Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 77841 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 389(@200wpm)___ 311(@250wpm)___ 259(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77841 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 389(@200wpm)___ 311(@250wpm)___ 259(@300wpm)
He doesn't give me a second to argue before climbing out of the car. I sit and wait for a few minutes. The idea of driving away without him is almost as bad as the urgency in my bladder.
I argue with myself. I know doing what he says is probably what's best for me, but at the same time, I'm tired of being told what to do. I've lived my entire life working on someone else's schedule and I'll be damned if I'm going to pee myself while waiting for him to come back out.
I turn off the car, gripping the keys between my fingers in case I have to use them as a weapon, before walking up to the front door. I give the skull and flower emblem one last look before stepping inside. A man and a woman, both looking agitated, stand across the room from Liam.
“We're closed,” the man snaps, as I step forward.
“Jesus Christ,” the woman says.
I know she recognizes me instantly, and I look to Liam to gauge just how big of a mistake I just made.
“What the fuck is going on?” the man across the room growls. “Why is the missing senator's daughter in my fucking office right now?”
I stand a little taller at the irritation in his voice, trying to look unbothered at his tone. Liam had said this man had the ability to help us, so I take a chance. I hitch my thumb at Liam. “He's the one who kidnapped me.”
Chapter 31
Liam
“This is the fuckup you mentioned,” Angel snaps, pointing at Raya. “This is what you think I'm willing to help with?”
Lauren lowered the gun before Raya entered the building but that doesn't mean either of us are safe. The woman is looking at me as if I’m crazy and Angel is watching Raya in a way that makes my blood boil. If I didn't think that Lauren would drop me in a second for going after her man, I’d snap that pointing finger clean off his fucking body.
I step in front of Raya, not only to protect her from a possible stray bullet but to also get her out of Angel’s line of sight. The stubborn woman doesn't stay behind me, however.
Angel doesn't look impressed but Lauren looks amused. “You need to get out of here,” Angel says. The man is seething, pissed, no doubt wondering why he answered my email in the first place. This may be a mistake, me assuming he would lend a helping hand.
“I'm not interested in the type of trouble this shit brings,” he says as if there's any mistaking his stance on the situation.
I look down at Raya when her soft warm hand brushes my forearm, leaning down closer to her mouth so she can speak to me.
“I need the bathroom,” she whispers.
“It's right back here,” Lauren says, having heard Raya’s words.
Raya seems reluctant to follow the other woman out of the room, but from the look on his face, I know there's a real chance Angel could kill me in the next couple of minutes. It's not something I want her to witness. Leaving completely would prevent that from happening, but for the first time in my life, I have someone else to worry about.
I'm not the type of man to ask for help or even need help from someone else. It has taken choking down a lot of pride for me to step into this office with the hope that someone is willing to help. Walking away without even asking for it isn’t possible.
“It's fine,” I tell Raya, pressing my palm to her back to urge her forward. She nods, so sure I'll make the right decisions for her. I pray I don't fail her.
I've seen a lot of things in her eyes—hatred, fear, anger—but I know disappointment wouldn't be something I could handle.
Angel looks over his shoulder, his eyes following Lauren and Raya out of the room. When he turns back to face me, I know that we're safe to speak freely, but he doesn't immediately talk.
I don't know if it's the determination he sees in my eyes or what but the man reads me like a book, his head shaking at what he finds in my eyes. “This can't happen,” he says. “This will destroy her.”
I nod in agreement because I know he's absolutely right. This is going to destroy both of us.
“I need help to mitigate the situation,” I confess.
He huffs a humorless laugh as he runs both hands over the top of his head in frustration. “Her family will never let this happen. Has she just been hiding out with you?”
My first instinct is to lie to the man and tell him yes that she's been with me because she just doesn't want to come home. But for him to help me, he has to understand everything. I shake my head.