Total pages in book: 101
Estimated words: 94436 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 472(@200wpm)___ 378(@250wpm)___ 315(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 94436 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 472(@200wpm)___ 378(@250wpm)___ 315(@300wpm)
It had killed him. Fucking killed him. He hadn’t known how to make it better. How to explain. Because there wasn’t a sufficient explanation. And now he was sitting across from Dimitri, looking at the prospect of war that would put Stella in danger. It was a fucking bad day.
Jay ached to put a bullet in the square jawed asshole’s brain, but it wasn’t exactly that simple.
Dimitri leaned back in his chair, sighing audibly. “Ah, but moy drug, we are not asking if you want a partner. We are telling you you now have one.” He grinned, showing straight, white teeth.
Jay’s blood turned hot, his heart roaring in his ears as red crept to the edges of his vision. The second Dimitri turned up at Klutch two months ago, Jay knew that this wasn’t going to end peacefully. He’d gone through the motions because he’d needed to be smart. Needed to make preparations. Needed to put protections in place for Stella.
Before her, he would’ve been smart, yes. But he likely would’ve had this over and done with a lot sooner. His action would’ve been swift. Brutal. Effective, yes. But only effective because he’d had nothing to lose. There had been no way to hurt him.
Now there was Stella.
That was not only a way to hurt him. It was a way to destroy him.
He’d dragged this out. And now Dimitri was sitting in his office, making it clear that action was needed.
Blood would need to be spilled.
Leading right up to their fucking wedding.
If there was still going to be a wedding.
His office phone rang on that thought. “I’ve got to take this,” he said to Dimitri. “Business doesn’t stop.”
Dimitri stood. “No it doesn’t. We’ll be in touch. Soon.” There was threat in his voice, but Jay was not scared, therefore he nodded in dismissal.
“Jay Helmick,” he answered, his mind still on Stella. Stuck on the one fear that he was nursing … that he’d lost her again. For good. He deserved to. But Stella wouldn’t leave. They were tied together. For better or for fucking worse.
“Jay, it’s Richard, Stella’s dad.”
Jay straightened immediately, Richard’s tone making his blood turn cold.
“Is Stella with you?” Richard asked.
Jay was already tapping on his computer, locating her using the tracking software he’d put in her phone.
“No, but I know where she is,” he said, standing up. “What’s going on?”
“Her mother died suddenly,” Richard told Jay in a hoarse voice. “I called her to tell her, and we got disconnected. I haven’t been able to get hold of her since.”
“I’ve got her,” Jay assured him. “We’ll fly there this afternoon.”
“Thank you, Jay,” Richard responded, the man’s voice barely holding on to the even tone he was obviously forcing.
“We’ll see you tonight,” Jay said, then he paused at the elevator. “And, Richard, I’m sorry.”
As Jay hung up, he found he was sorry. Because he’d heard it in the man’s voice. What would be in Jay’s if he ever lost Stella. And it scared the shit out of him.
He had to find her.
She was sitting on a bench in Santa Monica, staring out at the sea. The breeze was cold, and she was only wearing a camisole. Jay immediately took off his jacket and put it over her shoulders. Stella didn’t even move as he did so. Didn’t even look at him.
A tiny spark of fury ignited at her being so lost in herself. Regardless that she was quite obviously going through a lot, that was no excuse. How easily someone could mark her. Hurt her. Damage her in all sorts of ways. Jay had trouble enough not putting one of his men on her at all times—he knew she’d fight that—just so he could be sure that she was safe at any given moment.
Now was not the time to chastise her for being so flippant with her safety, though. It was a time to help her. Comfort her. Jay had no fucking clue how he was meant to do that.
It was a punch to Jay’s stomach seeing her like that. She seemed so small. Tiny. Like she’d shrunk down in the space of a couple of hours. With one phone call. Stella, despite her physical characteristics, had always been so large to him. So strong. She took up every space in a room, and people couldn’t help but notice her because she was fucking radiant. Stunning, charismatic, somehow managed to talk about her fucking cat or her favorite sci-fi television show with someone she’d just met, and they’d hang on her every word like she was giving them top secret information.
She was bigger than anything else in his life, her presence, her essence spreading to even the darkest of corners. Now it was as if this news had sucked all of the life out of her.
And if he hadn’t fucked up with Felicity, Stella wouldn’t have found herself sitting on a filthy park bench without a sweater, a prime target for anyone who wanted to take her. Stella would’ve gone to him. Because she’d gone to him with her pain, she’d trusted him with it.