Total pages in book: 196
Estimated words: 180438 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 902(@200wpm)___ 722(@250wpm)___ 601(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 180438 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 902(@200wpm)___ 722(@250wpm)___ 601(@300wpm)
“I still can’t believe that scoop.”
“I know, you’ve been saying it for the last week or so.”
“I know, but this is like some once-in-a-lifetime thing. This only happens in the movies. We went from unknown to being at the forefront of this story. Our numbers have gone up and keep going up. Is this for real?”
“Yes, I’m looking at it now; we got another hundred thousand followers today and climbing.”
“I can’t believe this is happening, and we have no idea who our benefactor is.”
“Uh, I have to get going; the sitter has plans this evening. You won’t be too late…. Who are you?”
I’d opened the door and stepped into the room where the husband-and-wife team sat behind a his and hers desk covered in a detritus of papers, fast food wrappers, and empty cups. “I think I’m here to answer a few of your questions. First, this is for you.” I passed the money bag to the man, who looked to be in his late twenties at most.
“For me? From where? Who are you?”
“It’s from your benefactors. The ones who fed you the story and sent your wife to the hospital where Janie Andrews was being held.” I saw the fear leave their eyes to be replaced with that hunger all reporter types have. I held up my hand when the questions started coming hard and fast.
“Why don’t you open that?” I gestured toward the money bag I’d just given him. He opened it, and his mouth fell open wide with surprise as he turned back to me.
“What is this?”
“What is it, Brad?” His wife asked. He held it out to her in a daze.
“It’s enough money to cover your kid’s operation; at least, that’s what I was told.”
“But how… are you our benefactor?”
“No, I’m not. I was just asked to drop this off for you.”
“But, I don’t understand. Is it someone we know? We didn’t tell anyone other than family; how is this even possible?”
“If they want you to know more about them, they’ll get in touch but don’t hold your breath. I hope everything goes well for your kid. I gotta run.” I left the two of them celebrating amidst tears of disbelief. I, too, would like to know how the girls had found them.
All I know is that he’s some low-level skell trying to break out as a reporter of some sort. Apparently, he’s not doing too well because of his penchant for being honest. As to how the girls even found him. Who knows.
I kept my head down as I left the building and kept to the shadows out of habit. I can’t forget that I had a fresh kill in L.A. and should’ve been long gone. “Mouth, what the fuck!”
“Ho… Dammit, Mob Boy, what the hell are you doing here? How did you find me?”
Before I could blink, he was up on me, pinning me to the wall behind my back. The kiss was hot and heated, so he couldn’t be too mad. “You plan on fucking me against this wall in a dirty alley?”
“Shut up, just shut the hell up.” Uh oh, too late I realized that he’d been scared. He always reacts this way when he thinks he’d been close to losing me. “Okay, shh, shh, calm down. I’m okay; I’m right here.” I only then felt the trembling in his arms and the racing of his heart against me. After all these years, he still gets so easily freaked out where my safety is concerned.
“It’s okay. I just came to drop off some money for someone who needed it.” He wasn’t in L.A. the last few days, so maybe he doesn’t know as yet that I’d pinned that child trafficking bitch to her door with one of my specialty arrows through her head.
“Really, Arianna, really?” Uh-oh, he’s calling me by my government name, time to save my ass.
Chapter 91
*Elena*
“What are you thinking about?” I was sprawled across Ryder’s sweaty chest, trailing my fingertip around his nipple lazily as we both tried to catch our breath. As expected, the one thing I needed to turn my very shitty day into sunshine was him, always him.
He’d taken me down as soon as we walked through the door, and just like magic, I forgot about everything else for those moments spent in his arms. It’s amazing how I’d spent the last five years convincing myself that I could live without him, without this, only to realize in the last few days that I had been merely existing, just going through the motions of showing myself and everyone else around me that I was fine. Now, I know that I was anything but.
I lifted my head to look at him when he didn’t answer and realized that the panic was gone. In the past, his silence would’ve made me nervous, and I would’ve found ways to fill the void, always terrified of the silences that seemed to stretch between us at the worst of times.