Total pages in book: 104
Estimated words: 104127 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 521(@200wpm)___ 417(@250wpm)___ 347(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 104127 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 521(@200wpm)___ 417(@250wpm)___ 347(@300wpm)
His assessing gaze tracks my movement. “You need to calm down,” he adds. “Only after you’ve settled will I open this door.”
I don’t answer him. What’s there to say? Plus, with the way my jaw trembles, I don’t even know if I could get words out if I wanted.
“Nod, if you understand,” he commands.
I give him what he wants.
The faster he’s out of my vicinity, the faster I can calm down and come up with a plan.
There’s no way I’m staying here. Someone might be coming for me, but I’m no safer inside these walls. I could be sold off for all I know. Everything this man has said could be a lie.
“Take a shower; you smell like shit. You’ll find clothes in the closet,” he says before slamming the door shut and locking me in.
I crumple into a heap on the floor. I’m not scared. I’m not even sad. I’m fucking furious.
It’s just I can’t decide what I’m more furious about. Him stealing me from my home? Some unknown villain is supposedly after me for some equally unknown reason? Or the fact he said I smell…
The last one being entirely too ridiculous to consider.
Why the hell do I care what the man thinks of me?
I don’t.
Lying back on the carpet on a huff, I can’t help but inhale sharply, which only confirms Gideon’s words.
I do, in fact, stink.
Fuck my life.
6
GIDEON
This is a horrible idea.
Having Sasha under this roof is a fucking awful plan.
I’m pissed.
And as much as I want to say that I’m pissed because of the things she said to me, which I am, the real reason I’m livid is because I want her.
I fucking want her.
Her fire.
Her strength.
Her tenacity.
She’s a firefly. Lighting up the night sky with her bright fucking light, and I hate the fact that someone wants to snuff her out. Worse yet, I can’t figure out who’s after her and why.
Roman and all his secrets are why I’m in this mess. He’s the reason I’m going insane.
There’s also the matter of me always being turned on when she’s around. That pisses me off more than anything.
I haven’t gotten to where I am today by not having control. I pride myself on always being in control. Yet she unravels me in ways nobody has ever come close to.
Which doesn’t bode well for getting shit done. Now that she’ll be living in my house for the foreseeable future, I know my productivity will suffer.
My cell vibrates in my pocket. I fish it out, scanning the group chat from Hell.
Lorenzo
@Gideon, you avoiding me?
Trent
Lorenzo can’t come to the phone right now. He’s too busy being pussy whipped. Please leave a message after the beep.
Lorenzo
Have you looked in the mirror lately?
Trent
Yes, and it’s a wonder how I haven’t landed a modeling contract.
Lorenzo
And you obviously have a death wish.
Tobias
Children. Some of us are trying to enjoy our day.
Lorenzo
Come out of retirement, Tobias. Gideon is dropping the ball.
Gideon
I’ll call you in a few.
Lorenzo
Took long enough.
Gideon
Fuck off.
With a shake of my head, I place my phone back in my pocket and continue my trek to the basement.
I need eyes on Sasha. The desire to figure her out, to know what makes her tick, consumes me.
She’s so much stronger than Roman ever was.
That part makes her fascinating because not only is she beautiful and defiant, but she’s also so fucking strong. The notion makes me gravitate toward her.
I despise that I can’t get her out of my mind. I know that this will be a problem. The smart thing to do would be to put her in a safe house.
A safe house far away from me.
Instead, I find my way down to the basement. My shoes echo on the stone floor as I stride down the long hallway. This wing of the estate is only open to a select few. This is the area that hosts my security. There’s a biometric lock on the steel door in order to enter.
Where Sasha is concerned, I’m taking zero chances.
I step forward and allow the machine a retinal scan, and once it clears me, I head inside. My security is excessive, but after what happened to my predecessor, I know that no chances can be taken.
Which is why I brought in the big guns when I outfitted this place.
I enlisted Jaxson Price, a well-renowned billionaire and the head of one of the most sought-after security firms, to set up my system.
Jaxson doesn’t work on-site. He’s a hacker and prefers his own space for the jobs he does. For other clients, what he will do for the right price is personally set up a layer of security that no one can penetrate.
The door swings open, and I’m instantly met with the set of monitors that line the large wall in front of me. I have five men who work the screens; their only job is to monitor them.