Total pages in book: 159
Estimated words: 155775 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 779(@200wpm)___ 623(@250wpm)___ 519(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 155775 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 779(@200wpm)___ 623(@250wpm)___ 519(@300wpm)
“Unless one of her sisters dropped her bag with a keycard,” Cash said.
Oh God.
Had that happened? It made sense.
“The card doesn’t have any distinguishing features on it,” Ralen said, picking up the card that she must have dropped at some stage.
Monroe.
Monroe always kept the little card holder that hotels often used. The one that had the room number written on it.
Was she all right? Had something happened to her?
Addie typed that out on her phone. There was no hope of her using her voice at the moment. She showed Cash and Ralen. Maybe she should look into some sort of text-to-speech app.
Cash started swearing quietly as Ralen walked into the bathroom.
“Cash, come in here!” he called out.
Cash raced into the bathroom and she followed, gasping as she saw the message on the mirror.
“I didn’t walk all the way into the bathroom before,” Ralen said. “So I didn’t see it on my sweep.”
Leave or die.
She swallowed heavily, feeling her stomach heave. Who put it there? She’d just assumed that some random asshole had found Monroe’s handbag and the keycard and used it to access the room.
But this . . . this was personal.
The message was so creepy, written in red lipstick on the mirror. Was it meant to look like blood?
“Whoever wrote that really wants to scare you girls out of town,” Ralen said.
Her breathing grew faster, the room spinning.
“Who is it, Addie? Who would write this? Who wants you gone?” Cash asked. “Why are you even here?”
She stumbled back, out of the bathroom and into the main room.
Was this message written by someone who didn’t like them looking for Vextar? But who? Vextar, himself?
All he had to do was sign some divorce papers and they would leave him alone.
Why would he feel the need to threaten them?
Unless it wasn’t him.
Dark eyes peering straight at her.
Oh God.
Had he seen her? But if he had, how did he know where she was staying? Why would he have left her there and then come here to threaten her?
It made no sense.
But she was done. She couldn’t cope.
“Addie! Addie! Listen to me, you’re about to pass out. Addie!” Hands took hold of her shoulders and shook her. “Breathe, baby! You have to breathe or you’re going to pass out.”
She was trying to breathe. Couldn’t he see that? She was attempting to take big gulps, but nothing was going in.
“Addie! Breathe!”
The world around her blurred until she couldn’t even make out his features.
And that was when everything went dark.
7
Fuck!
Cash caught Addie in his arms as she fainted.
What the hell had just happened?
“What the fuck?” Ralen asked. “Did she just panic until she passed out?”
“Seems that way. Fuck. Do you think we should take her to see Hack?” he asked worriedly. He didn’t care that it was three in the morning and Hack was likely asleep.
“She’s probably just exhausted and stressed,” Ralen said. “Don’t think Hack could help. Put her down. She’ll wake up soon.”
She’d better fucking wake up soon.
Ralen pushed a mess of clothes off the sofa, and Cash laid her down before kneeling on the floor next to her. He brushed her hair off her face and then placed two fingers on the pulse on her neck. It was steady.
“She panicked and fainted,” he said to Ralen.
“Well, I guess you don’t come back to a message like that written in red lipstick on your bathroom mirror every day.”
“Right. But who the fuck put it there? What the hell are these girls mixed up in?”
“I don’t know. But I think we probably need to go back to that bar. Without her.”
Cash got what he wasn’t saying.
They couldn’t take Addie in case whoever did this was waiting and watching.
And in case something terrible had happened to her sisters.
“What’s going on with you, Addie? What have you gotten yourself messed up in?” Cash murmured.
And how the fuck was he going to get her out of it?
“Are we calling the cops about this?” Ralen asked.
“Fuck, no.”
“Yeah, that’s what I figured you’d say.”
“I think we should leave it like this, though,” Cash added. “They might have left some clue or evidence behind. Something one of Ink’s guys might find.”
“We’re going to Ink, then?” Ralen asked.
Part of him didn’t want to. He wanted to keep her to himself. However, they needed the help. Ink had resources that Cash didn’t. Not unless he wanted to ask Dante for help.
And no one asked Dante for help unless they were willing to pay the price.
“Yeah, I’ll get hold of Ink now.”
She woke in a moving vehicle.
Sitting up with a gasp, Addie glanced around. Where was she? What was going on? Where were Dotty and Monroe?
“Easy, baby,” someone said. “You’re safe. I have you. You’re safe.”
Who the heck was calling her baby? And safe? Why wouldn’t she be safe? Was something going on?
Suddenly it came back to her. Memories filled her head. She was in Cash’s pickup. Sandwiched between him and Ralen.