Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 85183 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 426(@200wpm)___ 341(@250wpm)___ 284(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 85183 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 426(@200wpm)___ 341(@250wpm)___ 284(@300wpm)
"I'm not gonna let anything happen to her. I don't know what the fuck I'll do if Stan doesn't bring me Joe. We'll be more than fucking fucked."
"Okay. Well, then we try something else, but whatever happens, you let her go, unharmed. Where is she?"
He closes his eyes. "With Rich..."
I take a step back away from him. "Rich? You left her with Rich?" There's an edge of hysteria in my tone. Why the hell would he leave her with him? I lean my forearm against the nearest wall and hunch over, clutching my stomach as a wave of nausea hits me.
"Shit," he mumbles, rubbing his hand over my back. "I told him if he didn't touch her I'd pay him a quarter million. That bastard would let his own dick rot off for fucking money. He won't do anything to her."
I shake my head. "Marney. You need to send Marney," I tell him.
"I need Marney with me, Tor. I know you hate Rich, but he won't touch her. You have to trust me."
I turn around, pressing my back to the wall. "It's not you I don't trust." Fuck, I hate the idea of this, but what choice do we have? This is a war we're fighting with Joe.
"It's just for tonight. Joe comes in tomorrow. Twelve hours from now, she'll be free and we'll be gone. Joe will be dead."
"Okay, but you're going to call that spineless shit and you're going to let me talk to him. I'll cut his fucking dick off and feed it to him if he touches her. That's not even a dramatic threat. I mean it," I growl.
He raises an eyebrow at me. "Really?"
"Ask Mussa." His lips pull into a smirk at that comment. "Damn." He places one hand on the wall and leans into me. "You're hot when you get violent." His lips skim up the outside of my throat, stopping just below my ear. My pulse skitters wildly, but I press a hand against his chest, pushing him back.
"Call him. Now."
He smirks. "As you wish."
The old truck rumbles along the interstate, the street lights casting an intermittent glow across the cab. Tor fidgets nervously beside me. Her hand is in mine, her leg bouncing anxiously.
"Tor," I say, and she glances up at me. She's biting her lip; worry etched across her face. "When Marney drops me off, that girl is going to get in the car with you. Do not fucking untie her."
She closes her eyes. I know that is going to be hard for her to deal with, but there is no way around this. "Just don't even look at her, okay? Pretend like she's not even here."
She nods. "Okay." Her eyes dart to mine. "Please be careful." She closes her eyes again and takes a deep breath.
"When am I not careful?" I smile as I brush a fingertip across her cheek.
Her eyes flash open, the steel blue of her irises searing right through me. "The second anything happens, you get out." Her fingers trace over my jaw. "I will not lose you to him too," she whispers.
"Nothing's gonna happen to me." I take a quick breath as I glance out of the window.
We're pulling off the interstate. I need to quickly make sure she understands this all before I leave. "You don't get out of the car. If Marney tells you to leave, you do it. Don't argue."
The truck sputters to a stop. She looks utterly terrified and grabs onto my arm.
"Tor, I'm coming right back."
She releases me and I climb out of the truck. I hear Rich coughing, and see the interior lights to his car come on when he opens the door. He lumbers around to the trunk and opens it. I come up behind him and my stomach knots. Sofia is crammed into the trunk, arms and legs bound, mouth gagged. All I can think about is that this is how Tor was brought to me. I shut that thought out.
Sofia's eyes are wide, her face soaked with tears. Rich reaches down and grabs the restraints, yanking her up, and I shove him out of the way. "Don't fucking hurt her," I shout, and Rich steps back.
I gently pull her out of the trunk and carry her to Marney's truck. She's shaking in my arms and whimpering. My chest tightens. I make a conscious effort not to look down at her as I approach the car. Rich walks ahead of me and opens the back cab of the truck.
"This will be over soon enough," I say as I place her in the back seat.
Marney glances back at me. "We'll be waiting on you," he says.
I make my way to the front passenger side. Tor's gaze is fixed straight ahead. I know she doesn't want to look back. I know that girl being in the car with her is probably killing her. I open the door and lean in. Tor turns her face towards me, her fingers brushing over my jaw. Her brows pull together in a frown and fear masks her features.