Total pages in book: 91
Estimated words: 89032 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 445(@200wpm)___ 356(@250wpm)___ 297(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 89032 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 445(@200wpm)___ 356(@250wpm)___ 297(@300wpm)
I fight back a whimper. Always have.
My ghost.
“If I’m so important, then you should let me have a bed.”
“Good try, but no.”
“God, you’re infuriating.”
“Yeah, baby, I know that, but it doesn’t change a thing. You will be mine. You will be close to me at all times.”
I shove against him, and he steps away. I glare, struggling not to be too angry. He smirks at me like he’s enjoying my rage before turning away and heading to the steps.
“By the way.” He pauses and looks back. “What’s in that locked room?”
“Nothing you need to worry about.” Then he walks off. I watch him go, rolling his response over in my mind.
That asshole.
All I want is my own room.
But he’s not going to let me.
Which means I’ll have to get creative.
Chapter 21
Cormac
Bianca sits heavily in the passenger seat of my BMW and does her absolute best not to even look at me.
She’s been doing this since last night. Not exactly ignoring me or giving me the silent treatment—she’ll respond if I directly talk to her—but she’s not going out of her way to engage either.
I get it. I’ll just have to win her over.
“Got you something,” I say, gesturing at the take-out coffee cup in the holder between us.
She narrows her eyes. “What’s that?”
“Poison. Enjoy.”
“Hilarious.” She lifts the cup and sniffs. “Is that hazelnut?”
“It’s from the shop down the street.”
“How’d you know I like hazelnut?” Her eyes narrow at me.
I lean in closer and lower my voice. “I know everything about you, feather.”
There’s a beat as she holds the coffee cup suspended against her plump lips, her eyebrows lifted high as she considers the implications of what I just said. I try not to grin as I hold her gaze, refusing to back down.
In some ways, I love this dance.
It’s fun to flirt with the horror of our actual relationship. There’s a blackness lurking below us, and if we look down, we’ll sink into it.
Sometimes I want to let the void win.
But mostly, we pretend like it’s not there, and that works.
“You’re a creep,” she says finally, taking a sip. “Good coffee though.”
“Glad you like it.” I put the car in drive and head over to the office. “Do me a favor. Try not to go anywhere for lunch today.”
“How am I supposed to eat?”
“Order in. Anything you want. I logged you into my DoorDash account on your phone earlier.”
“You got into my phone?” She coughs, looking outraged. “How’d you know my passcode?”
I don’t bother to tell her that I’ve known it for years. “There’s a good sandwich place nearby if you’re into that sort of thing.”
She rubs her forehead, grimacing. “Thanks, but I’ll take care of myself.”
“I know you can, feather, but life isn’t simple. Remember those two guys who tried to kill you in broad daylight?”
“Yeah, well, speaking of that, shouldn’t you be lying low or something?”
“My family’s handling the police side of things.”
“Right. Of course they are.” She stares out the window as the city slides past. “I’ll be careful, okay?”
“You say that now, but all it took was a few steps out in public and you were nearly killed.”
I can tell she doesn’t like this conversation, but she needs to hear it. Just because she’s unhappy about the Russian guys trying to shoot her in the face doesn’t mean they’ll just decide to move back to Siberia and forget all about her.
“I’ll do what I can,” she says finally once I park out front of her building. “Actually, I meant to ask you something.” She takes a deep breath and turns to face me. “Were you serious about giving me whatever I want to set up my charitable foundation?”
“Absolutely. Money, contacts, resources. Anything I can provide, I will.”
“Good.” She shoves open the door. “I’m going to email you a list of what I need to get moving today.”
“Already making progress?”
She holds up her phone and gives me a cheeky, girlish smile. “I don’t fuck around.” Then she slams the door and stalks away.
I grin to myself. God, that’s an understatement. Bianca’s going to leave a path of death and destruction all throughout this city before she’s done, and I can’t wait to see it.
Once she’s safely inside, I pick up my phone and call Finn.
“What’s going on, big bro?” he says.
“I need you to do me a favor.”
“Pretty sure I already did when I agreed to let you marry Bianca. How’s the whole husband thing treating you anyway?”
Pain in my fucking ass so far.
I decide to ignore him.
“Keep an eye on her today.”
“You got business?”
“Something like that. Make sure she’s safe. Don’t let her leave your floor without eyes on her, understood?”
He sighs. “I love it when you talk to me like an underling.”
“Just do it for me, Finn.”
“She’ll be fine, I promise. I heard about the shit yesterday. I know how persistent those cocksucker Russians can be.”