Total pages in book: 102
Estimated words: 96460 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 482(@200wpm)___ 386(@250wpm)___ 322(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 96460 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 482(@200wpm)___ 386(@250wpm)___ 322(@300wpm)
Shawn nodded. “Of course.”
“The man who’s coming here,” Ethan said, “believes Olivia is dead, so she can’t be seen with either of you. A cockpit’s fine, as long as you two aren’t passengers.”
Shawn straightened. “All right.”
“Good.” He put his hands on his hips, and his expression went utterly serious. “This is really important. Next time you see me, if you don’t know I’m coming, then you don’t know me. I’ll try to stop that from happening, but sometimes things move too fast and I can’t give you any warning. It could go badly for me if this man finds out I’m not who I say I am.”
Kara’s throat bobbed, as if she swallowed hard.
“Understood.” Shawn let that hang for a moment, before shifting his attention to me. “Jason, my brother, will meet you tomorrow morning to get you settled. There will be a car waiting for you outside the hotel at eight.”
“Thank you.”
Ethan asked it like he already knew the answer. “I don’t suppose you’d consider postponing your wedding until this is all over?”
Kara’s laugh was tight. “You go right ahead and talk to Gisela Osterhägen about that. Jason and Laurel denied her a big wedding, and the only way my sister got off the hook was to make her a grandmother.”
“My mother has a way of getting what she wants.”
Kara gave her fiancée a knowing look. “Thank God that trait skipped you.”
He smirked, but then sobered as he looked at Ethan. “Postponing’s not an option, but security will be strict.”
“All right,” Ethan said. “Be careful.”
“Same to you both,” Kara answered back.
21
ETHAN
I scanned the hotel suite. The enormous room was decorated in yellows and was the complete opposite of the room where Olivia and I had spent the morning. A huge, inviting bed waited on one side of the room, opposite a sitting area.
“This all right?” I asked.
She gestured to the opulent room. “Yeah, I think I’ll survive.” She took a few steps forward, moving as if she were going to sit on the couch, but a thought interrupted her. “Are you sure Munich is the best place? Is this safe for me? For you?”
No, of course it wasn’t, but Gio had thrown a fucking wrench into my plans that were already in motion. “Gio won’t be here until the morning. Just keep your distance from the Dunns, and I’m sure we’ll be fine. You know how the Abramos are. They don’t pay attention to the people they think are beneath them.”
I studied her long locks of dark brown hair, evaluating, and she didn’t seem to like that. “What is it?”
“Changing your hair wouldn’t hurt. You could probably go lighter and have it look natural.”
She sucked in a breath. “How light? I don’t want to go blonde.”
I blinked away my knee-jerk annoyance. With everything else happening, this was a concern?
But her expression was odd. She hadn’t lied, and yet there was something buried in her statement. Anxiety? “Are you that married to being a brunette?”
“I happen to like how I look, but I’m not stupid. If you want me to change it, I’ll change it.”
I closed my eyes and rubbed the spot on my forehead that ached with exhaustion. I didn’t want her to change the way she looked. “Don’t misunderstand me. I happen to like the way you look, a lot, but this is a good idea.”
I stood across the room from her, but I saw the reaction in Olivia regardless. She always seemed lost when I told her she was beautiful. Almost as stunned as I was every time it came out of my mouth. Had no one told her that before? Maybe I’d keep saying it until the shock wore off.
Well, there was a dangerous thought.
“I’ll get someone to come by,” I said, “and bring you what you need tonight.” Since she had nothing except the clothes she wore and the backpack Fletcher had given her.
“You’re not staying?” Immediately, she looked like she wished she had the words back. “Of course you’re not staying, I don’t know why I said that. Go.” Her voice was strong and her eyes clear. “Make Gio pay for what he did to my crew.”
There was a pang of reluctance in my center. “If you need to get in contact, text me with the phone Fletcher gave you. Something short and innocuous.”
“Okay.” Her green eyes kept my feet planted on the floor, unable to move. “Good luck, Ethan.”
It was suddenly difficult to find words. I wanted to kiss her. When would I get a chance to again?
“Fucking hell,” I swore. It was the only warning I gave before storming over to her, grasping her face in my hands, and slamming my mouth over hers.
Unlike last time, Olivia was ready. She tunneled her fingers through my hair, holding me tight. Her lips parted and welcomed my tongue, and when she moaned, I began to falter. Maybe I could stay for a little while. Five minutes, ten minutes tops.