Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 88487 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 442(@200wpm)___ 354(@250wpm)___ 295(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88487 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 442(@200wpm)___ 354(@250wpm)___ 295(@300wpm)
Jin left West’s arms to cross to the left side of the bed. He took the emperor’s hand in both of his and pressed a kiss to his knuckles. “Forgive me for disappointing you.”
“You’ve never disappointed me, Xiao Wei. You terrify me sometimes, but it seems like you have found someone who can protect you and care for you as you deserve.” The emperor patted his eldest son’s cheek with his free hand and sighed. “Now go. Reward your Westin St. James for being so shrewd. I need some rest.”
Jin pressed one last kiss to his father’s hand before releasing it. “Yes, Your Majesty.”
The emperor narrowed his eyes on West one final time. “And you will protect my sons. Do whatever you must to find this person and stop them. You have the full support of the crown.”
West bit back his wicked grin and bowed deeply to Emperor Jin Jiang Yu. Full support of the crown was nice, but he was more than happy to work with his team alone. They were going to find this bastard and end their life. No one was allowed to harm his new fiancé.
20
JIN LONG WEI
Jin said nothing during the car ride from the hospital to the palace. His mind was a twisting vortex of complicated emotions ranging from terror to soaring joy to confusion to fragile hope to terror again.
His father knew of the contract he’d put on his own life.
His father approved of West.
His father knew of the assassination attempts.
His father had agreed to the heart transplant.
It was all too much for his brain to work through. All he knew was that West was still there beside him, holding his hand.
As they reached the palace, he was aware of West and Qin whispering, postponing some of Jin’s afternoon meetings while he escorted him to his apartments. Qin also promised to tell Ming Tao the good news regarding the emperor’s willingness to have the surgery. Of course, that was assuming they could even find a heart for him. Time and the emperor’s rare blood type remained against them.
Jin’s brain snapped out of its foggy fugue state when the door closed behind them, sealing them away from the rest of the world in a little bubble of temporary privacy.
“We need to talk,” West murmured from behind him. His fingers hooked on the collar of Jin’s coat and tugged it from his shoulders.
Jin nodded. It was all he could do. There was too much for him to take in. His heart and brain were at war over where to begin.
After tossing their coats over a chair, West took his hand and led him over to the sofa, where they sat with their knees brushing.
“I’m sorry,” West began, his rough, calloused fingers squeezing his. “I panicked and betrayed your trust by telling him about the source of the first contract.”
There. That was a good starting point, and it allowed him to latch on to an emotion. Jin balled his free hand into a fist and hit West in the shoulder.
“Yes! Why did you do that? My father is at risk of dying of heart failure! Did you think something like that wouldn’t kill him?” Jin demanded as his temper flared.
“I’m sorry! I panicked! He already knew about the assassination attempts on your life. I was afraid that if I didn’t come clean, it would convince him that I was some shady con man who’d sneaked into your life. He would think that I was the reason someone was trying to kill you. I was afraid the emperor would force me out of your life.” The words poured out of West in a wild deluge, the fingers on his hand tightening so that he thought the man was going to crush bone. Jin could imagine the fear that had gripped him at that moment as he’d spilled their secrets.
Jin leaned close, pressing their foreheads together. “I would never let that happen. You’re not allowed to leave Gaoxing until I say so. Didn’t I tell you? You’re my prisoner.”
The hold on his hand eased, and West lifted them to his lips. He kissed each tip, repeating his apology to each finger.
A soft sigh fell from Jin’s lips, and he straightened. “I don’t blame you. It’s my fault for not warning you how devious and sneaky my father can be. With Shen Xiao Dan at his side, there is very little he doesn’t know. I’m pretty sure the man figured out I was gay before I did.” West lifted one eyebrow at him in question and Jin shook his head. “Can you imagine getting the sex talk from your father, Emperor of Gaoxing, at age fourteen, but it’s the gay-sex version? I couldn’t meet his eyes for three months without my cheeks burning. He was right, of course, but he didn’t need to figure that out ahead of me.”