Total pages in book: 12
Estimated words: 11137 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 56(@200wpm)___ 45(@250wpm)___ 37(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 11137 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 56(@200wpm)___ 45(@250wpm)___ 37(@300wpm)
I had no idea how he seemed to do it so effortlessly. But then again, Damien had never had plans to pull out of this shit. This life was all he knew, and besides Hayley, it was all he’d ever wanted for himself. She was the only thing besides his empire that Damien would have killed over.
I’d always been attracted to Hayley, and then after Damien went to prison, I’d fallen in love with her. But as long as he was alive, she’d never loved anyone but him.
Their love had been toxic and destructive, but God, it had been fucking beautiful all at the same time. I’d never seen Damien that way with anyone before, but the way he had loved her . . . there were no words for it.
My phone vibrated in my pocket. I pulled it out, glancing down to see Quinn’s name. I quickly answered. “Yeah?”
“Everything’s taken care of,” he told me.
I was wondering why he wasn’t calling off a burner—probably hadn’t gotten another one yet since he’d used the other one earlier to let his boss know there were two guns missing.
“Thanks,” I told him. “Get on top of your shit,” I warned.
He snorted. “Heading to the store now, Miles. How’s Hayley?”
I sighed. He knew she was getting sick all the time, too. He was just as worried as I was.
“No better,” I told him quietly. “Taking it a day at a time,” I confessed. I pinched the bridge of my nose. I really, really hated this shit.
“Let her know I love her, yeah?” he told me quietly. Hayley was like a little sister to him; he’d do anything in the world for her. “I hope she gets over this soon.”
Fuck, so did I.
3
Miles
I stared at Quinn for a moment, wondering where the fuck his head was at. “Are you fucking kidding me right now?” I asked after a moment. What he had just told me—no. I didn’t have near enough fucking manpower for this shit. His boss had lost his fucking mind.
“Miles, these girls need help, and you’ve got a way in that the boss doesn’t. He’s asking this as a favor. You do this, he’ll owe you.”
I gritted my teeth and shoved my hand through my hair. “You know what this could mean, right? I could get killed. Hayley could lose yet another man in her life, and I won’t fucking do that to her. We’re talking about the Russians here, Quinn. This isn’t fucking child’s play. This is out of my fucking level of expertise.”
Quinn sighed. I understood his conflict—he owed his loyalty to me, but he still had a job. “Miles, sixteen girls—sixteen, Miles—were fucking kidnapped three days ago. We know they took them. Those girls are young, Miles. So fucking young. I’m talking about six to fucking seventeen. And they’re going to be sold, drugged, and raped.” I swallowed vomit. “We’ve got to help them. We can’t sit back and let this happen—especially not this close to home, Miles. I have a daughter this could happen to one day.”
I gritted my teeth. I knew that as well. Hell, Isabelle was like my own damn daughter, she was around so much. Hayley had loved doting on her and letting her and William have playdates until she’d fallen so ill.
“Fuck,” I muttered. I paced away from him for a moment, staring out over the backyard. I turned when I heard Hayley’s throat clear.
“Hey, girly,” Quinn greeted her, giving her a warm hug. He looked down at her. “You look like hell.”
She scowled. “Gee, thanks.”
He just grinned at her and kissed the top of her head. I held my hand out to her, and when her hand was clasped in mine, I gently pulled her to me, wrapping my arms around her. I kissed the tip of her nose. “How are you feeling?”
“Okay right now,” she assured me. She pressed a kiss to my chest. “I overheard your conversation.” She glanced between the two of us, and instantly, I knew she was going to suggest something outrageous and stupid. “I can go as bait.”
I growled. “Like fucking hell.” And Quinn voiced the same damn thing, thankfully. She had to be out of her fucking mind to think I’d ever let her do something so stupid.
She stepped back from me and planted her hands on her thinning, narrow hips. “What the fuck do you mean like hell?” she snapped at me. And there was that fire I loved—just not for something like this. “Those girls need help, Miles. That could have been me. I was terrified enough thinking of it happening.” I clenched my jaw, remembering the time she’d been kidnapped. Thankfully, Damien had been tracking her, and he’d saved her in time. But she was right. It could have been her. “Imagine how those girls are feeling, and they’re already there. They’ve already been kidnapped and ripped from their homes.”