Total pages in book: 67
Estimated words: 64767 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 324(@200wpm)___ 259(@250wpm)___ 216(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 64767 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 324(@200wpm)___ 259(@250wpm)___ 216(@300wpm)
“You,” she says, and I watch helplessly as she falls to her knees, blood filling her mouth, then spilling over her lips. She spits it out, wiping it away with her blood-covered hands.
I tremble watching on, my arm stinging and unable to move.
“Theadora.”
I shiver at the word.
Atlas is standing in the doorway with a gun in his hand. He lowers it as he looks at me, and I look back at Chloe who seems to be struggling to breathe.
“Are you okay?” I turn to Atlas as he tries to pull me up.
For some reason my voice doesn’t want to work yet, so I manage to shake my head.
My head hurts.
My world hurts.
What’s happening?
“I need to know if you can stand, I’m too injured to carry you.” His words don’t register, but I shake my head anyway. I feel his touch on my arm, but I don’t look at him, my eyes are trained on Chloe as she continues to gasp for breath.
Rough hands touch my face, tearing my eyes away from her. “Don’t look at her, look at me.”
I nod, but my head unexpectantly tries to turn back to her anyway. Atlas huffs, and I hear more footsteps as they come into the room.
Sydney is standing in the doorway along with my bodyguard.
“Hi,” I croak.
“Theadora, I need you to stand.”
I think about it, but my body is frozen to the spot.
I can’t do it.
I don’t bother telling him that because next thing I know, his hands are around me and lifting me against his chest. He grunts, and then Ronnie, my bodyguard, steps over.
“Let me take her, sir,” he says, reaching for me, but Atlas doesn’t let me go. “I will stay next to you the whole time. You are injured, sir.”
Atlas seems reluctant to let me go, and I’m way too tired to fight him on it. He nods to Ronnie who takes me from his arms, causing him to wince from the jostling.
“Thank you, sir.”
Ronnie stands to move with me, and I turn back.
Chloe is lying on the floor, but now there’s no movement from her at all.
“Don’t look.” Atlas’s strong voice shocks me, making me jolt. “Don’t look, Theadora… just don’t look.”
I turn away at his command while Ronnie carries me outside into fresh air and daylight, my eyes shut as the sun hits my skin.
“Have you been outside at all since you were taken?” Ronnie asks.
I shake my head, covering my face with my hands, causing the blood from the wound to smear across my cheeks.
We stop, and my hand is pulled away from my face. I manage to squint to see Sydney looking at my arm before she puts something on it, making me scream out as the pain assaults me. I wiggle in Ronnie’s arms, which doesn’t get me anywhere, before I realize a bandage is being wrapped around the wound.
“It needs stitches, I’ll call the doctor to the house,” Sydney says as she wraps it. Her eyes look at me. “You should sleep, Thea, and then you can eat.”
Ronnie puts me in the car, and I lay my head against the door and settle into the cushy seat. At least what’s below my ass now isn’t the hard, cold floor. The door opens, and Atlas gets in, sliding in next to me.
Atlas’s hand goes to touch my leg in comfort, but I jump at his touch, pulling away. He removes his hand and places it in his lap. “Are you okay?” he asks.
A shiver racks my body, I hear the crinkle of something and turn to find him pulling out a wipe. He leans in to touch my face, but I pull back again.
“I’m just going to clean some blood away from your face,” he tells me.
I nod, and with gentle hands, he cleans my face as the car moves smoothly in and out of traffic. When he’s finished, I turn away from him, staring out the dark, tinted windows to the world outside.
“The baby,” I ask, not looking at him.
“He’s doing well. Lucy signed all rights for him over to an adoption agency. They found him a home right away.” My heart squeezes. “I have my lawyers on it and have requested that you have access, monthly visits, to be written into the arrangement,” he tells me. “Lucy has agreed to these arrangements as well.” I turn to face him now. His skin isn’t as dark, but he looks like the same man.
“Where is Lucy?” I ask.
Atlas knows where she is, I know he does.
“She’s finally getting the help she needs,” Atlas says as he straightens in his seat. He flinches but covers it fast. “You named the baby Benji,” he says as the car slows down. I look out the window and see his house coming into view.
“Yes.”
“Thank you. I made Lucy request that the name stays the same.”