Total pages in book: 138
Estimated words: 128980 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 645(@200wpm)___ 516(@250wpm)___ 430(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 128980 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 645(@200wpm)___ 516(@250wpm)___ 430(@300wpm)
I leave her in my bedroom, out of earshot, and quietly lock the door behind me, for no other reason than if this turns nasty, I don’t want her in the firing line. I enter my living space, taking in every inch—what’s positioned where, who’s standing where, while mentally plotting my moves.
I look across to Lucinda, seeing her holding her iron composure, but I’ve known this woman for many years, and I know when she’s anxious. She’s anxious now. Not because she feels threatened, but because she knows as well as I do that this pond scum has the power and influence to wreak havoc at the agency.
“She can go.” I nod toward her, making sure I don’t make it sound like a request. There’s hesitance in Lucinda’s face, but none in Logan’s. He nods and she shakes her head, heading out without a word.
As soon as the door closes behind her, I speak. “There’s nothing casual about my feelings for your daughter,” I start, kicking plan A into action. I’ll only hurt him if I absolutely have to. I hope I don’t have to. Logan’s many things, but he isn’t stupid. Taking me on would be stupid. He might surprise me yet. Voicing whatever he might have found out about me would be stupid, and I guarantee it will tip me over the edge. That would be a shame. So far I’ve managed to keep a lid on the violent beast that’s so desperately trying to break free. “The sooner you realize that your daughter isn’t some damsel in distress, the quicker we can clear this up.”
Right on cue, Cami starts banging on the door. “Hey! Why’s the door locked?”
No, there’s no damsel in there.
Logan keeps his narrowed stare on me and sniffs, giving me a hint of how easy and clean this is going to be. Not easy and clean at all. “Walk away and I won’t tarnish her belief that you’re a hero. I’ll also keep the scandal of the agency’s top bodyguard bedding a young subject from public knowledge.”
I look at him, my head cocking. “You think you can keep me away from her with threats? I don’t give a fuck about the agency. My purpose goes beyond that now.”
“How much?” Logan asks, while Cami bangs relentlessly on the door.
“Are you fucking kidding me? You think you can buy me off like that lowlife drug addict?” I ask, disgusted.
Logan definitely flinches. He didn’t know that I knew about the payoff. He might have shit on me, but I have shit on him, too.
I walk forward, ignoring the two fat twats moving in from both sides. I’ll floor them in a fucking heartbeat. “Get the fuck out of my apartment.”
“Not without my daughter.” Logan moves back and looks over his shoulder to the door.
I come to a stop, because I can tell he’s not gauging the distance that he’s got to run and escape. Plus, a noise has just rung out from the elevator shaft. “Ah, the police,” he says casually. “It was really rather brutal what you did to poor Sebastian Peters.”
My frown is unavoidable, but the pieces slowly start to fall into place.
He smirks at me. “You can’t see her if you’re locked up.”
Motherfucker!
Pete and Grant move in fast, one grabbing me on each side. I don’t bother wasting energy wrestling them off. I let them seize me, let them think they’ve won.
“How much have you paid Sebastian Peters to press charges against me, you immoral fucker?” I ask, my lip curling. “He physically hurt her!” My anger is getting the better of me, rising fast. “He hit her!” I roar.
Logan frowns, and I remember…he doesn’t know that part. To him, Sebastian Peters is simply an addict who dragged his daughter down a temporary dark path. He didn’t know his daughter’s ex knocked her about a few times, and Cami didn’t want him to. Logan’s face straightens out, quickly telling me that this news isn’t going to make a bit of difference.
“Good-bye, Sharp.” His tone is drenched in victory.
Pete and Grant tighten their hold of me, like they think I might start struggling.
There’s no need to struggle.
My bedroom door starts jumping off its hinges from the force of Cami’s bangs. “Let me out!”
I keep calm and still for a few seconds, just enough time for Logan’s “security” to relax a little. Then I throw my head back, catching Pete clean across the nose. His scream comes after he’s released me, the pain of his broken nose taking a few startled seconds to register in his bewildered mind.
I hear him stagger away and before Grant can react, I grab his wrist, twist it, dip and throw myself forward, hauling the lump over my back and launching him into the air. I keep hold of his wrist, watching his body twist awkwardly as he meets the ground, the clean crack of his shoulder ringing through the air.