Total pages in book: 70
Estimated words: 67479 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 337(@200wpm)___ 270(@250wpm)___ 225(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 67479 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 337(@200wpm)___ 270(@250wpm)___ 225(@300wpm)
“So, why are you here, then?”
Touché, motherfucker.
“You are my boss, and I wanted to make sure you’re okay.”
“Why did you come to the fight?”
I grab a fork from the drawer. “I like watching you fight.”
“Your son asked me to train him,” he says nonchalantly.
“Sorry, what?”
“When he asked me what I do for fun, I told him I box. He asked me if I could teach him because kids are mean to him at school.”
I stand there, baffled at this information. Oliver has never mentioned to me that he’s being bullied, and yet he told a man he hardly knows.
“Do you plan to stab me again?” he asks, and I notice I’m holding the fork a little too tightly.
“He’s being bullied?” I ask as I hand over the fork.
“I don’t think so. I asked him about it, and he just mentioned that kids are mean.”
That makes me sad. You never want your kid to feel like an outsider or an easy mark for someone to pick on.
“He’s a good kid, and I would be happy to train him.”
“Thank you.” I rest my elbows on the counter and stare at him as he eats.
“Are you eating?” he questions.
“I’ve eaten already. Plus, I have to make sure you don’t die on me.”
“You leave in a few days for your trip, right?” he asks, changing the subject.
“Yep. I’m so excited to see my family. I feel like it’s been forever since I hugged my mother.”
His expression shifts to something like confusion at my confession, and I smile at him as he continues to eat.
“Are you giving Maya money again?” I ask.
“No.”
“Are you telling me the truth?”
“Lying to you seems almost impossible now,” he says and takes another bite.
“Tell me about the Forsaken.”
He groans, and I know it’s not something he can talk about, but I thought I would try.
“How does it feel to be the Lord?”
“How do you even know that word?” he asks.
“I’ve learned a lot. Want to know what?” I smirk as I eagerly wait for him to answer.
“Tell me.”
“Are you sure? I mean, you aren’t going to kill me or anything?”
“I won’t kill you.”
“Okay, good. So, what I have learned is that you have different types of events for your members. For example, one is for girlfriends or boyfriends, and no wives are allowed.” I watch him intently, but he gives nothing away, so I continue, “The other is for wives, though one of your members, Reon, had his wife at an event that was for girlfriends only.”
“They are inseparable.” He lets this tidbit slip, and I nod.
“He seems to really love her.”
“Yes, they are in love,” he confirms.
“And then we have the hunts.”
He noticeably tenses at my words, and I know I’ve hit something big. I never intended to bring this up to him. I thought I would let my work die when I started working for him. It was probably one of the most complex stories I’ve ever worked on. Getting information about the Forsaken is almost impossible, and what I have is only hearsay. I never had any proof. They’ve obviously been a tight-lipped group for many years. I don’t even know precisely how long the Society has been around.
“I don’t know how often the hunts happen, or when they happen, but stories have been whispered that it’s not animals you hunt.”
He remains silent as he sits across from me, waiting for me to talk again. But that’s all the information I have. I know he’s some leader in the Society, which makes sense because he’s a mighty powerful man. Not that the other members aren’t powerful in their own right, but he is on a different level. I’m not really sure how to explain it.
“I’m getting tired,” he admits, then yawns.
“Good. Let’s go watch a movie,” I suggest.
“I don’t watch movies.”
“You have to. No sleeping,” I admonish as I put his plate in the sink.
Soren’s phone starts ringing, and we both see Maya’s name flash on the screen.
“If she comes here, I am not going to be held responsible for what I do to her,” I warn him.
“She doesn’t have keys any longer,” he says. “What movie are we going to watch?”
“Pride and Prejudice.” I smile happily.
“That sounds like an awfully boring movie.”
“Shut up. It’s based on one of the best romance books ever written.” I exaggerate a swoon as I kick off my shoes and fall back onto his large sofa. I tap the spot next to me, and he comes over and sits. He smells of vanilla and whatever else is in his body wash.
“I prefer a movie where everyone dies,” he grumbles.
“How boring,” I reply.
I find the movie on a streaming platform and press play.
As the opening credits roll, I turn to find him staring at me.
THIRTY-SIX
SOREN
How do I keep her here and never let her escape?