Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 90433 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 452(@200wpm)___ 362(@250wpm)___ 301(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 90433 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 452(@200wpm)___ 362(@250wpm)___ 301(@300wpm)
Thank fuck he’d left the truck unlocked.
When he reached his vehicle, he yanked the door open. The hot door handle singed his palm, but he didn’t have time to attend to the discomfort. Heart racing, he practically tossed Kelsie onto the bench seat. She didn’t so much as squeak in protest but scrambled across to the passenger side and buckled in as he started the car.
He didn’t bother with his seat belt or even shutting the door. He crushed the gas pedal to the floor just as the guards reached his truck. One reached into the truck, but it lurched ahead. The abrupt forward momentum caused the door to swing closed.
A pained curse rang out as the door slammed against the guard, knocking him to the ground. Ty grabbed the door handle and hauled it closed, steering with the other hand. They sped down the long driveway.
“Hang on,” he ordered as he reached the end of the driveway. “I’m not slowing for the turn.”
Kelsie nodded and grabbed the oh-shit handle. The truck practically levitated as he swung onto the road without losing speed. As he flew down the road, he checked the rearview mirror every two to three seconds. So far, no one had followed them from Carver’s property. Still, he didn’t risk lowering his speed for another five minutes.
Kelsie hadn’t said a word. She sat, clutching the handlebar and staring at the side mirror.
Ty’s heart sank. Fuck, she had to be scared out of her wits.
With a final glance behind them, he slowed the truck to ten miles above the speed limit. A sign whizzed by announcing a state nature preserve a half mile up the road.
He veered off to the right, following the signs to the park. The preserve consisted of a small lake surrounded by trees. The sign boasted picnic tables, walking trails, and a playground for children. Though the water looked serene, he’d lived in the south long enough to know the toothy reptiles who lurked beneath the surface. Sure enough, small signs posted all around warned of alligators and prohibited swimming.
Being a Monday afternoon, the park was vacant, save for one lone, empty car parked near the entrance. Ty drove to the opposite end of the lot and parked his truck.
“Are you okay?” he said, turning toward Kelsie. He didn’t kill the engine. Without the air conditioning, they’d roast in seconds.
Her head rested against the back of the seat, and she’d closed her eyes. Her breathing seemed even and calm, but Kelsie was skilled at hiding her fear. He wanted nothing more than to reach for her and draw her into his arms, but he didn’t know what the reality of being chased had done to her.
She opened her eyes and rolled her head his way. A smile broke out across her beautiful face, and she chuckled.
What the hell?
Her chuckle grew into a full-blown laugh, which had Ty frowning. Was this a delayed reaction to the stress?
“Oh my God.” She pressed a hand to her stomach, still grinning like they’d come from Disney World instead of being run off her father’s property. “That was insane. Is there something wrong with me if I think that was one of the best experiences of my life?”
Ty snorted. “Yes, Kels, I think so. We almost got fucking caught.”
That had her laughing all over again. The sound was infectious, and he was snickering with her within seconds.
“I’m sorry,” she said as she blew out a breath. “I just feel so free. I mean, I am free. Wanna know what he said to me?”
He couldn’t resist touching her any longer, so he reached out and tucked her hair behind her ear. “What, baby?”
“He told me once I left his house, he would consider me one of you guys, and I’d be subject to the same treatment as any of the Handlers.”
Shit.
“Kels, this isn’t a good thing.”
“Isn’t it, though? I’ve spent so much of my life wishing I wasn’t his daughter. Wishing he had no claim to me, even emotionally. And now he doesn’t. He released me today, which was the greatest moment of my life. Well…” She winked. “In the top five.”
He got it. He really did. And if he were in her shoes, he’d probably feel the same liberation and excitement. But as the man who loved her—and oh fuck how he loved her—all he could focus on was the threat buried in Carver’s statement.
He’d be coming for the Handlers as expected, but now Ty understood he’d show his daughter no mercy.
And that turned Ty’s blood to ice, even as the thought of her being his heated him.
Kelsie stared at him, eyes bright and hot. Her head still rested against the seat back. Her chest rose and fell in a rapid clip, drawing his attention to her tits in that damn tight shirt. “Ty,” she whispered, voice like liquid silk.