Total pages in book: 168
Estimated words: 160578 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 803(@200wpm)___ 642(@250wpm)___ 535(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 160578 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 803(@200wpm)___ 642(@250wpm)___ 535(@300wpm)
I still haven’t moved, fixating on the dimple in his cheek.
“I didn’t call him the Devil.” Vaden’s right at my back now. He blows out a cloud of smoke. “Because he’s Priest Hayes, and trust me when I say…”
My lip twitches. “I’m much worse.”
Moses, even in this light and with his tanned skin, pales. Fucking pales.
“Anyway.” He shrugs. “Give me a year. Maybe two. Every Friday, you can see her to make sure she’s alive. She will be. And well. But you only get her for three hours a week, and it can’t be alone.”
“I don’t want her like that. I hate her.” The words ring true, even if my throat dries in an attempt to force them back down.
Moses glares at me. “Yeah…okay.” Why does he want her so bad? My will to continue hanging the bait out in hopes he’ll bite stops when the sound of footsteps rustles through fallen leaves.
We all turn over my shoulder.
He drags his tongue over the trunk of his cigar, looking up at Moses beneath heavy eyes. “Leave, Moses.”
He lights the end and puffs to ignite it. “While you still have teeth.”
I’ve never seen Moses retreat as quickly as he does, his footsteps disappearing through the night.
“Who are you?” I ask, noticing the scar across his neck at someone’s failed assassination attempt. When the collar of his shirt shifts down, showcasing the vine of black roses, I know. “Archer Thorn. Heard a lot about you.”
Smoke leaves his mouth. “We don’t have to do this since we’re going to be seeing so much more of each other in the future.” Not sure what the fuck he means by that, but okay. “Give the girl to me.”
“Not happening.”
“Priest,” Dad cuts in behind me, and I turn to see both him and my mom.
She nods, and I swing back to Archer. “You trust him?”
Dad’s arm brushes mine. “Yes. One day, you’ll know why, and it’ll be your turn to do the very same, and he you.” He turns to me. “I don’t agree with this, but if it’s what you want to do, we’ll try it.”
I find Archer again. “Will you hurt her?”
“Why do you care?”
“Will you hurt her?”
He holds my stare. “No. She will be safe in Thornhill. I will train her, frighten her, do whatever it is that you would like me to do. But what is the purpose of this?”
I am not sure anymore.
“A game. Where she’s the prey, and every time she’s caught—” My fingers find the silk in my pocket. “You tie this around her neck.”
“That’s all?”
“Do you have triggers?” I ask, purposely looking to his throat.
His lips curve. “No. I ran out of bullets killing them all.”
I laugh, but my lips don’t move. “She does.”
Present
With the Gentlemen brewing, collecting what they need for the war I have no doubt they’re going to try to hit us with, I can’t think of a better time.
“What happened to Danny Dale?” Archer asks, looking to his right-hand man, Belial.
“She killed him.”
Belial laughs, the tattoo on his face warping around his wide smile. He’d be pretty without all those tattoos.
Archer doesn’t find it half as funny. “And Jeremiah?” The mention of Danny’s best friend has me pausing.
“And him.”
Belial’s laughter gets louder. Fucking hyena.
Archer’s eyes glisten as if the words excite him. He steps closer, standing around my height and size, we could pass as brothers. “And Moses?”
I bare my teeth. “You already know what I’m going to say.”
“Darling killed them all?” Archer asks, his face pulling into one of confusion.
“No,” I answer, eyes narrowing on Belial as something or someone catches his attention behind me. “She only took out Moses, and it was a murder of convenience since I’m pretty sure he and his boys were there to kill me after finding out Luna took out his dad and his best friend.”
The silence that separates us is loud. I can hear the breathing down my back from River and the rest of them, as if they were listening too carefully.
Archer doesn’t smile when he whispers his next words. “Which one did you say wasn’t crazy enough for you?”
It hits me instantly. His implication of me having the perfect girl for me being right there all along, yet I threw her away anyway. Now I’ll never have her back. To think we’ve only had one meeting so far with The Echelon, our history only twines our forged bond deeper. “Have you seen the Veiled one yet?”
“What?” The switch-up throws me off. “No. Why?”
“No reason.”
“Sure.” I hold his eyes before turning to everyone. “You’re probably wondering why it took me so long to let you girls play, and it’s simple. I didn’t want you complaining about shit. The Hunt was started for a reason, the night of Mom’s gala.”
“When you tried to sell Luna?”
I turn to Stella. “When I did sell Luna.”