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 got twenty minutes,” I replied, not looking in Maeme’s direction.
“Go,” Rumor told me. “Don’t be late.”
I wanted to tell her about Scotlin before I left, but with Maeme breathing down my neck, it wasn’t going to be possible. I’d tell her tonight. Back at the cottage, where I wanted her. Not here with my grandmother making it difficult.
Leaning down, I pressed a kiss to Rumor’s lips. “Be at the cottage this evening. I’ll bring dinner,” I whispered.
She nodded.
I’d talk to her then. This was all going to be fine.
“Glad you could join us,” my father said, giving me a pointed look when I walked into Stellan Shephard’s office.
“Maeme cooked breakfast,” I replied with a shrug, taking a seat on the sofa beside Wilder and across from Thatcher, who was grinning at me, clearly not buying my excuse.
“It’s true then?” Wilder asked beside me. “You have caught feelings for a woman? I thought they were talking shit.”
I glanced at Wilder, willing him to shut the fuck up before looking at Stellan. “You want a recap on last night, or do I wait until the call with Blaise?”
Change of subject. Hopefully.
“You left Scotlin last night and went directly to Rumor,” my father pointed out.
“I left her at my fucking house. Isn’t that enough?”
Stellan leaned forward, resting his elbows on the desk. “Scotlin’s safety is important.”
No shit. “I’m aware of that, and my house is safe. Not to mention the security that her father has on her.”
Stellan raised an eyebrow. “You are her security. The others are just there for looks.”
“They’re former Marines. One was a fucking sniper,” I pointed out.
“And you’re the goddamn Mafia!” my father shouted.
“Easy, Ronan,” Barrett Kingston said to my father, holding up a hand to stop him. “King always gets the job done.”
Thank you, Barrett!
“Yes, but before, he was never locked on a piece of ass,” my father shot back.
I was standing before I knew it. My annoyance had morphed into a full-blown rage. “Don’t,” I warned him. “Don’t call her that again.”
Thatcher let out a deep, low chuckle. “To think I didn’t want to come today. I’d have missed the fucking entertainment.”
“Shut up, Thatch,” Wilder told him.
“It’s time to call Blaise,” Stellan told the room. “This has to end. Now.”
Fine by me.
“Why? It’s his fucking fault. He’s the one who told King to fuck her,” Thatcher said as he lit up a cigarette. “Seems like his problem.”
“Thatcher,” Stellan warned his oldest son with a hard glare.
Thatcher took a long pull, then smirked in response. I’d love to agree with him, but I knew that even without Blaise’s orders to make Rumor want to stay, it would have happened. The bomb had been ticking. I’d been slowly giving in to what I wanted. And what I wanted was Rumor.
The ringing immediately ended, and Blaise Hughes appeared on the flat screen that covered a large portion of the far wall.
“Before we get started, Thatcher, you need to call Huck. We got a hit that needs to happen in Atlanta before noon,” Blaise said from where he was sitting behind his desk back in Ocala.
Thatcher stood up and put his cigarette out in the ashtray. “On it,” he replied before heading to the door.
“Take backup if you think you need it,” Blaise said.
“I don’t.” Thatcher smirked before opening the door and leaving.
“Storm, go with him,” Stellan ordered.
We all knew it wasn’t because he thought his oldest son needed backup. Sending Thatcher anywhere alone wasn’t smart. His twisted head would do more than kill whoever it was that Blaise wanted dead. If left to his own devices, he’d leave them nailed to a damn wall or some crazy execution-style shit.
Blaise leaned back in his chair. “Let’s get started.”
• Five •
You don’t know that much about King, do you?
Rumor
The knock on my door came at the same time my phone buzzed with a text. I never got messages from anyone other than King, so I grabbed it before going to see who was here. He wouldn’t be knocking and texting me at the same time. Although it was almost eight at night and he still hadn’t arrived.
Glancing down at my phone, I read:
I’m sorry. Things got complicated today, and I can’t get there tonight. Maeme is going to get you, and you are staying with her.
The disappointment was instant as I slipped my phone into the pocket of my jean shorts and headed to the door to let Maeme inside. I shouldn’t have slept with him last night. Being with him like that had made me want things I couldn’t have. King wasn’t a forever guy. We weren’t in a real relationship. Yet I was feeling too deeply.
When I reached the front door, it wasn’t Maeme. I unlocked the bolt and opened it while studying Sebastian through the window. His eyes met mine, and he smiled.