Total pages in book: 127
Estimated words: 120186 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 601(@200wpm)___ 481(@250wpm)___ 401(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 120186 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 601(@200wpm)___ 481(@250wpm)___ 401(@300wpm)
Did I even know the real him?
He snorts like I said something funny. “I think that’s the smartest thing you’ve ever said. Glad you’re getting with the fucking program.”
I swallow my emotions again. “This is your warning, Kade. I know that you know what happened to Saint, and if she’s hurt or in danger, and I find out, I promise there will be hell to pay. In the meantime, I’m going to keep looking for her, keep asking questions and making noise until I get an answer that satisfies me. If that unearths some Bishop skeletons, then so be it, but I won’t stop.”
“I’m not scared of you, Allie. And neither is anyone else in my family. It wouldn’t even be worth the effort to squish you beneath our boots.”
“It’s not me you should be scared of. It’s the people I have in my pocket, the ones that have the power to bring to light all the bad shit you and your family have done. One call and it’s over.”
His entire body locks up, and the blue of his eyes darkens impossibly further.
Good. Let him be mad. Let him realize how serious I am. “Fuck around and find out.” I grin and stuff my hands into my pockets.
I turn my back to him and walk to my car. I can feel his eyes on me, watching every step I take. I know the more noise I make, the more retaliation I’ll face, but I don’t care. I want to find Saint. I need to find her.
By the time I’ve made it to my car, the ache in my chest pulses. I haven’t felt this kind of pain since the night I ended things between us. I’d hoped to never experience it again, but I guess I was wrong.
I was wrong about a lot of things.
Kade was never the man I thought he was.
He’s my enemy.
My demise.
The man I love but can never have.
Chapter 4
Kade
Ihaven’t been able to focus on anything, replaying my confrontation with Allie from two nights ago over and over in my head. I haven’t talked to Allie in over a year. Not since the night she ripped out my fucking heart and stomped all over it.
Yeah, I saw her, been in the same room as her even, on the few times she’s come back from school, but we never spoke. And after seeing her, despite knowing she’s nothing but a snake in the grass, I can’t shut off the emotions that creep to the surface whenever she’s near. When I spotted her car in The Rusty Nail lot, I froze. It was like time stopped.
I tried to walk away, but then I heard the desperate edge to her tone and hesitated. I’ve spent months trying to hate her, but hate isn’t the only emotion I feel when I look at her.
Allie was never just in my head. She’s in my fucking blood. In my heart and soul.
I grit my teeth against the anger that rushes in when I think of that stupid fucking ring on her finger. If she wants to marry some rich fucker, then so be it.
She made her choice. I wish I could shut it off. Forget she exists. Just like the night I drove out to Seattle right after she left for college.
I was determined to fix things. I wanted to be with her, and I thought she wanted to be with me. It wasn’t until I arrived at her dorm that I realized just how one-sided our relationship was. She didn’t even hesitate to kiss another man or invite him back up to her dorm. It was like she had already moved on and forgotten about me and what we shared.
I try not to let that cloud my judgment. I’m here on Bishop business. To silence Allie before she does something that’ll get her killed. She’s as stubborn as a bull and has every intention of burying my family if she doesn’t get what she wants.
And what she wants isn’t something I can give her. I couldn’t tell her that Saint was safe, or that my brother was planning to marry her. If she accidentally told someone, and my father found out, all hell would break loose. Let alone ruin all our plans. Both Calder and I had warned her to mind her own business, but Allie doesn’t give a fuck about danger. She thrives on it.
Rules don’t exist in her world. She lives to break them.
She won’t stop searching for Saint. Not until she gets an answer, or until someone physically stops her. Hopefully, for her own sake, I can.
I run my hands through my hair, shaking the water off after I dunked my head into a clean, cold trough. Usually, I don’t hesitate. If my father gives an order, I carry it out. We all do. That’s how the Bishop family works.