Total pages in book: 77
Estimated words: 74220 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 371(@200wpm)___ 297(@250wpm)___ 247(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 74220 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 371(@200wpm)___ 297(@250wpm)___ 247(@300wpm)
Oscar stepped out, arms raised in the air. “You said you wouldn’t interfere, Butcher.”
“Where is she?” I walked up to him and shoved the barrel of the rifle against his chest.
“This is between Adrien and me—”
“She’s my woman, not his.” I struck him in the face with the gun and made blood splatter from his broken nose. “Now tell me where the fuck she is.”
He stumbled back from the force of the blow then wiped the blood from his face directly onto his arm. “I didn’t know—”
I grabbed him by the front of the shirt and slammed him so hard into the wall he lost his breath. “Tell me where the fuck she is.”
He dropped to the floor, and he heaved with coughs. “I wouldn’t have taken her if I’d known—”
I put the barrel of the gun right against the side of his head. “Tell me!”
He reached for his phone in his pocket, lying on the floor as he typed. He remained in that position, like he was too beaten to do anything else except just lie there. “I sent her location. East of Paris.”
“Tell your men to dig her up.”
“They’ve already returned to Paris.”
“Fuck!” I left him there and ran out of the house, Adrien following me.
Chapter 18
Fleur
I was nearly submerged.
The water didn’t fill the coffin as drops anymore. So much rainwater had penetrated the soil that it turned into mud, and it leaked into my watery grave. It came in from all sides, bringing the cold and the filth.
There was so much water, I was practically floating, my face touching the camera as I tried to keep my mouth and nose above the waterline. I tried to dig at the bottom of the coffin, to rip a crack in the wood so the water would soak into the earth underneath, but with the water level so high, I couldn’t turn to do that and breathe at the same time.
“Fuck, I’m gonna die.”
He’s coming, he’s coming.
Bastien is coming.
He’s on his way. I know he is.
Or am I gonna die like this?
“Bastien…come on.”
Chapter 19
Bastien
We drove down the country road at full speed, a hundred and twenty kilometers an hour in the pouring rain, the tires unsafe on the slick roads. If we died in a crash, I wouldn’t be able to save her, but if I didn’t haul ass like this, I wouldn’t be able to save her either. “Turn right.” I looked at the phone, seeing the dot on the map out in the middle of nowhere.
Even though there was no road and it was just a field of dirt, my driver turned and drove over the dirt and mud.
“Keep going.”
It was a bumpy ride, over rocks and mounds of dirt, the SUV shifting and shaking from the uneven terrain.
The dot came closer. “Alright, stop.”
He hit the brakes.
I got out of the SUV so fast I nearly tripped. I sprinted forward, spotting the fresh grave immediately, a pool of water sitting on top of it. “No.” I grabbed one of the shovels Oscar’s men had left behind and speared it into the mud. I worked fast, throwing mounds of dirt aside, moving quicker than I did with my sets with the bar and weights.
Adrien grabbed a shovel and joined me, and then the driver did the same.
“Fleur, I’m here!” I threw the dirt aside, coated in mud and sweat in the pouring rain, all of us working and panting to get the dirt off as quickly as possible. But the deeper we dug, the more the water pooled, and I realized her coffin was already fully submerged. “Fuck!” My fingers found the locked hinges, and I snapped them free with my bare hands before I pulled off the lid.
She was fully underwater, her body floating.
For the first time since I’d found out what happened, I let the fear hit me.
I was too late.
“No…” I scooped her from the water, her limp body ice-cold to the touch.
Adrien froze at the sight of her, in so much shock, he fell to his knees.
I laid her down on the earth and immediately started chest compressions, tears pooling in my eyes. “Sweetheart, come on.” I pushed hard on her chest and didn’t care if I broke her ribs. I pushed and pushed then sealed my mouth over hers to force the air into her lungs before I pushed on her chest again. “Fleur, come on. Please…fucking come on.”
Adrien sobbed just like he had at the house. Fucking useless.
She suddenly jerked to life, gasping for breath as her eyes snapped open. Then she coughed, expelling water from her lungs.
I immediately rolled her over so she could get it out and not swallow it again. I held her there, her face away from mine, and that was when I felt the tears burn my eyes and break free. I listened to her cough and gasp, coming back from the dead because I’d fucking begged God to let her stay.