Total pages in book: 106
Estimated words: 105231 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 526(@200wpm)___ 421(@250wpm)___ 351(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 105231 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 526(@200wpm)___ 421(@250wpm)___ 351(@300wpm)
Bollocks.
“I have to tell you everything now,” she told him after he finished. “Because I don’t think we should tell the FBI or Interpol and I need your advice.”
“All right,” he said. “Tell me.”
She told him everything up to where the General left her in that room. When she’d thought it was all over and he was going to have her killed.
Getting up, Travis started to pace. “Fuck. Fuck. How did you escape then?”
“After the General left some time passed. I don’t know how much time, I was too busy freaking out. Then a different guy walked in. He was quiet and he didn’t say anything to me. But he drew out this needle. I tried to scream, but he muffled it and injected my neck. I thought the General had ordered him to kill me. But when I came to, Tyler was shaking me awake and we were in the middle of the forest. He said the same thing had happened to him. Someone drugged him and dumped him with me.”
“The General?” he asked.
“That’s the only person it could be. He must have decided that he didn’t want to kill us. I don’t know why. We just got up and moved as quickly as we could away from the compound. Then the explosions started and Gray found us. I think I must have passed out because that’s all I can remember before waking up here.”
“You did. Fuck. You can’t tell anyone about the General.”
“Yeah, that’s what I thought.” If she did and the General found out . . . he might not be so forgiving next time. “But what do I say?”
“Just leave that part out entirely. They’ll never know and Tyler never saw him so his statement won’t incriminate you. Can you do that, baby?”
“I can do anything as long as I’m with you.”
There was pure frustration on the agents’ faces.
“So you didn’t see the General?” Miranda asked.
“No,” she lied.
“He wasn’t there?” Charles asked.
“I don’t know. Aadan didn’t say.” She swallowed heavily. “Do you know what happened to him?”
“We’re still liaising with the local authorities. But it seems like several bodies were in the burning buildings. We just need to identify them,” Charles told her.
God.
She hoped that poor servant had gotten out.
“But why would someone drug and release you?” Miranda repeated.
“I really don’t know.” Her head was starting to throb. “Why didn’t people get out of the buildings?”
“The doors were chained and the fire ignited quickly,” Charles explained.
Oh God.
“I’m going to be ill.”
“That’s enough,” Travis repeated, leaping up and grabbing a pan to put under her mouth “You need to finish up now, she’s been through enough.”
She gagged but nothing came up. She couldn’t remember the last time she ate.
“All right,” Charles said. “But if you remember anything else, let us know.”
They both left the room.
Sitting back, she breathed shallowly. Even with some painkillers in her system, her ribs still ached. She stared up at Travis, grasping hold of his hand. “Do you think Aadan was in there?”
He grimaced. “Yeah, baby. I think he probably was.”
Relief and sadness mingled. “So it’s over?”
“It better be. Because I can’t take anymore.”
“I’m sorry I’m so much hassle,” she told him. “Bet you wish you had a simpler, easier girlfriend who never got into trouble.”
“Goldie, I don’t want anyone but you.” He wiped her face for her. “I could never want anyone else for as long as I live. Although if you do want to live a simpler, easier life, I won’t object.”
“To a simpler, easier life with no crazy ex-boyfriends, fires, or warlords. Not too much to ask for, right?”
“Not too much at all.”
46
“How do you feel?” Travis asked. “Are you cold? Sore?”
“I’m fine, Travis. Really.” He was fussing too much. “I don’t think I need to come to work with you anymore.”
Three weeks had passed since they’d returned home from Africa. She’d had to spend several days in the hospital there before she was cleared for flying. She had three cracked ribs and a lot of bruising. She was still in quite a bit of pain. But the pain wasn’t nearly as bad as the nightmares she was suffering from.
Every night she woke up screaming after reliving the kidnapping, the meeting with Aadan, with the General.
And worst of all, the thought that she and Tyler were going to die.
That was likely part of the reason for Travis’s overprotectiveness. This was only his second day back at the office. Yesterday, they’d only stayed a few hours before he’d suddenly turned off his computer, picked her up and carried her to his vehicle.
He'd claimed she’d looked tired. Maybe she had, but she also thought that he was struggling to concentrate while worrying over her. Poor Travis, he seemed to blame himself for what had happened to her and Tyler.
But the only person at fault was Aadan.