Total pages in book: 227
Estimated words: 220940 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1105(@200wpm)___ 884(@250wpm)___ 736(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 220940 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1105(@200wpm)___ 884(@250wpm)___ 736(@300wpm)
“What?”
“We’re going—” He looks past me to the bed. Scowls. Then points to the bathroom, going there, obviously wanting me to follow. I sigh, peeking under the covers to Pearl. Her cheeks are a beautiful shade of pre-orgasm.
“Did he see me?” she whispers. “Oh God, I can’t face him.” Slamming her eyes closed, she pulls the covers down onto her face.
I drag myself out of bed and go to the bathroom, my hand over my groin, closing the door, bracing myself for the showdown. His face looks a fucking mess. “I just got a call from Benson,” he says.
“What?”
“Someone broke into his house last night.”
“What?”
“Killed that Sid bloke.”
“What?” I blurt.
Danny throws his hands up. “Am I speaking Chinese this morning?”
“Fuck.”
He tilts his head, like, yes, you heard me right. “That’s exactly what I thought.” He pulls the door open and leaves. “Get dressed.” He stops at the bedroom door, looking back at the lump in the bed. “Morning, Allison,” he says, sarcastic as fuck, before slamming the door behind him.
What?
The covers fly up, as does Pearl, her face a picture of indignance.
“You want me to go out there and tell him you’re not Allison?” I ask.
“Yes,” she says, pointing at the door.
I laugh, going to the dressing room and getting some boxers on.
“Fine,” she calls. “I will.”
I frown, leaning back to see into the bedroom, my boxers halfway up my legs. She’s marching across the bedroom. Naked. What the fuck? “Pearl,” I yell, yanking my boxers up the rest of the way as I run after her. I seize her at the door and haul her back to the bed, throwing her on it. “Seriously?”
“I’m not Allison.”
“You’re also not thinking straight.” I kneel on the edge of the bed and dip. “I said you have to let me figure out the best way to approach this.” And that, just then—Danny barging in—is exactly why I need to speed things up.
“I know,” Pearl relents, shuffling forward and circling my shoulders, kissing me chastely. Then she looks at me for a moment, and I see the swirl of thoughts in her eyes. “Are you sure—” She chews her lip. “I mean, Allison is”—she rolls her eyes—“experienced.”
I chuckle, enchanted. “She’s also not you.” I hit her with a hard kiss as the door is hit with a hard fist.
“Hurry up,” Danny yells through the wood.
“Coming.” One more kiss. “I’ll call you later.” I break away and pull on some jeans and a T-shirt, stuffing my feet into some brown leather boots and leaving the laces untied. I look back at her curled on her side in my bed, the sheets all bunched and held to her front, her red hair spread across the pillow. It’s a sight for the mental archives. “You look gorgeous.”
“Don’t get shot.”
I smile and leave her.
Danny’s pacing the foyer when I get there, and James is motionless by the door. “Just the three of us?”
Danny scowls at me. “Is Allison Edward Scissorhands in disguise?”
“What?”
He points at my arms, and I look down at the fresh red lines on my tan skin.
“Are we going or what?” I ask irritably, marching between them and heading for my car. “I’ll follow you.” I have a few calls to make. I slide into the driver’s seat and start the engine, slamming the door.
The passenger door opens and James gets in, his face blank as he looks at me. Danny gets in the back. “Oh, no.” I laugh, getting out and opening the back door, reaching for his T-shirt and dragging him out.
“What the fuck are you doing?” he yells.
“If you insist on riding with me, you’re going within punching range.” I put myself in the middle of the back seat as Danny laughs his way into my driver’s seat. I curl my lip at the back of his head and get my phone out. And smile when I see a text from Pearl.
Tie your laces or you’ll stand on them and trip.
I look down at my boots.
Yes, boss.
I quickly text Nolan to ask how he’s doing and drop my phone on the seat, reaching down to tie my laces. I’ll have to call Otto later. I need to think about how to get the information I want without him asking why I want to know it. Because why the fuck would I care if Pearl has family looking for her?
“So what’s the situation?” I ask as James pulls down the sun visor and flips up the cover of the mirror so he can see me. “Missing my face?”
His eyes go back to the road as Danny turns onto the freeway. “Lennox called Danny. He heard something outside around two. Checked his CCTV. Saw nothing. Went to bed. Woke up to a man in his bedroom.”
“And the kid?”
“Don’t know,” Danny says quietly, obviously wondering too. And worrying. “All I know is the guy he hired to protect them is dead and he’s asked for our help.”