Total pages in book: 98
Estimated words: 91423 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 457(@200wpm)___ 366(@250wpm)___ 305(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91423 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 457(@200wpm)___ 366(@250wpm)___ 305(@300wpm)
“You have been used as a honeypot all too many times. But that does mean you are good at it. You have the ability to make any man think you adore him. I imagine you could make me think you liked me, if you were to stop sneering.”
“I’ve earned this sneer, and I have a thousand other facial expressions you would find just as hurtful, I promise.”
The thing about honeypots is that it’s actually very hard to force someone to participate. I liked Teddy genuinely. And I didn’t even know I was being set up by BP, because he was able to manipulate me from a distance. I thought I was meeting Teddy organically. And I thought I was… I had no idea that it was all a ruse.
This direct approach is never going to work. And this man does not have any of the influence over me that BP did. So I’m going to have my grilled cheese and wait for this guy to work out why this is a bad idea on his own.
The butler brings his version of a grilled cheese. It has a lovely caramelized onion in it, which is absolutely delicious. It has a fancy cheese of some kind that I can’t identify, but fully enjoy, and a side of tomato soup.
Eric entertains himself with an E-reader while I sup, and turns on a television program that happens to be an old British comedy in which a husband and a wife turn their suburban acre into a self-sufficient farm, much to the horror of their fancy neighbors.
I, I discover, am having a nice time. This probably indicates something broken deep inside me, but so far I am not being assaulted or insulted, so I’d call that a win.
“So are you planning on keeping me here until I agree? Or are you fine to let me think about it, or, what?”
“If we can’t convince you to help, we can always use you as bait.”
“Oh, that’s fun. We could do a hostage video.”
“You’d prefer to be a hostage?”
“I’d prefer to have another cream tea. The one I had was delicious. And if the cream teas are anything as good as the grilled cheese, I think I am in for a treat.”
Leo
The bullet wound aches, but it’s a comforting kind of hurt. I never really took myself for a masochist before, but here we are. Every time I shift a bit, my gut complains. Apparently stomach shots are some of the most painful you can endure. I am on enough drugs that most of the time it is no more than a dull ache, but the memory of the initial injury is going to stay with me for quite some time.
“Do you need anything?” Luke is by my side, full of guilt. I don’t need him to keep feeling bad, but then again, having him wait on me hand and foot is pretty convenient in my current state. “Do you want snacks? A drink? Do you want me to ask the nurses if they can give you another sponge bath?”
He thinks he’s being funny with that last question, but there really is little dignity in being this wounded. All sorts of things have been done to my person of late, many of which I could have gone a lifetime without experiencing. But I tell myself it’s all useful material. One day, I may find a use for some of these little medical indignities.
Aiden has been less present in person, but I know he’s hard at work behind the scenes trying to uncover who is responsible for what happened to me. Besides Luke, of course.
He makes an appearance mid-morning, not bothering with any pleasantries, or asking me how I am. I’ve been shot. I’m in the hospital. That’s all anybody really needs to know.
“We’ve gotten a video about Ella,” he says grimly. I don’t read too much into his tone. That’s more or less how he always speaks these days. He’s annoyed at me having been shot, I’m sure. He wants to go hunt Ella down, but he can’t have me left vulnerable to further marksmen, and I can’t very well go anywhere, and Luke is absolutely paralyzed with guilt and grief. The three of us have been paralyzed for seven days, and in that time the woman we love has gotten farther and farther away.
“A video about Ella?” Luke perks up. He’s been sleeping in the chair next to my hospital bed every night. I need to get out of here. We all need to get the hell out of here. I feel practically back to normal already, and they could just give me painkillers to take if it gets too bad. I’ve been negotiating for release for a few days now, but the doctors are insistent on my continued stay, and as a result, so are my brothers.