Total pages in book: 75
Estimated words: 70185 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 351(@200wpm)___ 281(@250wpm)___ 234(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 70185 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 351(@200wpm)___ 281(@250wpm)___ 234(@300wpm)
My husband wasn’t answering his personal phone, so I looked up the number for the company and called that instead. “Marcus Devereaux please.”
“Which one, Ma’am?”
‘Excuse me? There’s only one.” My father-in-law hasn’t been to the office in years. What is this bitch playing at?
“Did you want Devereaux the third or the fourth?”
“The…. What?” The fourth? What is she talking about?
“The third.”
“I’m sorry, but he no longer works here.”
“What the hell are you talking about? He owns the company.”
“Oh, you’re looking for the owner. May I ask who’s calling, please?” I took a deep breath to keep my composure, but I was going to have this idiot’s job at all costs.
“This is Mrs. Karen Dev…. Hello?” Did she just hang up in my ear?
MARCUS
“I see, thank you.” I stood at the window in my office, looking down. I stand here every evening around this time, watching her leave while I stay back at the office. But this was the first time I’d seen him approach her. It took everything in me not to run down there and get him away from her.
Her driver had just called to fill me in on what was said. No, he’s not there to spy on her; it’s his job to protect her, which is his primary occupation before anything else. I only got more annoyed when I saw Melanie move from behind the pillar where she’d stood hidden while he accosted Justine.
My next call was to my personal pilot with instructions to be ready to leave in a couple of hours. Monique and Carl were next, and Justine, who was arguably the one I should’ve called first and asked if she even wanted to go, was the last person I called.
“Babe, have you and the girls dressed and ready in an hour and a half.”
“Where are we going?”
“You’ll see. Be ready.” I know a power play when I see one. A weak one, since her ex is a weak bitch, but it’s his play all the same.
I’d be damned if my woman was sitting around all weekend waiting for his bitch ass while he leaves her hanging just for kicks. There’s just one problem I’m having with all this and it’s my lack of patience.
I once studied the hunting practices of tigers in Bengal; those fuckers would put you to sleep with their seeming disinterest in their prey. Sometimes, it doesn’t even seem as if they’re aware of the prey in their vicinity until they strike, that is. Quick, fast, brutal, and all a blur when least expected.
I’ve trained myself to be like that, to leave my enemies in the wind, living their lives as if nothing has happened, and they never see me coming because I never show my hand. I’ve been doing things that way for the better part of ten years, but for the first time since then, I find my patience lacking.
I just don’t want him near her. I don’t want him to have a reason to talk to her, no excuses. I may not have any control over that for now, not the way I’d like. And I’m certainly not going to be one of those men who stands in the way of another man seeing his own kids out of jealousy, but I’m going to make damn sure that he’s worthy of the experience no matter what any judge says.
With that said, this asshole has no control over my woman, and the sooner he learns that, the better. Since she’s the primary caregiver to their kids, that extends to them for now until a judge sorts that shit out. Besides, I know for a fact that he hadn’t seen his kids all weekend after dropping them off at his mother’s place.
His mother, huh, this list of targets keeps growing. Like, I don’t have anything better to do than take out assholes.
“Where are we going?”
“You’ll see once we get there.” I laid my head back on the headrest and closed my eyes with a smile. Justine is worse than the kids. Once they’d boarded and climbed all over Carl and I looking for the candy that Monique had lied and told them we were hiding, they had settled down. But their mother hadn’t.
Once the kids were settled in their seats for takeoff, she’d started pestering me about where we were going and why I didn’t tell her we were getting on a plane until the last minute. “I knew your kids had passports, so there was no problem, was there?”
“Yes, but…. How did you know the girls have passports?”
“Your Dad told me last weekend.”
“You spoke to my Dad about this?”
“Not this trip in particular, no, but I like to travel, so my family is going to be doing a lot of it.”
“Your family?”
“Baby, you’re doing it again.”
“Doing what?”
“Repeating everything, I say. Now, sit back and relax. The flight is going to be about five hours.”