Total pages in book: 125
Estimated words: 124836 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 624(@200wpm)___ 499(@250wpm)___ 416(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 124836 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 624(@200wpm)___ 499(@250wpm)___ 416(@300wpm)
And then. . .when my gaze fell upon it. . .
What?
I stiffened.
TT was in the window for sure, enjoying the fireworks. It looked like she was in the library’s window. A huge smile spread across her face and she even pointed at one of the fireworks as she spoke to her two new friends.
And that was what horrified me.
No. No. No.
I slipped out of Lei’s hold and headed off, still gazing up at the window.
TT currently stood right in the middle of Uncle Song and Leo who were both holding plates and happily shoveling food in their mouths.
When the fuck did they come? And how long have they been around TT?
Chapter thirty-nine
The Unwanted Guest
Moni
The second I saw TT up in the window with Leo and Uncle Song, something inside me snapped.
Panic surged through my veins and I didn’t think—I just moved through the crowd of dancing people, bumping into this person swaying and another person twirling.
“Excuse me.” I weaved through a throng of jumping guys. “Sorry.”
My feet carried me toward the house before my brain could catch up.
My pulse pounded in my ears.
I barely registered the sound of Lei calling my name. All I could focus on was getting to TT.
Fuck. Fuck. She’s young. Don’t do anything crazy around her, Leo. She’s good.
But I knew Leo. He was as unpredictable as a loaded gun, ready to go off at any moment. Sometimes, I thought he was brilliant—a twisted kind of genius with a code all his own. Other times, he terrified me to my core. The kind of man who could kill his own daughter, chop off her head, and offer it up as a gift. And if he could do that to his own blood, there was no way I was leaving TT alone with him.
We’d all been through too much. Lost too much.
Why did you have to show up, Leo? We were finally having a good night!
Without another thought, I picked up speed.
Wind whipped past me.
I glanced up at the window.
Shit.
They were gone.
No sign of TT.
No Leo.
No Uncle Song.
Fuck. Fuck. You better not have taken her away.
I stormed toward the back entrance of the house and entered.
A second later, Lei walked right next to me. “What?”
“Oh.” I shook my head.
Of course he would have come after me.
Of course he would have been worried out of his mind that I just abruptly stopped dancing and headed off.
“I just. . .” I kept my pace and hurried through the massive living room. “I just have to go to the bathroom. I’ll be out there in a minute, Lei. Just—”
“Bathrooms are that way—”
“I’m just going to check on TT too. It’s been a minute.” I got to the dragon staircase and stopped at the base of the grand staircase where the carved dragon railing glowed under the soft lights. The dragon’s head curled around the banister, watching us with piercing eyes. “I’ll be right back, Lei.”
“No. I’ll check with you too.”
“N-no. Stay. I’ll be back.” I got ready to go up a step.
He grabbed my waist and stopped me. “Moni, what’s wrong?”
I stepped down and swallowed hard.
Shit.
I had to think fast, had to play this right. If I told him the truth now, if Lei knew Leo was upstairs with TT. . .God, he’d lose it.
Just this morning, he’d been ready to skip the entire feast tomorrow and kill his father without hesitation.
And that was when he was sober.
Right now, Lei was high.
The drinks had been flowing all night. His judgment wasn’t clear and if he confronted Leo like this, it wouldn’t end well.
For anyone.
This is not the time for bloodshed. Not tonight. Not here.
I kept my voice steady. “I’m fine. Nothing is wrong. Wait for me outside. I’ll be back.”
“Is that right?”
“Yes.”
Lei remained right there and crossed those big muscular arms over his chest, telling me that he wasn’t backing down. His intense eyes were locked on mine, reading me like a book, seeing every lie I hadn’t even said yet. “You know what I think, Moni?”
I frowned.
“Your eyes keep darting up the staircase like there’s a threat. Your breath keeps catching. Your chest is rising up and going down fast like your heart is beating out of control. And your left hand is fidgeting and you only do that when you’re stressed.”
I blinked.
What the fuck?
He gestured for several of his men to come over.
That was when I realized Lei hadn’t just followed me in, but over twenty sweaty, shirtless Four Aces too.
He spoke to one, “Get upstairs and make sure her little sister TT is safe. Don’t startle her, just look in and wait for us in the hall.”
Fuck.
Lei put his view back on me. “You think you can still hide when you’re nervous from me? I love you too much. It’s impossible.”
His words hit me hard, like a flood of warmth and security washing over my fear.