Total pages in book: 44
Estimated words: 41097 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 205(@200wpm)___ 164(@250wpm)___ 137(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 41097 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 205(@200wpm)___ 164(@250wpm)___ 137(@300wpm)
My phone rang. I glanced at the screen before closing my eyes and taking a shuddering breath. David. The last person on Earth I wanted to talk to. I let the call go to voicemail, but it immediately started ringing again.
“What do you want, David?”
“You to get your rich daddy to put more money in your bank account.” He sounded so reasonable. Like he fully expected I’d just do what he told me.
“Have you lost your mind? I think you’ve stolen enough.”
“You’ll do it or I’ll find you and kill everyone you’ve ever loved. Friends. Family. All gone.”
“How you plan on doing that?”
“I got friends too, you know.”
“You have no idea what you’re getting yourself into.”
David sounded calm, but I could hear a note of desperation in his voice.
“I know exactly what I’m getting myself into, Dawn.” His tone turned dangerous. “And you know what’s at stake here. Better get daddy to pony up the cash before it’s too late.”
“Look, David. Things ended badly between us, but I don’t want you dead. That’s exactly what will happen if you try to attack my family. My dad… he’s not the kind of man you mess with.”
“Forty-eight hours, Dawn. Then I’m coming for you.”
The line went dead and I let out a long sigh.
“Fucking bastard.”
I balled my hands into fists and tried to get my emotions under control. David was playing a dangerous game. And I had no idea what he was really up to. I didn’t have feelings for the bastard. I meant it when I’d told Ice I was done with him. But I didn’t want him to die.
“What’s that?”
I jumped and squealed as the gruff voice came from the doorway between my and Ice’s rooms.
“Jesus! Way to sneak up on a girl!”
“Sorry.” He grinned. “Didn’t mean to startle you.” He pointed to the phone in my hand. “What was that?”
“Nothing.” I turned away, tossing the phone to the bed. “Just bullshit.”
“Uh-huh.” I turned to move and the next thing I knew, Ice was snatching the phone from my bed. The screen hadn’t locked, so he started looking through it.
“Give me that!” I grabbed for it, but he held it up out of my reach like I was a toddler or something.
“Nope. Not unless you want to tell me what had you calling someone a fucking bastard.”
“Spam call,” I snapped.
Then my phone dinged with a text message. Ice looked at me with a raised eyebrow.
“No! No, Ice. That’s private.”
“Who’s David?” He hadn’t opened the message, but the look on his face told me he suspected who he was.
“None of your business!”
“Oh?” He looked back at the phone and opened the message. I took a step back, knowing whatever David had sent wouldn’t be good. Last thing I wanted was to get blowback from Ice’s anger. Because I knew he’d be pissed.
Ice’s face went cold. Like his namesake. He stared at the phone for so long I thought that maybe he couldn’t read the message or was waiting for something.
“What does it say?” I asked quietly, feeling my stomach drop at the expression on his face.
“It’s from David. He’s threatening you.” Ice’s voice was low, dangerous. “This the guy you were dating?”
“If I say no, will you let it go?”
The last thing I expected was the reaction I got from Ice. With a yell, he threw my phone across the room, where it smashed into the wall. “He’s fuckin’ threatenin’ you, Dawn! Threatenin’ your family! And you were keeping this to yourself? What the fuck, Dawn?”
“It just happened! I haven’t had a chance to tell anyone! Besides, he’s a bastard, but I don’t want him dead! I tell my dad and that’s what happens. I won’t have that on my conscience or my dad’s.” I’d taken a couple more steps back as I spoke. Logically, I knew Ice wouldn’t hurt me, but the look on his face at the moment wasn’t exactly encouraging.
“Trust me when I tell you, your dad wouldn’t lose a moment’s sleep over killin’ this fuckin’ punk. Neither would I.” He pointed his finger to where the phone lay on the floor. “No one gets to talk to you that way, Dawn. Fuckin’ nobody.”
I looked up at him, unsure what to say. He stared at me, and I wasn’t at all sure what was more intimidating. The storm outside or the one in my hotel room.
Ice scrubbed a hand over his face and turned away from me, rubbing his neck with his other hand as he did. He took several deep breaths before straightening and turning back to me.
“This guy hurt you, Dawn?”
I shook my head, not taking my eyes from Ice. “No.”
“Dawn. Do not lie to me.” He tilted his head giving me a warning look. “Tell me you don’t want to answer or to kiss your ass or to go to hell, but you will not lie to me.”