Total pages in book: 141
Estimated words: 140780 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 704(@200wpm)___ 563(@250wpm)___ 469(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 140780 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 704(@200wpm)___ 563(@250wpm)___ 469(@300wpm)
“The only way I’ll leave her anywhere near you is if you’re dead.”
“Lucien...” I shook my head with an exasperated sigh. “Stop it.”
“From where I’m standing, you’re the reason she’s been missing for two months.” Dillon stood to his full height, glaring Lucien down. “You’re the problem. Not me.”
Testosterone thickened in the air.
Great.
Awesome.
This was going so well.
“Look.” I smiled. “Let’s all calm down and—”
“Come here, Rook.” Dillon had the stupidity to hold out his hand, expecting me to go to him. To put my hand in his in front of the very man who’d captured my heart and had a little arson problem.
Lucien’s eyes glimmered with ember shards. “My patience is running out where you’re concerned. Leave.”
“Not without Rook!”
Lucien sniffed as if he’d happily send Dillon flying off the cliff.
Whisper snorted as if he’d happily turn Dillon into a late-night snack.
And me...I was just happy a battle hadn’t broken out, even though we were going around in circles.
Dillon suddenly tipped his head back as if all the stress of chasing after me became too much. “Ugh, I’m too old for a pissing contest. You owe me a raise, Elara Snowflake. A big one.”
“And you were doing so well.” I scowled. “You just had to ruin it with the pseudonym jab.”
“Anything to get you to listen to me.” Dillon chuckled, sounding far too familiar. My heart flinched because...I’d always felt so safe around him. It hurt far too much to think our relationship might be a lie.
Dillon scrubbed his face. “Seeing as we’re not getting anywhere, is there a bar around here? I could really use a drink.” Glancing around the gorgeous courtyard, he added, “You’re determined to turn me into an alcoholic before I’m forty.”
“Get out of my home,” Lucien hissed. “Now.”
Dillon crossed his arms, spreading his legs wide just in case Lucien pounced again. “I’m not leaving until I’ve spoken with Rook. Alone. Give her to me.”
“Give her to you?” Lucien smirked with such feral intensity, my knees wobbled. “Why the fuck would I hand her over to someone who was late. Someone who claimed he wanted to protect her yet failed.”
“I got there as fast as I could.” Dillon winced. “And when I did...I found bodies, blood, and her rucksack. I thought she’d been murdered and cut up into tiny pieces.” Taking a step toward me, genuine fear filled his blue eyes. “It looked like a back-alley surgery had taken place. I thought someone had stolen your organs. I couldn’t find you. Couldn’t find a single fucking trace. Your phone didn’t connect. You’d left no note. It was like you’d been butchered and vanished into thin air.”
“My point exactly.” Lucien shrugged. “You failed her and she doesn’t need you anymore because she has something better.” His lips twisted into a sneer. “She has me.”
Pushing up his cuffs, Dillon charged forward. “Listen here, you egomaniac. I haven’t slept in days. I’ve been on more planes and buses than I can count. And I’m this fucking close to losing my temper. Let me talk to my client and—”
“If you dare try to take her away from me, I’ll turn you into a fillet steak for my cat.” Lucien stormed forward and snatched Dillon by the jacket.
“Get the hell off me!” Dillon smashed the edge of his hand over Lucien’s wrist with trained precision, forcing him to let him go.
Lucien tripped backward, shaking out his hand. “Whisper, get rid of this nuisance for me.”
“Wait.” I jumped forward. “Whisper, don’t—”
The panther’s tail puffed into a bristle brush, preparing to obey.
“Whisper, listen to me.” I darted in front of him. “Stop it.”
“Do it,” Lucien commanded. “Kill him.”
Dillon’s eyes popped out of his head. “You’re crazy!”
“Whisper. Don’t you dare.” Spinning to face Dillon, I flinched. “How did you find me? If you couldn’t track my phone and you just admitted you had no way to track me then...how?” My voice started loud but ended soft because...I wasn’t entirely sure I wanted the answer.
Did he track my blood?
Was there something else inside me that meant I could be followed...
“Hang on.” Dillon narrowed his eyes. “Why do I get the feeling you’re not happy I’m here?”
“Answer her question,” Lucien commanded, coming to my side and wrapping a burning arm around my waist. “And then we’ll see if we want to answer any of yours.”
“Fine.” Dillon sniffed. “I found the owner of Misty Meadows B&B. She kindly let me sit through all the security footage—for a fee, of course—and I saw a road train of black SUVs pull up sometime in the night. They left with you.” His eyes pinned on me.
Lucien chuckled coldly. “You expect me to believe you were able to find this location thanks to a licence plate? Do you have any idea who those people were? There’s no fucking way they would’ve told you where—”