Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 91042 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 455(@200wpm)___ 364(@250wpm)___ 303(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91042 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 455(@200wpm)___ 364(@250wpm)___ 303(@300wpm)
The tip of her pink tongue came out and swiped at her bottom lip. The concern was still marring her expression, and I really wished to hell she’d stop. I liked seeing her smile. Although it felt like it’d been a million years ago when I walked up to her in Hobby Lobby. The first and last time I’d seen her smile.
My eyes dropped to my phone. Seventy-two hours ago since I’d brought her here. Which meant it had been seventy-nine hours since I’d experienced that smile. Yeah, probably shouldn’t be thinking about the length of time since she’d smiled last.
“Chocolate.” She said the one word, and I wasn’t sure if it was a question or request.
I started to stand to go get it for her.
“I can get it,” she told me, shooting up out of her seat. “I was just repeating you because chocolate sounded almost as good as the shower and bed had.”
Not going to allow that to get to me.
“Do you want a drink? I have some red wines here. A port that would pair well with chocolate.”
She shook her head. “No. I don’t really drink often. I mean, I’m not against it. I just don’t really enjoy it that much, probably because of my mom.”
That was understandable.
I gave her a nod, and she turned, taking her bowl with her back to the kitchen. I, however, needed another two shots of whiskey, so I went to fill my glass. Since I had her up here, I intended to get her talking. To learn about her childhood, past, family—anything could help me. If I could get things from her without her even realizing it, that might be easier.
I walked over to stand in front of the windows that overlooked the east side of the house. The full moon lit up the darkness. Tonight was already more relaxing. Not having to sit up here and pace over the fact that an innocent female was being kept like an animal in the basement was one reason. The other was having a solid lead as to where Perry Gerard had fled. I wanted to go to fucking Morocco and find him myself, but until he was found, I was the jailer.
The bitterness that I was the one stuck here with her had changed in the past seventy-two hours though. Now, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to leave her with anyone else.
She’d protected Perry her entire life, but who the fuck had protected her? She’d started dating Alec as an adult—that was almost three years ago, so she’d been twenty by then.
“This is delicious,” her voice said, drawing me out of my thoughts.
I swung my gaze from the moonlit night to see her standing there in my Carver’s Bootleg Whiskey T-shirt that hit halfway down her thighs and a pair of black leggings that I’d found in a guest bedroom, along with the panties. There were tops, too, but they weren’t baggy, and the bras I’d found were too small to contain her tits. I’d decided one of my shirts would be big enough not to cling to her.
“Let’s go to the living room. It’s more comfortable,” I told her.
She seemed hesitant, but she nodded and then fell into step behind me. I wished she’d drink a little and loosen up. The more relaxed she was, the more she’d tell me. As it was, I had to use my charm to get information from her, and I wasn’t known for that. I might not be an asshole like Bane, but I didn’t talk much. Preferred the silence.
When I entered the most comfortable room out of the many like this one, I took the chair and motioned for Winslet to take a seat on the sofa. It was more plush and less fancy than the period pieces in this house. Her brown almond-shaped eyes studied me cautiously before dropping to her plate. She rested it in her lap after curling her legs up onto the sofa and tucking them in beside her.
“How old were you when your mom died?” I asked, not even leading into it.
This wouldn’t help me with finding her brother, but I was curious. I shouldn’t be. Our conversation should be all about Perry, but I wanted to know more about her.
She seemed surprised by that question. “I was fourteen,” she replied.
Damn. I hadn’t expected her to be that young.
“Were you sent to live with family?” Although I knew she had no other family.
She shook her head. “We didn’t have anyone. But we were lucky. Marley Luneze had been our elementary school counselor. Neither Perry nor I were in elementary school anymore, but she kept tabs on us. She’d always tried to talk to me and get me to tell her that our mother was abusive. I knew better than that. I could take the hits for Perry, but I couldn’t keep him with me if we were put into the system. Anyway, she had connections and was able to take us both in instead of us going to a foster home or other home where we would be split up. Mom falling down those stairs was the best thing that happened to us.” She paused, and a small frown creased her forehead. “That sounds terrible.”