Total pages in book: 26
Estimated words: 23860 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 119(@200wpm)___ 95(@250wpm)___ 80(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 23860 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 119(@200wpm)___ 95(@250wpm)___ 80(@300wpm)
“I would tell you to go find a woman and enjoy your night, but I won’t waste my breath.” Damien Shadow is a reclusive billionaire who likes being alone. I’ve never seen him with anyone else, and I’m almost certain he’s never smiled. He probably doesn’t know how.
“Call me when it’s here,” he says and then hangs up the phone.
“Goodbye to you,” I tell myself as the call ends and the inside of my car goes silent.
Turning onto South Street, I take the cut through to get to the docks. This is the industrial part of town along with the financial district, so there’s not a lot of activity this time of night. Reaching for my phone, I decide to try and call the dock manager to check on the arrival of the boat Damien is waiting on.
I glance down for only a second to scroll down the screen and find his number when I see a text message pop up. It’s from a woman I met at a party a while back, and as soon as I see the half-naked picture of her, I delete the text. How the fuck did she get my number?
Usually I’m only with a woman long enough to get off, and I don’t give out my number. Maybe my assistant gave it to her, which means I’ve got to fire another one.
Looking up at the road, I see it’s empty, so I glance down at my phone again and get the dock manager’s number. Just when I’m about to press the call button, the dash lights on my car go off and an alarm sounds. In a split second, the anti-lock brakes engage, and my car comes to a screeching halt while the thing that popped out in front of me falls to the ground.
“Fuck!” I shout, then throw open the door of my car and jump out to see what happened.
There in the middle of the road is a body on its side with a mop of dirty-blond hair covering its face. I’ve been around the mob long enough that even though my brain is telling me to get back in my car and get the hell out of here, my heart won’t let me.
“Hey, talk to me,” I say as I hurry over and check for a pulse.
The person is in a baggy sweatshirt, and although I’m searching, I can’t seem to find any obvious injury. Finally, I get them on their back, and the hair falls away to reveal a woman’s face. Her eyes are closed, but the pulse at her neck is strong, and I breathe a sigh of relief.
Glancing down the empty alley, I can’t see anyone coming after her or possibly chasing her. When I look back down, I see there’s no blood or anything, but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t have internal injuries. She could be bleeding out, for all I know.
The longer I look at her, the more my chest tightens, and I know I can’t leave her here. I also know that an ambulance is going to take too long, and I don’t know how much time I have before something bad happens.
“Come on, baby girl. You’re coming with me,” I tell her before scooping her up in my arms. Then I spot a small bag beside her and decide to grab that as well and carry them both to my car.
Once I place her gently in the passenger seat, I race to the hospital as fast as I can. Panic is rising in me that I’m not going to get her there in time and it’s all my fault. If only I was paying attention, maybe I could have seen her. She came out of nowhere at the end of the alley, but I could have swerved to miss her. The streets are tight, but I would have tried.
“Stay with me,” I tell her as I reach out and take her hand in mine. “You hear me, baby girl? I’m not going anywhere, and neither are you. You stay with me.”
Thankfully, the roads are clear on the way to the hospital, and I break every law imaginable as I pull into the emergency lane and start shouting for help. I’m out of the car and carrying her inside by the time the medical team brings out a gurney and takes her from me.
“She was hit by a car,” I say over all of their talking as they try to revive her while wheeling her into the emergency room.
“What’s her name?” someone calls out. I glance down at the bag in my hand and see a name on the tag.
“Audrey.” I look at the blond-haired beauty on the bed while six people work to revive her.
It feels like time stops moving as I stare at her and finally take in her features. She was solid in my arms, but in the hospital bed, she looks frail and so delicate. I’m worried a strong wind will take her away and leave me with nothing.