Total pages in book: 73
Estimated words: 72308 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 362(@200wpm)___ 289(@250wpm)___ 241(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 72308 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 362(@200wpm)___ 289(@250wpm)___ 241(@300wpm)
I rushed to him, sprinting into his arms.
He caught me and squeezed me hard against his chest. His grip was so tight it seemed like he would never let me go. Not in a million years. His forehead rested on my head, and he cupped the back of my neck, his chest pushing against my face with every deep breath he took. He dropped his lips and kissed me on the forehead. “I’m so sorry.”
“It’s not your fault, Cauldron.”
He pulled away, his eyes focused on mine. “I’m sorry that I fucked this up…”
We stood outside the bar, the cold night air like death’s fingers through my hair. Winter had been brutal this year, freezing cold and full of heartbreak. I approached Bartholomew, leaving the guys behind so we could speak in private. “Thank you for everything. Cauldron tells me you’re the only reason they were able to find me.”
With his hands in the pockets of his jeans and his limber body leaning against the lamppost, he looked at me with that subtle smile on his lips. “Don’t thank me just yet. I only stuck out my neck for something in return.”
“Which is?”
“You.” He leaned forward slightly, pointing at me with his body. Then he leaned back. “Me. Back to our former arrangement.”
“As in…Cauldron’s contract is over?”
“No. More of an à la carte situation. When I need a wingman, I’ll call you. Based on what Cauldron’s told me, it sounds like you’ve missed me. The feeling is mutual because not every woman can pull off this sort of thing.”
I should be thrilled, but I was somewhat disappointed.
He picked up on it. “I was under the impression you enjoyed the work.”
“I enjoyed having duties outside of my usual work.”
“I’d pay you for your time. Consider it a side hustle.”
“Do I have a choice?” I asked.
He stared at me long and hard.
“I guess that’s a no…”
“I’m not a fan of coercion. You should know that by now. But I think it’s a small favor to ask in exchange for everything I risked to get you out of there. This is the moment where you decide who you want to be. Are you loyal to your allies? Or are you out for only yourself?”
“That’s what we are?” I asked. “Allies? Friends?”
“Whoa. Wouldn’t take it that far.”
“Are Cauldron and Grave friends?”
“God, no.”
“Then what constitutes a friend?”
He gave a shrug. “Honestly, I don’t know—as I have none.”
Cauldron drove me home, but when he turned the wrong direction, I realized he had different plans.
“Where are you going?”
“Home.”
“Well, my home is the other way.”
“Come on, baby. I’m not letting you stay alone tonight.”
I still winced when I heard the endearment. It didn’t fit anymore, like a shirt that was too tight. “Karl and all his men are dead. Roan’s gone. What’s there to be afraid of, exactly?”
“You must be shaken up—”
“They just tied me up and put me in a chair. That was it.”
He kept driving. “I know you’re brave—”
“It’s not like they pointed a gun at me and pulled the trigger…”
Cauldron gave a quiet sigh. “Is this really how we’re going to do things?”
“I just want to go home, Cauldron.”
“Well, I’ve paid for your time, and I want you at my place.”
“Gonna pull that card, huh?”
“You’re giving me no choice.”
We sat in silence for the rest of the drive, the city quiet because it was an hour before sunrise. It was so cold there was frost across the gardens in front of the apartments. A few minutes later, we arrived at his apartment, sealed with warmth the second we were in the elevator. The parlor was dark, like his servants hadn’t been disturbed when he left hours ago.
Cauldron took his jacket and hung it on the coatrack.
I purposely avoided his look. “I’ll sleep in the guest room—”
“You’ll sleep with me.”
“I’m not screwing you—”
“Not asking you to.” He faced me, squaring his shoulders like I was an opponent. “So let me get this straight. You’re taken as a hostage, and the second you’re free, you run straight into my arms, but I mean nothing to you? We make love, but then it’s like it never happened? How can you hate me this much? How can you hate me when I’ve told you how goddamn sorry I am?”
My arms crossed over my chest, and I looked away.
“I’m actually asking you.”
“How?” My head snapped back in his direction. “Because none of it means anything when I say I love you and you don’t say it—”
“I love you.”
The breath I sucked between my teeth was involuntary. It was like a hiss, like he hit me in the face rather than spoke a beautiful confession.
His eyes remained steady, full of sincerity, bright like the Eiffel Tower. “I’m sorry that it took this long for me to admit it. Not just to you. But to myself.”