Total pages in book: 168
Estimated words: 153571 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 768(@200wpm)___ 614(@250wpm)___ 512(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 153571 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 768(@200wpm)___ 614(@250wpm)___ 512(@300wpm)
The wind blows hard, howling through me. I wrap my arms around myself, trying to protect myself from the way it rips through me. A cold raindrop lands on my arm as Tahani climbs hesitantly from the SUV to stand beside me. Her ponytail whips back and forth with the wind, flinging hair into her face.
"Not you," Julia snaps at Officer Carter when he slides across the backseat behind Tahani.
Carter's eyes narrow, a murderous scowl on his face.
"You're staying here," Guerrero informs him, stepping up behind me and Tahani. He hovers over us, standing a good six inches taller than me. The gun tucked into his waistband is blatantly obvious to anyone standing close enough to look.
Carter growls wordlessly, his muscles bunching as if he's about to physically launch himself out of the vehicle.
"Daddy said he's supposed to stay with us," Tahani says abruptly, turning to Guerrero. She tilts her head back to look up at him, her expression impassive, like she's just reciting what Roman told her. "He won't like it if Officer Carter is forced to stay behind."
"Daddy doesn't make the rules," Julio mutters, earning a frown from Guerrero.
He scrutinizes Tahani's expression for a brief moment and then sighs. "Very well," he says. "Julio and Officer Carter will accompany us."
A shadow flits through Tahani's eyes before she schools her expression and nods.
Carter climbs from the car, hovering protectively over the two of us. Guerrero eyes him for a moment, malevolence in his eyes, and then he says something to Julio in Spanish. Julio slams the car door and then points the gun at Carter.
I flinch, barely containing a cry of alarm.
"Move," Julio mutters.
Carter glowers at him like he wants to rip the gun from his hands and shove it down his throat, but he puts his hands up in the semblance of a non-threatening gesture and takes a step and then another. I think he tries to position himself directly behind me and Tahani to offer us a little more protection, but Julio growls at him, forcing him to move away from us.
"Come on," Guerrero says, ushering me and Tahani forward.
We follow behind Carter slowly. Tahani reaches out and slips her hand into mine, squeezing my fingers. I squeeze hers, too, clinging to her. Thunder rumbles in the distance, and lightning crackles above the ocean in electric spider webs.
No one says anything as we walk down to the beach, Julio's gun trained on Carter, and Guerrero following right behind me and Tahani. I don't even attempt to turn around to see if he has his gun pointed at us, too. If he does, I don't think I want to know. Instead, I scour the beach below for Roman.
Raindrops fall faster, splashing against my skin in cold plops as we walk down the steep wooden steps. The beach below is dirty, with trash littering the sand. Aside from a guy on a surfboard out in the water and a couple walking toward the pier, there's no one around. The wind whips the water into choppy waves that crash against the beach in a pounding rhythm.
As soon as we hit the bottom of the stairs, my feet sink into the warm sand, sending the fine grains into my shoes. I keep plodding forward, scanning the beach for Roman.
My breath catches in my throat, and tears well in my eyes when I finally spot him standing near an outcropping of rocks on the far side of the beach, his back to the water. Dressed in a black t-shirt and jeans with his feet planted apart and a thunderous scowl on his face, he looks even more dangerous than Guerrero and so handsome he takes my breath away.
His eyes run over Tahani and then over me, softening incrementally when they do. Even from a distance, I feel the heat in his gaze as he scrutinizes us, meticulously checking us over to make sure we're both okay. My stomach flips when his hazel eyes meet mine, scorching hot. He looks like an avenging angel, ready to commit murder.
"What the fuck?" Julio mutters when they notice that Roman's alone.
Guerrero makes a sound from behind us.
Roman's gaze moves to Julio and then to Guerrero, his eyes narrowing. The softness leeches out, leaving nothing but implacable fury in its place. His jaw tightens, his hands clenching into fists. But he doesn't move toward us. He stays where he's at, forcing Guerrero to bring us to him.
Julio stops a few feet away from him, shoving his gun into Carter's side, forcing him to stop, too.
Tahani's hand tightens on mine, dragging me to a stop beside Carter.
"Mila, baby, are you okay?" Roman asks. He keeps his gaze trained on Guerrero and Julio, not even looking at me or Tahani again. His entire body is rigid, his muscles locked tight.