Total pages in book: 110
Estimated words: 104239 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 521(@200wpm)___ 417(@250wpm)___ 347(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 104239 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 521(@200wpm)___ 417(@250wpm)___ 347(@300wpm)
Once he’s gone, the panic of what is going to happen finally sinks in. I place a hand against my chest, willing myself to calm down, and that’s when I feel it. The phone. I’d been alternating between hiding it under my pillow and in my bra for safekeeping.
I yank it out and almost drop it as my hands are trembling so badly. Pressing the side button, I wait for the phone to turn on. It takes forever, and I worry I won’t have enough time to make the call. “Hurry. Hurry,” I say to myself. Finally, the display screen appears, and I feel a sniggle of relief.
Lucas texted me from the number I’m supposed to call, so I navigate to the text messages, my eyes darting between the phone screen and the door over and over again. My stomach tightens with fear. He’s going to return at any minute, and the nightmare of that night is going to be relived all over again.
My fingers slide across the screen, but somehow, I manage to hit the green call button. I bring the phone to my ear, hoping and praying that he answers, but after a second, I don’t hear anything, not even the ringing of the line.
Pulling the phone away from my ear, I stare at the screen, watching as it says calling… No! Tears prick at my eyes. I’m on the verge of crying. At the top of the screen, I see the signal button. No signal. I have no fucking signal.
I squeeze the phone in one hand. I’m tempted to throw it but restrain myself. There’s nothing I can do. Nathaniel’s going to come back at any second, and then it’s going to be too late for Lucas to save me.
Defeat threatens to consume me, but this small voice in the back of my mind starts to repeat itself. The sentence grows louder and louder… until it’s the only thing I can hear. The only thing I can feel.
You don’t need anyone to save you. You can save yourself.
5
LUCAS
Not knowing where she is and if she is okay drives me insane. I can’t think straight; I can’t sleep, eat, or talk to anyone without screaming. After I yelled at Celia for offering me a drink, Nic made me go to one of the guest rooms to cool off like I’m a fucking teenager.
So now I’m pacing through this room instead of his office. Sitting still is out of the question.
I have no idea how going after her was ever a question. If someone would ask me to let her go now, I would probably rip his face off for making such a suggestion.
A part of me wonders if the only reason I’m so obsessed with getting her back now is that Brookshire is the one who took her. Do I only want her back because he has her? Is there really something between us, or is this my subconscious’s way of making up for letting Aspen down?
Where is Lauren when I fucking need her to make sense of this mess?
My burner phone rings, and for a second, I wonder if it’s Lauren. Did she hear me thinking about her? Glancing at the screen, I find it’s Xander calling. Not sure how he got this number but considering my current mental state, I think about not answering. Then I remember who we are talking about here. Xander is not someone who calls back later or leaves a message. He would find another way to get to me right now.
Swiping to unlock, I lift the phone to my ear. “Hello, Xander.”
“Lucas, I hear you left Corium in a hurry. Everything okay?”
“Yes, just grabbing Delilah. Then I’ll take her somewhere I can keep my eye on her and head back to Alaska.”
“I see. Wouldn’t it be easier to simply dispose of the issue?”
“No,” I growl, tightening the grip on my phone. I’m not surprised he wants me to kill Delilah, but I am surprised by how angry the thought makes me.
“No? Why not?”
“I…” Shit. What am I going to tell him? Fuck it, I’m going with the truth. “I want her.” It’s the most honest answer, one I hope he can live with.
“Lucas…” Xander sighs into the receiver. “I don’t like loose ends, and that girl is one. I took out her entire family, and Quinton kidnapped and held her prisoner for weeks. This girl can’t be trusted. She is a danger to my family, and I can’t let that go, no matter your infatuation with her.”
“That’s why I’m getting her from Brookshire and taking her somewhere far away.”
“How is that going to help? Who’s to say she won’t come back for revenge?”
“She won’t. You have my word.” The words come out of my mouth before I can even comprehend what they mean.