Total pages in book: 62
Estimated words: 61942 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 310(@200wpm)___ 248(@250wpm)___ 206(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 61942 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 310(@200wpm)___ 248(@250wpm)___ 206(@300wpm)
“You’re going to help me earn his trust. Let his guard down. Return to his inner circle.”
“Why—”
“Because I want him to hurt the way he hurt me. Because I want the emotional scar to be more painful than the physical one. Because I want him to feel as small as he made me feel when he shot me in the fucking arm.” I didn’t keep my voice down. Couldn’t care less if anyone overheard me. I was certain the locals weren’t oblivious to the Skull King and his illegal activities.
Victor’s eyes flew back and forth between mine. “When he finds out, he’ll kill me.”
“No, he won’t.”
“If he shot you in the arm, he’d have no problem shooting me between the eyes.”
“He won’t shoot you because he’ll be dead.”
Victor turned silent.
“By my hand.”
“Laura, I understand you’re upset—”
“Victor, I could have just pretended to want you and accomplish my goals that way, but I respect you too much to lie to you. You’re going to do this because you owe me—and you owe me big.”
His gaze relocated elsewhere, like he was trying to figure out how to get out of this.
“You should want him dead after what he did to me.”
“Who says I don’t?” His eyes came back to me. “But you don’t understand how powerful he is. You don’t understand how far he can reach. He’s been the Skull King for a long time, and he has a lot of men in the palm of his hand.”
“Once he’s dead, you think they’re going to come after me?” I asked incredulously. “All they’re going to care about is taking his spot. You think they’ll give a shit that his daughter hated him so much she shot him? It’s a family matter, not a business one.”
“If you want to kill him, just take a gun and shoot him.”
“He expects that, so it won’t hurt. He has to trust me. He has to think I’m his loyal daughter.”
Victor took a deep breath then scratched his beard as he considered it. “I thought about killing him myself. When I witnessed what he did to you…I could no longer see him the same way. He had the others watch me, like he thought I might retaliate. It hasn’t been said out loud, but I know he lost the respect of some of his men when he shot his own daughter. Family is the most important thing in our culture, and he shit all over that.” His arms crossed over his chest, and his food remained untouched. “I’m willing to do this for you—but it’s still a lot to ask. I’m putting myself at risk, and your father is one of the smartest men I’ve ever met. He’s not exactly easy to cross.”
I felt like there was more, so I stayed quiet.
“So I want something in return.”
“You want something in return?” I asked with a light laugh.
“I could just slip poison into his scotch. Could stab him in his parlor and walk straight out the door. But this plan is far riskier. So if you want me to do it your way, you need to make it worth my while.”
“What do you want, Victor?”
He stared for a long time.
I knew where this was going.
“I want another chance.”
“Another chance to what?” I played dumb, hoping he would back off.
“Another chance to be with you. I’m not the man I used to be. I’ve proven that by agreeing to help you.”
“If you were the man you should be, you would kill him because he deserves it.”
“I’ll go kill him right now—but it’s not the way you want him to die. And I know you want to be the one to pull the trigger.”
I felt the intensity of his stare, knew how angry Bartholomew would be if he heard this conversation—even though he would have no right to be angry. “I’m not ready to move on, Victor. Bartholomew and I just split up a couple weeks ago. It’s too soon.” I couldn’t imagine another man’s lips on mine. Couldn’t imagine someone else in my bed. Couldn’t picture anyone but Bartholomew.
Victor seemed unsurprised by this. “Then when the time is right, I want the opportunity.”
“Victor.” I didn’t understand his ongoing affection. “It would be easier for you to find someone else and start new. With us…we’re always going to be living in the past. It’s not as if you can’t have any woman you want.”
He didn’t say anything to that, like he needed time to form a response. “That’s true. But you’re the woman I love.”
I couldn’t meet his stare. “I don’t know how you can say that when you’re the one who asked for the divorce.”
“I didn’t ask for it because I didn’t love you. I just…couldn’t handle what happened.”
“Well, what happened has still happened. I was raped, Victor. I will always be a woman who was raped. If we sleep together, all you’ll think about are the men who forced themselves on me. Nothing has changed—just the date.”