Total pages in book: 28
Estimated words: 26056 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 130(@200wpm)___ 104(@250wpm)___ 87(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 26056 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 130(@200wpm)___ 104(@250wpm)___ 87(@300wpm)
The manager squeals and flails, and I watch with satisfaction. Chance won’t hurt him. He’s a gentle giant. But he looks like a fucking walking nightmare and if this guy knows anything, he’ll spill.
“I don’t—please! They went, all of them. Oh, God, I don’t know anything!”
“Cyrus, I’m getting a call, man. One of my PIs. They must have something.”
I glare at the house manager, but fall silent as I listen to Tor speaking into his phone. He starts to grin part way through, and glances our way, shooting me an okay sign. When he signs off, he nods, then turns back to the door.
“Let’s go. I’m going to call in a favor. We’ve got a location. And a name. And I think we might just have leverage.”
Thirty minutes later, we’re through the iron gate at another estate. This one bigger, older, more fortified, but it’s not going to matter.
I slam my foot against the carved wood next to the iron door handle and the door cracks on the first kick, the lock buckling as it flies open.
There’s a group of about ten people standing in a living room to the left and they all spin and look my way.
There’s the priest, up front with a book open in front of him, eyes wide, as me and Tor and Chance step inside. No guns, we don’t need them, especially with the sheriff following us inside.
“What the hell is this? This is a private wedding!” The groom—the guy Tor told me is called Alex—looks like a furious overgrown Umpa Loompa as he turns to Anna’s father. “If you did this, I’m going to—”
“Don’t say another word, sir,” the sheriff warns, his hand on the butt of his revolver. “I’ll add terrorist threats to whatever else you’re going to be charged with.”
Anna looks frightened as she looks from Alex to her dad and back, then hisses at me, “You can’t be here. Go. Please. You don’t understand. You’re making this so much worse.”
I shake my head, ignoring her for the moment as I start towards her. She’s still glancing nervously at the groom, who I hope never got as far as saying “I do” or there’ll be hell to pay. She doesn’t understand what’s going on here, but she will. Very soon, she will.
I shove my body between them, knocking him back with my ass and grabbing Anna by the back of the neck. “Tell me you didn’t vow anything to this fuck.”
“No. But that’s not… You have to go, Cyrus,” she whispers. “I’m marrying Alex. You have to let me do this, you have no idea what this is.”
“Get him out of here!” The groom yells toward his goons standing by staring at the Sheriff and the two deputies that have just charged through the door. “It’s none of your fucking business,” He says but I’m done with him. I ball my fist and cock back, throwing all my weight behind the punch, knocking him backward then deliver another uppercut, then one into his gut as he yelps and doubles over. I glance over to see Tor stepping forward with the sheriff’s hand on his gun, shaking his head as his security guys back out of the room.
“Do you want to marry him?” I ask, only because I want to hear her say no. I know the answer already and no fucking way she’s marrying him but I want her to be the one to tell everyone. “Baby, it’s all going to be all right, but you need to tell the truth. You’re a badass, baby. I got your back, now tell them.”
“Anna?” Her mother sounds mildly amused, as I shoot her dad a glare. If he tries to step in right now, the fucking sheriff’s going to have a homicide report on his hands. “Who is this strapping young man?”
“Mom,” Anna offers, giving her mother a sympathetic look, then turning her eyes at me. “He’s—he’s…”
“I’m the one that claimed what’s mine already. Show them, baby.” I reach over and tug down the neckline of the white dress she’s wearing, watching her father’s eyes go wide as her mother starts to giggle uncontrollably. I point to the red and purple bite marks. “Those are my fucking teeth marking my fucking woman. And, for the record, I filled her with enough seed in one night to knock her the hell up good. She belongs to me.”
A hand presses onto my shoulder, my fists ready as I spin around.
“I want you out of my house right now. This is a private—”
I don’t give the bronzed asshole a chance to finish.
My punch connects with his chin so solidly it sends a shockwave up my arm. But he’s got some balls, because he re-groups, gritting his teeth, wiping the blood from his chin, his eyes locked on me.