Total pages in book: 76
Estimated words: 71911 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 360(@200wpm)___ 288(@250wpm)___ 240(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 71911 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 360(@200wpm)___ 288(@250wpm)___ 240(@300wpm)
16
THEO
I sat alone in my study.
Like a gargoyle, I hadn’t moved in two days.
The sun rose and set in the same places, but my life didn’t change.
Astrid didn’t text me.
I didn’t text her.
I didn’t know what the fuck to do.
Bolton hadn’t contacted me or responded in any way. Had no idea if he knew I was the one who’d picked off his men one by one on the street. Maybe he didn’t care as much as he should because he was distracted.
Distracted that his wife had left him.
The woman I’d bedded was married to my enemy. His last name was her last name. It was hard to shake, hard to look past. When I was in the same room with her, she felt like a different person. She was innocent of any crime, but I still felt betrayed by the association.
And I felt blindsided by it too.
I didn’t know if she was still at the hotel. If she and Bolton had talked. If they would get back together, or she was set on her decision. I didn’t prefer her married, but I preferred her with no expectations. Because while I did care for her, dinners and hookups were all I had to offer. Her shovel had gone as deep as it could before it hit rock, and she would never go deeper than that.
I hoped she hadn’t left him for me, because she would be disappointed.
Axel texted me. Just making sure you’re still breathing.
Not breathing. Smoking.
I’ll take it. Figured out what to do about Bolton yet?
I didn’t respond.
That’s a no.
She left him.
Then you should be balls deep in her instead of talking to me.
I’m not.
That’s it. I’m coming over.
I didn’t shut down the offer, because I’d been sitting there alone for two days without any direction. I was a man of action. I just did shit when I felt like doing it. But now, my hands were bound by my invisible cords, and my brain had ceased to function.
Almost an hour passed before he dropped into the armchair across from me. I’d already put out my cigar a while ago, so he didn’t light up one himself. I must have looked like shit since he didn’t fire off questions or taunts. He sank into the chair and watched me.
“It’s the first time in my life where I don’t know what to do.”
“If you torture and kill Bolton, she doesn’t need to know it was you.”
“But I would know.”
“You’re the one who told me I should just kill Dante. Now you know how complicated that would have been. But in my case, I loved Scarlett. And you…I don’t know what your deal is.”
“I care for her, but that’s it.”
“That’s it?” he asked.
“I’m afraid she left him for me, even though I have nothing to offer her.”
“You said it was clear you didn’t want anything.”
“I thought it was.”
“Then why do you assume that?”
Because of the way she looked at me. The way she touched me. The way she said she wanted to be with me without something separating us. The way…the way the air felt when we stood in a room together. “I just do.”
“The fact that you didn’t tear Bolton’s head off means your feelings for her are stronger than your need for revenge.”
“It means I’m a disgrace to my brother. I know.”
“Knowing Killian, he would have told you to pick the woman because he’s already dead. No amount of revenge is going to change that. And it’s not your fault that Killian got killed. That was the result of his own tumultuous decisions.”
I wasn’t sure if I could live with myself if I didn’t bury my brother. If I didn’t find a rightful place for his bones. Maybe Bolton didn’t even have them anymore. Maybe whatever he would give me would belong to someone else. I could do a DNA test to figure out that since we were identical.
“I know you feel more for her than you say, Theo. And I know why you pretend.”
I tried not to think of her because it was easier not to.
“Give it a chance with Astrid.”
“She’s not even divorced yet.”
“Even better. You can take it slow.”
“I’m not ready for a relationship.”
“Asshole, I hate to break it to you, but you’re in one. You’re in a very complicated, very messy relationship. Just tell her you need to take it slow. Like fucking slooooooow. No pressure. No expectations. Just see where it goes.”
I stared at the cold fireplace.
“Theo.”
I wouldn’t look at him.
“Your other choice was to torture and kill Bolton—and you’ve clearly decided not to do that. So this is the only choice. You’ve chosen it.” He continued to stare at me. “Now go get your woman.”
When I entered the Ritz, I made sure to take the back route. Slip in through the back door after one of the kitchen staff took out the trash. If she was still there, that meant Bolton had eyes on the building—especially if he knew about me.