Total pages in book: 65
Estimated words: 63786 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 319(@200wpm)___ 255(@250wpm)___ 213(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 63786 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 319(@200wpm)___ 255(@250wpm)___ 213(@300wpm)
I like this guy.
He knows who we are, and he’s still got the balls to stand up to me. I admire his need to protect her. Even if it is futile. Because stopping me from taking Brooke home with me will be like trying to stop a volcanic eruption. Impossible. I have layers and layers of destruction boiling inside me, ready to blow, and the anger ready to detonate it. But I respect his willingness to try. He cares about her. Not because he wants to fuck her but because he genuinely loves her, and I appreciate that.
I give Feliks a knowing look, and he understands immediately. I want time alone with Brooke.
He turns to Henry. “Perhaps you and I should step outside and let these two talk.”
Henry shoots Brooke a look. What should I do here?
“That’s very good advice you should listen to,” I say to him.
Brooke nods, and Henry lets Feliks guide him toward the door.
“You smoke?” Feliks asks.
“Only after sex,” Henry replies absentmindedly as he watches Brooke and me with a concerned look on his face.
Feliks smirks and gives him a wink. “Let’s have a cigarette first and then see how we go, shall we?”
Once they’re gone and it’s just me and my little runaway, I gesture for her to sit.
Which she refuses, of course.
“I’m fine right here.”
I send her a warning look. “Sit down.”
She gives me a filthy look but sits on the edge of the bed anyway. “If it means we can get this over and done with quickly.”
“Oh, that’s not going to happen.”
I admit it’s hard to look at her because I’m barely containing the anger inside.
She fucking left me.
And since she scurried away like a frightened little mouse from me, I’ve had a million arguments with her in my head about it, and she hasn’t won a single one of them.
Now that I’m here looking at her for the first time since I found out she sold me out to the feds, I’m surprised by the pain twisting in my gut.
“You and I have a few things to discuss,” I say.
“Fine, but let’s get this over with. Say what you’re going to say.”
She looks tired, and the part of me that wants to look after her tells me I should go easy on her. Forget that she just ran without talking to me. Forget that she put not just herself in danger but our baby as well. Forget that I’m dying to take her in my arms and hold her because I’m fucking relieved we found her before any of my enemies did.
But the other part of me that felt the pain of her leaving me is bigger and angrier, and right now, he’s in control, and he’s determined to make sure she knows it.
“I know what you did,” I say.
Which puts her off guard because her brow pulls in with confusion. “Yeah, it’s kind of obvious that you know I ran away from you when you’re standing in front of me in my motel room.”
My little runaway has developed an attitude, and I don’t know what I want to do first. Punish her or kiss her.
“I’m talking about your breakfast date with Agent Michaels.”
Her back straightens, and I can see the surprise written all over her face.
“You know about that?”
“I know about every time you spoke with him.”
“Every time? What are you talking about?”
I bring up the images on my phone and hold it out so she can see the screen. “At the hospital.” I flick my finger across the screen to bring up the different photos, stopping at the one where he has his arm around her. Fuck, that one still fucking hurts to look at. “That’s my favorite. You two look quite cozy.”
She sits up straighter and hits me with big, beautiful, angry eyes. “What the hell are you suggesting?”
“I’m not suggesting anything. I’m just laying out the facts in front of you and asking you to explain them.” I stop on the next image of them at the diner yesterday. “Tell me, did you sell your soul to the FBI for the price of a cup of coffee?”
I see the moment when her anger turns from a slow burn into a simmering rage. Her nostrils flare, only slightly, but enough for me to know that I’ve hit some kind of button.
“You think I am involved with Agent Michaels somehow?”
“You can’t deny you look… chummy. Did he offer you protection? Did he tell you to sneak into the back of Joe’s truck so he could get you away from me?”
“No, I did that all on my own, and don’t you dare take any of this out on Joe. He had no idea I was in the back of his truck, and he had no cause to, so don’t you do anything to him.”