Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 79253 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 396(@200wpm)___ 317(@250wpm)___ 264(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79253 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 396(@200wpm)___ 317(@250wpm)___ 264(@300wpm)
I exhale. “No.”
“Fuck. And we don’t have enough time to get you to a shooting range to practice.” He sighs. “Well, you’ll learn quickly. Point and shoot, pretty simple. But I can only loan it to you on one condition.”
“What’s that?”
“Only use it if your life is in immediate danger. If there’s no other choice.”
“Of course.”
“Good.”
My heart thrums. I’m not getting cold feet, but I’m starting to get anxious. This is getting real. Harrison’s talking about me actually shooting someone, ending another human life. Likely the life of one of Rouge’s Kings.
But possibly the life of my sister herself.
She’s evil incarnate, don’t get me wrong. But she’s still my sister.
My sister who knows where I live. Who knows everything about me.
“Harrison…”
“Yeah, babe?”
“If something goes wrong, I probably shouldn’t go back to my own apartment. Rouge knows that’s where I live. She’s never visited me there, of course, but it’s where my checks are addressed to.”
“You’re welcome to crash at my place.”
“I’d love that, don’t get me wrong, but I think it might be best if we got a hotel for the next couple of nights. It’ll be harder to track us that way.”
“Won’t you be booking the hotel under your name?”
“No.” I walk over to my purse, grab my wallet, and reach into a hidden pocket behind my driver’s license window. “I never told you about my pickpocket ex-boyfriend, did I?”
“Your what ex-what?” His voice is tense.
“Calm down. It’s ancient history, and we parted on decent terms. But he knew a guy who knew a guy who could make great fake ID’s. They’re practically indistinguishable from the real thing.” I pull out the fake from the secret pocket in my wallet. “We’ll book it under my pseudonym. Whitney Royale.”
He lets out a short, humorless laugh. “Sounds like a cocktail.”
“My ex said it sounded like a stripper name.”
“That, too.”
“Does Rouge know about your alter ego?”
“No. And she’d have no way of finding it out.”
A pause. “Okay. You can book the hotel. Get somewhere near Aces.”
“I will. I’ll stop at my place and pack a few days’ worth of clothes. You should do the same once you finish up with your shift at the hospital. Once I make the arrangements, I’ll text you the details.”
“Sounds good. See you in a few hours.”
I smile. “I’ll count the moments.”
I decided on the Gilded Rose, a historic hotel off Michigan Avenue that’s within walking distance to Aces. I booked the room online and am now on my way there, lugging a small carry-on bag behind me.
Harrison is waiting in the ornate lobby when I get there with a small suitcase of his own at his side.
I widen my eyes. “I thought you were going to be working for a few more hours.”
He shrugs. “I had already delegated most of my duties to my interns and nurses, so I took off early. I didn’t like the idea of you at this hotel without me.”
I wrap my arms around him, squeeze him tight. It feels like an eternity has passed since we were last together. “I wasn’t too fond of the idea either. But are you sure your patients won’t need you?”
He strokes my hair. “I have a fantastic staff covering for me. I won’t be missed.”
“I’d certainly miss you.” I finally break the embrace, regard his handsome face. “I guess we’d better check in then.”
He gestures to the marble slab to our right manned by people at small computers. We cross over.
A woman with curly blond hair and half-moon spectacles waves us over. “Good afternoon, and welcome to the Gilded Rose. Do you have a reservation?”
I place my fake ID on the counter. “Yes. For three nights. The name is Whitney Royale.”
“Wonderful. Just one moment, Ms. Royale.” She grabs my ID, looks it over, and then returns to her screen. “Yes, you’re in our system. I’ll just need a credit card for incidentals.”
I widen my eyes. I don’t have a credit card with Whitney Royale’s name on it. I forgot about that.
Harrison clearly is thinking faster than I am, because he quickly grabs his wallet and takes out a card. “Those are on me. I’m treating my girlfriend to a weekend of pampering.”
The receptionist smiles at Harrison. “Lucky lady.” She grabs the credit card and runs it through her system. “Everything seems to be in order. One question, though. Would you be interested in upgrading to our luxury suite? It’s almost always booked, but not this weekend. We offer a last-minute discount to guests.”
“How much would it be?” Harrison asks.
She clacks on her keyboard. “It would be a little under five hundred dollars to upgrade for the whole weekend, sir.”
Harrison grins. “Let’s do it. Charge the extra money to my card.”
I grab his arm. “You really don’t have to do that.”
He sears his gaze into mine. “I really think I do.”