Total pages in book: 165
Estimated words: 154925 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 775(@200wpm)___ 620(@250wpm)___ 516(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 154925 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 775(@200wpm)___ 620(@250wpm)___ 516(@300wpm)
“I think you’re truly psychotic, but so far you’ve also been practical and that’s why I’m going to explain a few truths to you. Don’t threaten his family again. Right now we’re keeping this whole thing quiet because none of us is interested in causing a huge scene and bringing the authorities in. Ian has stayed in the background. I assure you if you lay a hand on his family, we will all come for you. Every single one of us. We will take all of the resources McKay-Taggart has collected over the years and turn it on you. We won’t care about the business. We won’t care about profits. We will have one goal and one goal only—killing Julia Ennis in the most painful way possible. Imagine how helpful you will be to your Consortium overlords when twenty or thirty of the world’s best-trained operatives and assassins and hackers are focusing all their energy on you. If you so much as mildly inconvenience one of the kids, we will take this war to an entirely different level, and you cannot win.”
“I think you’re underestimating me,” Julia countered. “I have resources you can’t imagine.”
MaeBe needed to point out some more truth to this woman. “Only as long as you’re valuable to them. What happens when you can’t work anymore because you’re being hunted? You won’t be able to settle in and work over your target because you’ll always be on the run. And don’t think you can simply leave the States. We’ve got an office in Europe, and Tennessee Smith handles our African branch. We have a couple of people who know Asia well. We’ll hunt you down wherever you go. Or you can back the fuck off.”
“I want that data,” Julia insisted.
“Then you should hurry up and find it.” If the program hadn’t run its course by now it never would. She was done with Julia Ennis. She wasn’t going to give her another second of Kyle’s time.
MaeBe hung up on her.
Kyle was staring at her, his jaw open a bit.
“Well, you’ve seen me deal with the electric company and Ticketmaster. Did you think I would be nice to the woman who wants to kill me? I want to know what her appeal is.”
Kyle shrugged. “I was going through a self-destructive phase.”
Yasmin ran in the room, pushing the door back. “She’s in London. I’ve got all the data.”
“Excellent. Why don’t you go and give that to Drake and Taylor? I need to talk to Kyle. And send Ian a text letting him know Julia Ennis contacted us and I will send him a report shortly.”
Yasmin nodded and walked out of the office.
MaeBe turned to Kyle. That woman was toxic, and she’d infected Kyle’s life. If Kyle had been attracted to her because she was the polar opposite of Julia, then she wasn’t sure why that was a bad thing.
He wasn’t in love with Julia. That wasn’t why he didn’t talk about her, wasn’t why he’d run the minute she’d shown up in his life again.
He was ashamed of her, ashamed that he’d let himself get in deep.
“Who are you?” Kyle asked with a huff. “Because that was pretty badass. It actually made sense. I have to warn my mom, but I’m pretty sure you made Julia think twice about fucking with us.”
“We need to be vigilant, but I gave her something to think about.” She moved so she was standing in front of him. “Now it’s time to give you something to think about. I am not the same person you fell in love with.”
A hint of a smile hit his lips. “You are. Deep down. People do not stay the same all their lives. They grow and change, and sometimes we get off the right path because some terrible thing made us veer away. But we can get back on the right path. I have to believe that. I have to believe that the person I want to be is in here somewhere, and I can find him. You’re wrong about one thing, though. You think I’m in love with the woman you were, but I’m in awe of the woman you are right now. I want you happy, baby. I miss your crazy hair not because I think you’re hotter with it. I miss it because you loved it. But do not doubt that the MaeBe who stands before me and takes out everyone who acts like an asshole is a woman I can love.”
Every word went straight to her heart, but she wasn’t ready. “I don’t know how to forgive you.”
“You don’t have to. Not right away. Let me work for it.”
“I don’t even know if I want to.” She wasn’t sure she wanted to put herself in that position again.
What position? The one where you have a chance at love and a family? What are you going to do, Mae? Skip the whole part of your life where you might be happy because there’s a chance you get your heart broken?