job was a job, and if I could take down some bad guys in the process, I called that a damn good day.
3
EMERY
Iwatched a light drizzle of rain fall outside of the apartment window, dark clouds filling the early morning sky.
My eyes ached and burned as I rubbed them, a yawn breaking from me. I hadn’t been able to sleep much last night.
How could I? My phone kept ringing all night long because of nosy press and whoever else had found out about my father’s arrest, which I couldn’t stop thinking about.
There were so many rumors going around, and it was so hard to wrap my head around the thought of my father committing money laundering and working with other criminals.
Leandro, my business mentor and a friend of Dad’s, had been trying to get through to me, too, but I couldn’t face the thought of talking to him. He had been working with me to help develop some business skills, with the hopes of maybe one day working for my father’s company, but I couldn’t face hearing his voice. Anything that connected me to my father right now was too painful to imagine.
My father worked so diligently to keep me out of trouble, but he was the one in jail! It was ironic and a bit of a sting since so much of my life had been wasted being locked up in that house for so many years. I never had a normal life.
I couldn’t just go out and be with friends without him demanding every single detail. I couldn’t post any of my business online, even if that was just a photo of me. I certainly couldn’t date anyone.
I turned away from the window and glanced around at the rest of the studio apartment. It was a model unit, so it already had a bunch of furniture and snacks in the kitchen area. Carter was my saving grace until things with my father got sorted out. There was no telling when he would get released or how bad his sentencing would be. For now, I was on my own and had to figure things out.
I supposed the silver lining of this entire situation was that I could do anything I wanted. I wasn’t being questioned or monitored. I could run into the street naked and no one could stop me, besides the police.
Regardless, I finally had the chance to do something with my life that was my own decision. That was exciting and overwhelming, and my heart and mind raced at the possibilities. Outside of my father’s success and money, I wanted to do something that mattered.
When the fifth knock of the morning sounded from the front door of the apartment, I scowled, my hand itching to throw my shoe at it. People seriously had no respect for other people’s peace and privacy. Those journalists were like vultures, circling me and preparing to pluck information from me like they’d pick meat off bones.
“Go away! For the hundredth time, I have no comment!” I shouted as I sat cross-legged on the queen-sized bed that took up an eighth of the apartment.
Another knock sounded.
“You really don’t want me to come out there!” I threatened whoever was standing outside with some dorky voice recorder or notepad in their hands. At first, I wasn’t that angry with them because I knew they were just doing their job, but this was my life that they were trying to make a spectacle of in their papers no one read. I could rake them over the coals if I wanted.
Yet another knock sounded.
I narrowed my eyes in confusion. Usually, when I threatened them, they ran off or apologized. They didn’t dare knock again. At this point, they were asking to be yelled at. I reached up and pulled out my hair tie, letting my long, blonde hair drop against my shoulders. I gave it a light fluff and smoothed down my thin-strapped, black tank top and white lounge shorts just in case they snapped a picture of me real quick. I would be pissed off if they posted a terrible picture of me on top of it all.
“You asked for it,” I grumbled beneath my breath as I stormed across the wooden floor to the front door. I unlocked it and threw it open with a glare on my face, preparing to stare down some young intern. Instead, I faced four large men in black suits.
With my heart threatening to jump up into my throat, I started to grab the door to slam it shut, but the man in front with dirty blonde hair styled into a faux hawk and matching stubble put his hands up in a surrender.
“Wait!”
I paused, keeping my hand on the door as I looked between all of them. They were all outrageously hot, and they seemed to range in age. One of them looked like he was my age with big brown eyes and wavy hair, while the man talking to me looked like he was a little bit older. Hot men in suits.