Total pages in book: 138
Estimated words: 133688 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 668(@200wpm)___ 535(@250wpm)___ 446(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 133688 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 668(@200wpm)___ 535(@250wpm)___ 446(@300wpm)
“There are cameras,” Eric says, pointing up at them. “We might have some hard evidence if there’s foul play.”
“Fuck,” I whisper-hiss, calling Katie again.
“She might be back at the gym. We should look around one last time to make sure,” Eric suggests, and I agree but also don’t want to waste any time.
As soon as we return, I spot Gemma and Everleigh eating snow cones. I rush over to them. “Have you seen Katie?”
They both shake their heads. “Is everything okay?” Gemma asks, concern filling her tone. She makes eye contact with Eric, and though he doesn’t say anything, Gemma knows what it means. I watch as she drops her cup and bright red ice splashes across the concrete.
“I don’t know,” I tell her truthfully. “I—”
Before I can get any other words out, my phone rings, and rage fills me when I see Brittany’s name on the screen.
I walk away from all the noise with Eric hot on my trail and answer.
“Noah,” she purrs. “How are you?”
“Cut the shit,” I snap.
“Ah. Okay. Playing hardball. Got it. Well, as you’ve probably figured out, I have your girlfriend.”
I put her on speakerphone so Eric can hear what she’s saying. My hand trembles with fury, but I try to keep control before I say something that could get Katie hurt.
“If you touch her—”
“We’re not playing macho man today, Noah. You’re not in control here; I am. Now you’re gonna listen to me very carefully and follow every fucking one of my directions, or I’ll kill her. And trust me when I say it would satisfy me beyond belief to end this cunt’s life.”
My heart races.
“So if you want your precious girlfriend back, I need you to meet me alone at the storage units outside of town,” she says. “You know which ones.”
Eric immediately starts walking and waves me to follow him.
“Why are you doing this?” I ask, trying to stall her for just a little longer.
She’s so quiet I think the call dropped. “Because I want you to suffer for murdering the love of my life. This is only fair, Noah. There are consequences to every action, and this is yours. You took away the only man I loved, so I’ll take away the only woman you’ve ever loved. At first, I wondered how I’d be able to pull this off. Honestly, you made it too easy.”
It’s obvious she’s using Katie as bait. She’s not her main target. I am. I’ve always been. “So if I show up, you’ll let her live?”
“I’ll tell Nicolas to let her live,” she says.
“Who the fuck is that?” I ask.
She laughs. “Don’t worry about it.”
“How can I even trust you?” I seethe.
“Oh, I’d much rather see you bleed out than her. You have thirty minutes. If you arrive a minute late, she’ll have a bullet in her head. And I won’t stop until you do too.”
The call ends, and all of our conspiracies about Brittany make perfect sense.
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
KATIE
I don’t know why those smoothies would affect me like that, but I’m assuming it’s all the fiber. The last thing I want to do is leave because I’m not feeling well, so the best solution is to grab the Pepto pills I have in my glove box for these types of emergencies.
A smile fills my face as I leave the celebration and walk toward my car. It’s only a few blocks away, and I can still hear the band playing in the distance. As I get closer, I unlock my phone and scroll through the few pictures I have of Owen, Noah, and me together. Earlier, when he said it was our first family photo, I nearly cried. My emotions bubbled over, and I lost my words. It’s been only Owen and me for so long that when he said that, it felt right. We are a family, and I love him with all my heart.
When I turn the corner, I see my car, and as I move closer, I notice all four of my tires are slashed.
“What the actual fuck?” I say out loud just as I’m getting ready to call Noah. Before I can, I’m grabbed, and my arms are secured behind my back. I struggle, trying to break free, but the man holding me is too strong. A few seconds later, I’m peering into dark brown eyes.
Brittany.
“Let me go!” I scream. All I want to do right now is claw out her eyes.
A maniacal laugh escapes her dark red lips. “No.”
Taking another step forward, she grabs my cheeks and squeezes hard, digging her nails into my skin. “I never understood what he saw in you.”
I glare at her, wishing she’d drop dead.
“Gabe never had the best taste in women,” I throw back.
Her fist connects with my stomach so fast that she knocks the wind out of me. My pain only causes her to laugh. As I suck in air, she tells the guy who’s holding me to bring me to her Suburban.