Total pages in book: 61
Estimated words: 60904 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 305(@200wpm)___ 244(@250wpm)___ 203(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 60904 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 305(@200wpm)___ 244(@250wpm)___ 203(@300wpm)
He answers the call. “Who is this?”
“It’s me,” I say in my normal voice—not Bones’ growl or Rand’s cultured accent.
“It’s been a while, Ragnar.” He uses the nickname he gave me years ago.
It’s easier in conversation than what other people call me in fearful whispers: Ragnarök. The end of all things.
“I thought you forgot about me,” Ghost remarks.
“You wish.”
“What’s going on? Don’t you like your fancy new life as Rand Hirst? It was a pain in the ass to set that one up for you. I’m not in the mood to do it all over again.”
“It’s Karolina,” I say roughly.
“So, she doesn’t actually like you,” he surmises. “Figures. How many times have I told you there are plenty of other women out there?”
I’d kill another man for daring to say it, but Ghost has earned the right to give me shit occasionally.
He’s the reason I’ve had the technological capabilities to trace Karolina’s online activities and clone her phone. He led me to the chatroom of her favorite erotica website four years ago, when I posed as Bones for the first time and began our virtual relationship.
But Ghost should know better than to bait me when it comes to her. We might be friends, but he’s still scared of me.
Just less so than most people.
“Someone’s threatening her,” I say instead of engaging with his bullshit. “They left a note at her apartment. They know where she lives.”
“Who do you suspect?” He’s gone deadly serious.
I run a hand through my hair, agitated.
“I don’t know. No one was supposed to find me here. You said you could make a new life for me.”
“You think it’s one of your old enemies,” he concludes.
“You tell me,” I growl. “It was your job to cover my tracks.”
“I might be the best, but I’m not infallible,” he says coolly. “I told you it was risky.”
If someone is targeting Karolina because of me…
“Maybe it has nothing to do with you,” Ghost suggests. “She’s a beautiful woman. Maybe some lesser criminal has become fixated on her.”
I see red. It takes several deep breaths for my vision to clear.
I can’t let myself lose focus now. I’m known for being utterly unfeeling and merciless.
But when it comes to Karolina, I feel everything.
“You okay?” Ghost asks.
“No,” I bark. “Someone is threatening my Karolina. Of course I’m not fucking okay.”
“Jesus, I was just asking.”
“Are you going to help me, or not?”
“It’ll be my usual rate,” he warns.
I can easily pay anything he asks. Especially when it comes to protecting her. I’d spend every last dime of my blood money to keep her safe.
“Done,” I snap. “You know I’m good for it.”
“I just want to be clear that this isn’t a favor. It’s a job. You’re the one who decided to move across the ocean and leave me behind. You’re a client now, not a friend.”
That stings a bit, but no more than an irritating fly.
My worry for Karolina is all that matters now.
She’s all that matters.
“Agreed,” I seethe. “Now, are you going to get to work, or not?”
“Give me her address,” he replies. “I haven’t kept up with her activities since you moved on.”
That’s good for him, because if I found out he’d been keeping tabs on her without my knowledge, I’d get on the next flight and end him. No matter if he was once the closest thing I had to a friend.
“I’ll check CCTV,” he says when I tell him where she lives. “Any other leads?”
“I’ll check the feeds from the other cameras.”
“What other cameras?”
“The ones I installed in her apartment.”
He makes a disgusted sound. “You’re kind of creepy, Ragnar.”
Maybe it’s been too long since he’s seen me. He’s not usually this much of an asshole; he doesn’t dare.
“If it is one of your enemies, they’ll suspect she’s your weakness,” he remarks.
“You think I don’t know that?” The question is meant to be harsh, but it comes out anguished.
Ghost whistles. “She’s really got you fucked up, man. Fine,” he says quickly when I snarl at him. “I’m looking into it. Give me a few hours. I’ll call you back.”
I’m almost at my townhouse a few streets away from Karolina’s building. I made sure to rent the tiny flat above her student accommodation so I can be close to her, but I have this nicer place nearby. I chose it for us to live in once she accepted me in her life.
It’s ideally located for the university. We’ll settle here until we move to the manor that I bought to be our family home, where she can write her books in the peace of the countryside.
Now, I choose to go to the townhouse. If I’d left her apartment and simply walked upstairs, she might’ve noticed.
I don’t like the small distance between us, but I’m still close enough to get to her quickly if I need to.