Total pages in book: 153
Estimated words: 155903 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 780(@200wpm)___ 624(@250wpm)___ 520(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 155903 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 780(@200wpm)___ 624(@250wpm)___ 520(@300wpm)
Faith winced at the noise, her breath wheezing in and out of her lungs.
Shock filled her as Alejandro stepped into the house. He was accompanied by his two bodyguards. She’d seen them with him at Reuben’s office. And she thought she’d seen them at the charity dinner last night too.
Wait. Was that only last night?
So much had happened.
“Lass? Hey, lass, you all right?”
She stared up at the man speaking to her. He had a Scottish accent? Scottish accents were so sexy.
“Well, thanks, lass. But don’t say that in front of Reuben. I like my head attached to my body.” He winked at her.
“Yes, heads are better when they’re attached to bodies.” She winced as there was another smack of a fist against flesh.
“Stop him! Stop him!” Cammie cried. “He’s going to kill him.”
“Eric was going to kill me moments ago so why shouldn’t Reuben kill him?” Faith asked numbly.
“Okay, I think you’re in shock, lass. We can’t have anyone dying. Not here, anyway.” The guy with the Scottish accent gave Cammie an assessing look.
“Reuben, enough. Let him go.” Alejandro grabbed Reuben, pulling him off Eric.
Oh, that’s why he’d been standing back. To stop Reuben from killing Eric.
“Good job.” She gave Alejandro a thumbs up as he held Reuben back. The other bodyguard had to join him as Cammie let out a cry, falling to her knees beside Eric.
What was she doing?
Faith stared down at her friend in disbelief. “Cammie, get up.”
“Look what he did to him!” she wailed. “You beat him!”
Reuben was still being restrained by Alejandro and his other bodyguard. Huh, they were actually finding it hard to keep him back. To keep him away from Eric.
“Cammie, he hit you,” Faith said numbly. “And he was going to kill me.”
Reuben let out a loud noise that made her jump.
“Oh, he’s mad,” she whispered.
“Yep,” the Scottish guy said. “And we really need him to calm down in case the neighbors have called the cops.”
“What’s your name?” she asked.
“The Scot.”
“Imaginative. He needs me.” Faith didn’t know how she knew that, but she just did. Reuben wouldn’t calm down until he had her in his arms.
“Uh, lass, I’m not so sure . . .”
But she ignored the Scot’s words. And he didn’t try to stop her as she got up and stumbled past.
She glanced down at Eric, but the sight of him didn’t stir a reaction.
She felt so blessedly numb.
“Being numb is nice. I might want to feel like this all the time.”
“Unfortunately, you’re in shock, lass,” the Scot said as he followed her. “The numb won’t last forever.”
She tried to get close to Reuben, but Alejandro turned and held out a hand to stop her. “Stay there, Faith, until he calms down. Scot, you’re supposed to be keeping her safe.”
“She thinks she can calm him. And I’m not touching her while he’s like this. I don’t want to look like that guy.” The Scot pointed to Eric.
She took that moment to duck under Alejandro’s arm. Reuben was still focused on Eric, his breathing deep and fast to the point that she worried he might pass out.
There was a look in his eyes she’d never seen before. Such fury.
And all because Eric had touched her. Tried to hurt her.
“He’s not fully here, Faith. And he’d hate himself if he hurt you while he was like this,” Alejandro said in a tense voice. “Please step away.”
Faith shook her head. “No.” Then she slid her arms around Reuben’s waist. She couldn’t quite get them all the way around since Alejandro and the other guy had him pressed against the wall. But she did the best she could, resting her face against his chest.
“I’m here, Daddy. I’m safe. Everything is okay. You can come back to me now, because I really, really need you.”
Maybe later she’d be embarrassed about calling him Daddy in front of Alejandro and the others.
Then again, maybe not.
46
Cammie was crying in the background, so Faith didn’t think she’d be able to hear her. And she had the feeling these other men likely knew about Cat and Alejandro’s relationship so her calling Reuben Daddy wouldn’t hurt their sensibilities.
Reuben let out another low noise, filled with fury and pain.
“I’m here. Thank you for coming for me, Daddy.”
“Let go of me,” he growled.
For a moment, she thought Reuben was talking to her. But when she glanced up at him, he was glaring at Alejandro and the other bodyguard.
They instantly stepped back and he drew her up into his arms, stepping away from the wall and into the kitchen where he put his back to the counter and held her tight.
“I’m okay, Daddy. I’m okay.”
He was shaking, and she ran her hands over his shoulders as he buried his face in her neck.
Was he going to cry?
Fudging fudge knuckles. What did she do if he cried?