Total pages in book: 88
Estimated words: 79749 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 399(@200wpm)___ 319(@250wpm)___ 266(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79749 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 399(@200wpm)___ 319(@250wpm)___ 266(@300wpm)
"He'll fucking kill me or my daughter," Samuel argues.
"I understand your dilemma," Hemlock replies, giving the man nothing to make a very difficult decision on his own.
I leave them to it, walking toward the bedroom. I knock gently on the door because I have no idea what state she'll be in. I want her to know that even though we swiped her right off the street, we're here to help and not hold her hostage, although I don't know how far I'd let her walk if she tried to take off.
My heart pounds when she doesn't respond from the other side, and I don't waste a second pushing open the door, praying she isn't stupid, thinking she could survive in the harsh winter raging outside.
She looks up at me from the same spot I left her earlier, sitting on the bed.
"I'm not going to be much help," she whispers, pointing to the half-empty page of the notebook. "It's a really shitty time to realize I don't pay much attention to my surroundings in life."
"Most people don't," I offer as I step inside and close the door behind me. "No one really thinks they'll be put in a situation where they'll need to know details that may save their lives."
"Is that what this is? If I can't help you and that other man, then I'm useless."
"I didn't mean it that way," I mutter, pinching the bridge of my nose.
"You used to do that when you'd get frustrated," she whispers, making me drop my hand from my face.
"We aren't taking a trip down memory lane, Aspen."
Sadness fills her red-rimmed eyes, but she dips her head in understanding. I'm navigating the most difficult path I've ever faced. Long ago, I accepted that we weren't meant to be a part of each other's worlds. We were too different. The only thing she hated about the life her father raised her in was that she was controlled too tightly. She didn't have a problem with the effects the business had on society. I don't think it ate away at her the way it did me every day I had to wake up and pretend to be a part of it, to turn away from the things I'd seen because the damage wasn't enough to bring a case against Reese.
At the end of all this, I don't just get to walk away. I'll have Eli to consider and there isn't one fucking scenario that has run through my head that includes him not being part of the equation. We will get him back. I just have to figure out what my life going forward looks like.
I could never walk away from my son, but I also have to take into account that my job is incredibly dangerous. Just like there are people out there who would want to use Eli as a pawn for Gaines's business, the same people would want to hurt him because of my connection to him. I fucking hate the realization that I'm just as bad for Eli as Damien is. It's the bitterest pill on my tongue. I think the only thing that makes a huge difference here is that where Damien seems to be using the boy as a pawn to get his way, I'd lay down my life to keep him safe.
I consider being a father, and how, although I've been a huge advocate for children my entire life, I've never felt as close or invested in one as I do for Eli, and I haven't even met him yet.
I hate the time we've missed. I hate that he has called another man Dad. That's if Damien even allowed it.
I drop down into the chair a few feet from the bed and stare at her. I have a billion questions, but I know asking them right now would only anger me more, so I stick with something a little safer than wondering what my son's life has been like.
"How well do you know Samuel?"
She shrugs. "I don't, really. He's been taking me to the salon for a few months, but that's it. The drivers don't speak to me. I don't speak to them."
"Do you trust him?"
"Can you trust anyone linked to Damien?" she asks, and I wonder if it's a warning about herself and not just the others he employs.
"Do you think he's lying about his daughter?"
"I hope he is," she whispers. "Could my father possibly have been that horrible?"
"He was, Aspen. He was a horrible man. Him being your dad doesn't change who he was in his business dealings."
She gives me a sad smile as her eyes drop back down to the notebook sitting beside her on the bed.
"I wish things were different."
"I do too, Peach. I do too."
Chapter 16
Aspen
The sun has set, and even though he's mere feet from me, he seems content to sit in silence and stare out the window.