Total pages in book: 77
Estimated words: 77160 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 386(@200wpm)___ 309(@250wpm)___ 257(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77160 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 386(@200wpm)___ 309(@250wpm)___ 257(@300wpm)
“Jesus, Monroe, what happened to your arm?”
Maybe Frank was a good liar.
But that confusion felt genuine to me.
“Frank, you don’t remember?” I asked, my voice small and guarded. Because me? I was a damn good liar. I’d lied to him ever since the first time we talked since I started working for him.
“Last night is… fuzzy.”
“Frank, you attacked me.” My voice went soft, hurt.
“I… no…”
“Yes. You grabbed me on the street when I was walking home, and you said so many hurtful, awful things to me.” Those tears making my eyes go watery? Pure performance.
“What? Why… I don’t understand.”
“You… you kept calling me terrible things. You said I was a slut and a whore and…” I broke off with a little sob. “I can’t. It was too awful.”
I reached up, wiping a tear off my cheek.
“Something happened to me last night.”
“You were… unhinged.” That word was pushing it, but it was also accurate.
“I was drugged. I don’t even remember it. I don’t even know how I got to the hospital.”
“I called the police,” I told him. “You stumbled and then just… you just fell. You were unconscious. My phone was dead, so I had to run and call for the ambulance.”
“Oh. That fills in some gaps.” He seemed relieved at that. I hated that I gave him even a second of that. “Monroe, you have to know, I would never put my hands on you if I were in my right mind!”
Oh, yeah?
I had a band of bruises that said otherwise.
And I wasn’t going to let him off that easily.
“You really hurt me,” I told him, sniffling. “It still really hurts,” I added.
His gaze slid to my arm again.
“I can’t believe I did that.”
“It’s not just that. Those terrible things you said…” I shook my head, my gaze sliding away like I couldn’t even look at a man who thought those things of me.
“I was out of my mind! I would never say things like that to you. I know you’re my good girl.” Oh, gross. “Maybe I thought I mistook you for someone else. I would never say things like that about you. Or put my hands on you. I… I’m horrified.”
That makes two of us.
“It was horrible.”
“What do you need? What can I do? I can make this right.”
There was nothing anyone could ever do to make up for bruising you on purpose.
“I don’t know. I can’t even… think about it.”
“I’ll think about it. I’ll figure something out. I can’t stand that you can’t even look at me.”
He couldn’t stand that he thought his chances of getting me on my back or knees were gone. That was all this was.
“I hate that I’m thinking about you differently now.”
“You don’t have to! I would never, ever do that to you if I wasn’t drugged.”
Except he had.
“Look, I have an important meeting tonight at Hell’s Kitchen, but tomorrow, tomorrow I will sort this all out and make it up to you. I promise.”
I gave him a little nod, my gaze averted.
Which was good.
Because he didn’t see the joy in my eyes at having information to feed Milo.
“I’m so sorry, Monroe,” he said, shaking his head.
As he walked away, he ran a hand over his head, like he was genuinely perplexed.
That could not have gone better.
I ran over to slip into my slides and put on my duster, then made my way out of the casino.
I waited until I was a few doors away before I reached for my phone to text Milo.
Frank has an important meeting tonight at Hell’s Kitchen. Thought that might be important.
His response was quick. Seconds, really.
- Thank you. Can you come to the hotel?
My stomach clenched as my memory flashed back to being caught leaving.
But, I reminded myself, Frank was going to be busy tonight.
Besides, I clocked one of Remo’s guys nearby. Surely, if he knew Frank was around, he would text Milo not to let me leave.
On my way.
I still couldn’t stop myself from glancing all around, paranoid that Frank or his men might be anywhere. But I saw no one watching me but Remo’s guy as I quickly rushed into the hotel.
Milo must have been waiting by the door because it flew open as soon as I walked up.
“Where’s all your stuff?” he asked, brows pinching as he moved aside to let me in.
He was in another of his suits, but the jacket was draped over a chair and his sleeve buttons were undone. He looked like he’d just come in and had started to get comfortable.
I dropped my heels behind the door.
“I just wanted to be quick tonight,” I said, shrugging.
“Why?” he asked.
But it was right then that I pulled off my duster.
His gaze zeroed in on my arm.
I swear it was like a current shot through him.
His whole body jolted.
His jaw went to stone.