Total pages in book: 75
Estimated words: 71275 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 356(@200wpm)___ 285(@250wpm)___ 238(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 71275 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 356(@200wpm)___ 285(@250wpm)___ 238(@300wpm)
I had never hated anyone as much as I did this man. Well, except for Churchill Millroe. They were tied for first.
“Shit,” Storm muttered, his grip on my left arm tightening. “We need to get him out of here. He’s not going to shake this off anytime soon.”
“Go. We will deal with the rest.”
“This isn’t over,” I warned Jefferson.
They pushed me until I moved toward the door. It opened before we reached it, and Thatcher walked inside. His eyes went to me being held to scope out the rest of the room.
“What did I miss?” he asked.
“Just help us get him out of this fucking house before he begins tearing it and everyone in his path to shreds,” Storm told him.
Thatcher smirked. “That sounds like a good time. You sure you don’t want to let him go?”
“Go get your father,” Monte said to him. “And … you probably need to get Rumor too. She might be all that calms him down.”
Thatcher glanced at me one more time, raising his eyebrows, as if he was simply entertained, then turned to leave.
“You act like this around Rumor, and she’s gonna be fucking terrified,” Sebastian told me.
I didn’t respond as they ushered me from the house and out toward one of the limos parked out front.
“If we let you go, are you going to stay still and wait on Rumor?”
I stared up at the house, knowing I couldn’t go in there and murder the goddamn state representative.
“Yes,” I said through clenched teeth.
Storm let go first, but the other two didn’t seem to trust me. Wells eased back as if he was more worried about me turning on him. Sebastian followed him, and I shook my arms out and stalked over to grip the roof of the limo and brace myself. I had to clear my head. Not think about it. If I let myself think about it, I’d lose it again.
“You good? Because here she comes,” Storm told me.
I turned back around as Thatcher walked down the stairs with Rumor at his side. The shimmering green dress she wore clung to her every curve and hit way too fucking high on her legs for my liking. She was the most stunning creature I’d ever laid my eyes on, and the man who was supposed to protect her, give her a home, cherish her had paid her mother to kill her. Before she was ever given a chance at life.
But her mother hadn’t done it. And she was alive and perfect. Walking toward me with that sweet angelic face etched with concern. For me.
How the hell had I gotten this lucky?
Unable to wait any longer, I went to her, grabbing her by the waist and taking her mouth. I needed to be reminded she was mine. She was here with me. The past hadn’t happened the way Jefferson May had planned. Her life had been shit because of his neglect, but I’d be sure the rest of it was a motherfucking fairy tale.
Her hands went to my chest and fisted in my shirt as she leaned into me, wanting more. I was about to give her more. So much more that she was going to be begging me to give her a moment to catch her breath.
“Get her in the limo,” Thatcher drawled, interrupting us. “Last thing everyone needs to see is you sucking her face off when this is your engagement party to Scotlin.”
Pulling back, I looked into her eyes and reassured myself that she was fine. I had her now, and all the bad was over. Never again would she live through it.
“What’s wrong?” she asked me, reaching up to touch my face.
I leaned into her soft hand. “Nothing now.”
“He’s one of those psychos disguised with a pretty face. He seems charming and shit until you flip the wrong trigger,” Thatcher said casually.
She frowned, turning to look at him with a scowl marring her forehead. “He is not a psycho,” she informed him. “Don’t talk about him like that.”
I heard a laugh, smothered with a cough, behind me.
“Come on, sweets. Let’s go home.”
She looked back at me. “But the party. You can’t leave yet.”
“The fuck he can’t,” Storm said. “Y’all get in, and please, Rumor, keep his ass busy all night.”
She glanced past me to Storm. “What happened? I missed something.”
I wasn’t sure if I would be able to tell her the truth about Jefferson May. I knew I had to, but when I did, I couldn’t be sure her reaction wouldn’t send me to the man’s doorstep, ready to slit his goddamn throat again.
“A lot,” I said. “The only thing you need to know right now is, the fake engagement is over.”
“It is?”
The hopefulness in her voice sliced through me. She’d put up with this shit, and I knew it had been hard on her. No more. Never again.