Total pages in book: 104
Estimated words: 94834 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 474(@200wpm)___ 379(@250wpm)___ 316(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 94834 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 474(@200wpm)___ 379(@250wpm)___ 316(@300wpm)
I clench my jaw, hating how fucking hard he’s going on this. It’s been a little over two weeks since he dragged that dagger across his old man’s throat, finally taking the bastard out. Everything was cool, he went and performed his rituals just as tradition dictates, but something else happened there . . . something he’s not telling us, and whatever it is, it’s got him all kinds of fucked up.
“What’s this really about, Zade?” I question, stepping up to him. “You’ve never given a shit how I’ve gotten my dick wet before. Why start now?”
“Do you not see what position you’re putting me in?” he says, the sound of the bar deafening behind us. “You’re going to fall for this chick, and I’m going to slaughter her without a second thought. There are thousands of other chicks around here who are willing to suck your dick. Fuck one of them instead. I don’t need this to get complicated.”
“When have I ever fallen for some random girl?” I question. “Come on, man. You know me better than that. You’ve been my best friend since we were kids. When I tell you I can handle this, you should be able to trust me.”
Zade drags his hand down his face. “I don’t fucking trust anyone.”
“Yeah, you made that crystal clear,” I tell him. “But either way, Oakley’s expecting me to pick her up after her shift, and I fully intend to do that. Besides, did you see the way she was watching over her shoulder last night? You three have already fucked with her head. Just because you’re going to end her life in forty-one days, doesn’t mean you need to make the last two months of her life miserable.”
“He’s right,” Sawyer says. “The Circle specifically stated she had the heart of an innocent. We might not be the kind of guys a father wants his little girl fucking with, but we’re not about to spend the next two months torturing her. Besides, if we go too hard, we risk her packing up her shit and taking off. She’s already scared and she needs something to keep her grounded. Something that excites her about being in Faders Bay and makes her want to stick around, despite her fear. Dalton can be that reason.”
A grin stretches across my face, and I watch from the corner of my eye as Cross shakes his head, knowing I’ve got Zade right where I want him. The fucker can’t argue with that logic.
“Fuck,” he grunts, his jaw clenched as his hands ball into tight fists. He steps into me, barely able to control the wild, reckless emotions exploding through his system. “If you fuck this up, it’ll be your heart I offer up as a sacrifice. You got that, Eros?”
“I’m not gonna fuck it up. I know what I’m doing.”
“I’ve got a lot of enemies, man,” Zade warns, grabbing the back of my head and forcing me in close. “It’s one thing for The Circle members to know who she is, but if word gets out to the rest of Empire that she’s my sacrifice, there’s no telling what could happen. There’ll be a target the size of Texas on her fucking head, a target not even we could protect her from. They’ll do anything to keep me from getting in power.”
“You don’t think I know that?” I spit, tearing away from him, not lost on the fact that we have to protect her in order to be the ones to kill her. “I know what’s at stake just as much as you do. You don’t think we’ll all suffer right along with you? You might have the blood of Empire running through your veins, but it’s all of our necks on the chopping board. If anybody else gets into power, we’re all fucking dead. They’ll take us all out.”
Zade lets out a heavy breath, visibly trying to calm himself as Cross steps forward. “It’s in our best interest to keep her close, man,” he mutters. He’s usually a man of very few words, but when Easton Cross speaks, you fucking listen.
Zade looks back at me, shoving a finger into my chest. “Take her to the rooftop, nowhere else,” he says, knowing damn well we have security cameras already set up all around that building and he’ll be able to keep an eye on us. “I don’t want her getting familiar with this city. If you’re doing this, you’re going all the way. I want her dependent on you, reliant, can’t go a fucking day without checking in with you. You got it? Make her fall in love with you. Become her whole fucking world.”
I look my best friend dead in the eye, a grin pulling at my lips as her gorgeous face flashes in my mind, the very thought of getting to play with this girl getting me hard. Making her fall in love with me might just be the best thing I’ll ever do.