Total pages in book: 92
Estimated words: 88673 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 443(@200wpm)___ 355(@250wpm)___ 296(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88673 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 443(@200wpm)___ 355(@250wpm)___ 296(@300wpm)
I scoff. “I’m not trying to hook up with you. I don’t even want to see you naked. You’re like a six, Clover. I can do better than a six.”
Her mouth drops open. “Six?” She guffaws. “I am not a six.”
“Six point two five. Maybe. But you’re definitely not a seven.”
“Well… you’re like a four.”
“Woman, I am a nine point seven five at least.”
She practically snorts. “You fancy yourself a Collin Creed, do ya? Because that’s what a nine point seven five looks like, Riggs.”
“Right,” I sneer. “Good old Collin. He’s everything to everyone, isn’t he?”
“What is it with you and Collin? Do you know him or something?”
I want to say something snappy back, then end this conversation, but I don’t know what to say, and the seconds are ticking off, and it’s one of those situations where silence says everything.
“Oh, my God. You do know him!”
“Just take your shower. I’ll wait out here.”
“No. Tell me how you know him. Of course, I know he was military. That’s why he left town back when he was a kid.” Her eyes are doing that back-and-forth searching thing as she stares into mine. Which means her mind is working overtime. “Wait.” She points her finger at me. “You know him because… the two of you worked together. Whatever secret shit he’s been up to these past dozen years, you were there. You were part of it too.”
Again, there are things I could say here to cut off this line of thinking, but none of them come out of my mouth. So again, the silence says everything.
“Holy shit. You’re friends with him. What about Amon?”
“What about him?”
“So you know him too?”
The scoff that comes out of my mouth is much more pronounced than I intended. “That’s a stupid question. If you know Collin, you know Amon. They are shadows of one another.”
Clover’s shoulders relax a little as she eyes me. “Well, that’s not cryptic.”
“Are you gonna take your shower or not? Because we’re on a schedule here.”
She frowns. “You’re gonna kill him too? Amon, I mean. You’re gonna turn Lowyn and Rosie into widows before they even get married?”
“Can you just take your shower?”
“Can you just answer one question truthfully?”
I shrug. “Fine. If it’ll get you moving. Yes. I guess the answer is yes. Your friends will be widows before they ever get married. There’s no happily ever after in this life and I’m not a prince. There. Are you happy now?”
Her eyelids drop, her shoulders tense up, and her mouth turns into a flat line instead of a frown. All signs of resolve. Which is better than resistance, so I’m good with it. I pan a hand to the bathroom. “You’ve got three minutes. Better make the most of them.”
She tips her chin up, turns on her heel, goes into the bathroom, and shuts the door on my face. The lock turns on the other side, and then, a moment later, there’s a sound of water.
While she’s doing that, I grab a pair of pants from my pack downstairs and search around until I find a length of cord in one of the nearby bedrooms, so when she steps out, freshly washed and changed into her new matchy clothes, I’m ready. But I’m slightly taken aback at her new coordinated outfit because she looks like she’s about to do a photoshoot for a hiking catalog, so I chuckle.
“What’s so funny?” These words of hers come out with a little sneer.
“Nothing. You’re just very… put together.”
Clover looks down at herself, then back up at me. “What’s wrong with what I’m wearing?”
“Wow. You’re sensitive. There’s nothing wrong with it. It’s just very…”
“Coordinated?”
“That and…” I shrug. “Just… it’s nice, that’s all.”
Her eyes narrow down. “You don’t have to compliment me.”
I raise an eyebrow. “Is that what I did?”
“I mean, you don’t have to say anything to me. We’re never going to be friends. Why would I be friends with a man who kills his friends? That makes no sense at all. So who cares what you think about my kidnapping outfit?”
“Wow.” I blink at her, stunned at her insult because it hit the bullseye for sure. I shrug up a shoulder, blowing it off. “Fine, Clover. That outfit looks like shit on you.” I pan a hand to the steamy bathroom. “It’s my turn now.”
“So? Go take a shower then.”
“Well, you’re coming in with me.”
She shakes her head and folds her arms. “No. I’m not.”
I grab both her wrists so quick, I’ve got the cord around them and I’m tying the knot before she can even process what’s happening. “There,” I say, once I’m done. “Now go back into the bathroom and sit your ass down on the floor. Because you cannot be trusted, Clover. You’ve got a lot of stupid ideas running around in that head of yours. So from this moment on, the two of us are together until the end.”