Total pages in book: 147
Estimated words: 136048 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 680(@200wpm)___ 544(@250wpm)___ 453(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 136048 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 680(@200wpm)___ 544(@250wpm)___ 453(@300wpm)
The Uber driver steps on the gas, and I have to give it to him; he flies almost as fast as Ace. He doesn’t quite beat his record, but I’m sure if he knew he was in a race, he probably would have pushed it a little faster.
As the driver pulls up outside my home, I log in to the security system and disable the notifications before pushing out of the car and thanking the driver. Then just as I make my way up to the door, my phone starts to ring in my pocket.
Hunter.
Shit.
Despite knowing that I should just ignore it, my guilty conscience can’t let it go, and I accept the call, holding the phone between my shoulder and ear as I unlock the front door and quickly make my way inside.
“Harper?” Hunter demands before I get a chance to say hello. “Where the fuck are you?”
“It’s best you don’t know,” I tell him, walking straight through to the bedroom I share with Knight and into our walk-in closet. “I know it’s pointless asking, but sit this one out. I need to do this.”
“Need to do what?” he demands, panic thick in his tone.
Finding Knight’s safe, I enter the code before reaching in and curling my hand around the small handgun. I hold it up, and after a quick inspection, I reach for the magazine.
“Goodbye, Hunter,” I say, ending the call.
Then, with the gun in my hand, I stride right back out of the house, ready to rain down hell over Elias Slater.
33
HARPER-RAYN
Ahhh, what a beautiful day for revenge.
Call after call comes through from Knight, Hunter, Ace, and Diesel, and not wanting to deal with the onslaught of getting my ass verbally handed to me, I turn off my phone before entering the gate code at the bottom of Elias’s driveway.
I don’t make a habit of ignoring Knight’s calls. I usually can’t get enough, especially when he’s all worked up and making demands, but I know exactly what’s going to come out of his mouth if I answer his call, and I can’t stand hearing the fear in his tone when he eventually figures out where I am. He’ll beg and plead for me to turn around and run as fast as I can, and if I allow him to, he’ll make me crumble. I’ll cave like a little bitch, but not on my watch. Not today.
I’m not holding back. Elias took my baby sister, and now it’s time to pay.
The large gate begins to open, and I hit the gas, sailing up the long driveway and parking my car right in the very front. I storm out of the car and straight up to the door before trying the handle. It’s locked, but I should have seen that coming. Instead, I make my way to the living room window, take the gun, and smash the glass until there’s a hole big enough for me to stride right through.
I welcome myself into the massive home, the gun tucked safely in the back of my pants, and while there might have been a time when I was impressed by this monstrosity, now I only find it cold.
Making my way into the heart of the home, I stand in the one vantage point where I can see everything. The stairs, the office, the kitchen, the living room, and as I glance around and take it all in, I realize this house isn’t a home. Not even close.
The handful of times I’ve been here have always been during a dinner party, where Mom had a team of people decorate—to put on an elaborate show and bring warmth into the house—but without all of that, it just seems lonely. But I’m not here to fault Mom’s lack of interior design skills. Instead, I focus on the camera that’s situated on the ceiling.
I open my arms wide. “You got me right where you want me, Elias,” I call toward the camera, my gut telling me he isn’t far away. “You’re never going to get a better chance than this.”
I clench my jaw, my heart racing with fear, but I also feel a strange clarity knowing that I’m here for a reason, and not a damn thing is about to stop me from finally putting an end to the bullshit.
“Come out, come out, wherever you are.”
I walk circles around the open space, my gaze jumping from one direction to the next, before always looking back again and checking my six. Elias won’t get the drop on me today.
“Oh no! Look at all this unbruised skin,” I taunt. “Surely there’s a messed-up psychopath around here desperate to ruin it. Whatever shall I do?”
The seconds turn into minutes when I start to get bored. “Don’t be foolish, Elias,” I call into the big house. “You know just as well as I do that Knight has his whole team tracking my every movement. It won’t be long before he’s busting this door down, so if you want me, you need to strike while the iron’s hot. Are you really going to let me slip through your fingers again?” I wait another minute, and all I get is silence. “Just as I thought, weak.”