Total pages in book: 266
Estimated words: 250787 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1254(@200wpm)___ 1003(@250wpm)___ 836(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 250787 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1254(@200wpm)___ 1003(@250wpm)___ 836(@300wpm)
I’m pretty sure she hangs up on him by the way he grinds his teeth when he puts his cell away. “How the fuck do you know LeAnne?” he demands, looking at me.
“Anne?” I ask, correcting her name. Haidyn and Tyson all turn to face me, and I feel like I’ve done something wrong all of a sudden. “She’s my mother’s best friend.” Haidyn’s hand tightens on mine again, and I whimper. I don’t even think he realizes he’s doing it, or he doesn’t care because he doesn’t let up like last time. “She met us for dinner weeks ago.” I ramble when they all just stare at me. Ever been the only woman in a room full of Lords staring at you like you’ve wronged them? It’s fucking terrifying.
“Weeks ago?” he barks, making me jump. “Why the fuck was she in town?”
“She’s looking for a house,” I rush out. “She and her husband are moving here…”
“Goddammit,” he shouts, cutting me off.
“Come on.” Tyson slides his jacket on before handing Haidyn the picture back that he shoves into his pocket with his free hand. “I’ll drive and drop you off. You can drive Blake home, and I’ll pick up Lake.” He’s already headed toward the door when Ryat walks toward us.
I want to step back, but the couch is there, and Haidyn still has a tight grip on my hand. Ryat comes to a stop before us, and I swallow nervously as he glares down at me. Surely, Haidyn won’t let him kill me, would he? He looks from me to Haidyn. “If you’re smart—”
“I know.” Haidyn finally speaks, interrupting him.
Ryat nods like they’re speaking a different language I don’t understand. Then he adds, “Sorry, I have to cut the meeting short.”
“No worries,” Haidyn says. “We’ll finish it another time.”
I sit in the passenger seat of my Cullinan as Haidyn drives us back to his house. It was raining earlier, so we chose my car. Of course, the fucker had to drive. Haidyn is the type of man who is always in charge.
My mind is on what just happened at Ryat and Blakely’s. “Do you know Anne?” I come out and ask, tired of the lingering silence. He didn’t even turn on the radio. I can tell he’s inside his own head right now, and it’s driving me crazy, wondering what he’s thinking.
“LeAnne,” he corrects me in a dead tone.
Why do they keep calling her that? My mother has never called her anything other than Anne. Even my father called her Anne. They were best friends before I was ever born. She’s in all my childhood memories. She’s practically family to us. I’m named after her, for Christ’s sake. “I grew up visiting her in Chicago. I think I know her name.”
“Well, everyone thinks you’re Charlotte, and we both know that’s a lie.”
I whip my head around and narrow my eyes on him while he continues to drive. I don’t like his attitude all of a sudden. It’s not my fault she showed up and ruined his meeting. “She called Blakely her daughter.” He says nothing, but it wasn’t a question; it was more like an observation. “You don’t believe that, do you?”
“It’s a long story,” he clips.
“Are you going to tell me?” I snap, getting irritated. Anne didn’t even acknowledge me there, but she made sure to point out that she knew who Ryat, Tyson, and Haidyn were. Why?
I huff at his silence and cross my arms over my chest, staring out the passenger window. Anne—LeAnne never mentioned having a kid. Her husband was killed a while back, and she was gifted to another Lord, forcing her to move to Texas. Maybe Blakely is his daughter, and LeAnne is having some kind of motherly crisis since she never had kids of her own.
I don’t know Blake personally, but I feel bad for her. Ryat seemed pissed at her. It’s not her fault. Then he went and picked her up…how did he know where she was?
I roll my eyes at myself. Of course he tracks her. All Lords track their property. I have one in my neck. Wonder what Haidyn would do if I cut it out? I just might try that.
He pulls into a gas station and brings the car to a stop. “Do you want anything from inside?” he asks, finally speaking to me.
Huffing, I cross my arms over my chest and turn my head away from him to look out the passenger window like a child. Fuck him! If he wants to ignore me, then I’ll ignore him. No matter how immature it makes me look.
He gets out of my SUV and slams the door shut. I drop my arms and lean my head back against the headrest, letting out a sigh. What the fuck is going on? Why were all three of them so on edge to see LeAnne there? And for her to be Blakely’s mom…? If that’s true, then why was Ryat so concerned? He called LeAnne her mother when he was on the phone with Blakely, and she seemed…off? Definitely not as shook up as Ryat was but still not excited about the fact that she had been at their house either.