Total pages in book: 71
Estimated words: 65862 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 329(@200wpm)___ 263(@250wpm)___ 220(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 65862 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 329(@200wpm)___ 263(@250wpm)___ 220(@300wpm)
I can hear my heart pound in my ears as the world comes crashing down around me, making me feel like I can’t breathe.
“Oh god, where is she?” I hear Lily say behind me with a sob in her throat. Her tracker.
My phone rings and I look around the room for it. It’s on my desk, and I lunge for it, grabbing it up.
“Fritz,” I growl as I answer it, knowing my brother is behind this.
“No, it’s Roxy.” Blair’s old roommate sounds like it’s straining him to talk. “Look, you told me to call you if anything happened. That guy Fritz tried to fucking kill me, man. If my friend hadn’t come home to find me, I might have died.”
“I don’t have time for this,” I growl, knowing I need to get to Blair. She is my only concern right now.
“I know. That’s why I’m calling. I’ve been watching that art place like you told me to. He just went back and I think she was in the car with him.”
I grab my keys off the desk and run out the front door. I feel John hot on my heels as I jump in. I don’t wait for him to shut the door before I hit the gas.
“How long ago was it?” I say into the phone, praying I’m not too late.
“Not long, but I think you better hurry.” His voice is so hoarse, but I understand what he’s trying to say.
“Goddammit, Fritz,” I snarl, hitting the steering wheel with my fist and willing the car to go faster. I know if I lose Blair I’ll never survive it.
Chapter 25
Blair
“But you don’t have a brother,” I say, even though the words sound silly coming out of my mouth. It’s not like Fritz was ever honest with me, so why should I believe that he was an only child? But now when I think back on it, he never actually said it. Whenever his family came up he changed the subject. I thought maybe he didn’t want me to meet them yet, so he didn’t want to bring them up, thinking maybe I wasn’t good enough yet.
He laughs again, enjoying the pain he sees on my face. “He’s my half-brother. And you’re just as useless to him as you were to me. You’re expendable, Blair. No one wants you.”
His words land a direct hit, and I can feel them as if they were a physical blow knocking the air out of me.
But then my mind flashes to lying in bed with Ryker and the way he looked at me in the morning light. I think about every touch and how he made me feel. I think about what I feel for him and how what I had with Fritz never compared at all. I didn’t know what my heart was capable of feeling until I met Ryker. If he’s involved in this, it can’t be to hurt me. Even if it started out that way. If Ryker is involved like Fritz says he is, it was to protect me. I know that with every fiber of my being. That man loves me. He might not have said the words yet, but I know he does. He truly loves me like no one else has ever done before and I won’t doubt him ever again. Whatever this is, I stand with him. Trust him.
I made terrible decisions in my life, and one of them was trusting Fritz. I won’t make that same mistake again and let his hateful words break me. Ryker loves me, and I love him. That isn’t just a feeling, that’s what’s written on my soul. I won’t allow him to destroy something beautiful I shared with Ryker because his world is crumbling.
The light catches Fritz’s gun as he moves back and forth, reminding me that right now he’s a loose cannon. I glance over at Lilith, who is still frozen in place. I need to keep him talking. If he’s talking he’s not killing anyone, and I need to buy some time. I know that Ryker will come for me. He’s saved me before and he’ll do it again. I just have to give him time to get here. If there is one thing I know, Fritz likes to talk about himself.
“Ryker’s last name is Hunt,” I say, trying to think of something to say. “I met his parents.”
“He’s not a Hamilton,” Fritz replies, but he’s talking to himself. “He was a bastard. My dad met my mom and he felt sorry for her. That’s why he married her. She was poor and alone.” The disgust is clear in his voice. How could someone talk about their mama like that? Mine wasn’t the best and I wouldn’t ever speak about her in that way.
He glances over at me, and I think of Kathleen and how she told me she came from a place just like I did, that we were more alike than I realized.