Total pages in book: 176
Estimated words: 167257 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 836(@200wpm)___ 669(@250wpm)___ 558(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 167257 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 836(@200wpm)___ 669(@250wpm)___ 558(@300wpm)
When the car raced by me, I took note of the make and model. A sleek, silver Tesla.
I turned and lifted my gun to shoot out the tires but thought twice about it. Instead, I memorized the license plate, which was probably fake but worth checking into anyway.
After making sure none of the neighbors had noticed the commotion, I walked back to the house, checked all the windows and doors once I was inside, then climbed the stairs to my bedroom.
Atlas was in bed and curled on her side under the covers with her back to the door. I thought she was sleeping until I climbed into bed and pulled her into me with an arm around her waist.
“Is everything okay?” she whispered. “I thought I heard something.”
I didn’t immediately reply, so she turned her head to blink up at me sleepily. I just stared down at her pretty ass through the dark as I questioned for the first time if I could keep her safe.
I would, or I’d die trying and take whoever wished her harm with me.
“Everything’s fine. Go to sleep with your nosy ass.” I kissed her neck, and she smiled softly before closing her eyes and surrendering to her exhaustion.
My thoughts kept me awake for a few more minutes, and I didn’t realize I’d fallen asleep until I was startled awake a few hours later by my ringing phone.
Groaning, I reached over and snatched it off the nightstand before answering it without checking the screen.
“This better be fucking important, and if it’s not, or this is some bullshit telemarketer, I’m fitting to find your rude ass and knock your block off.”
Atlas whined from where she had been cuddled beside me and turned over with a sleepy frown back to her side of the bed.
“Um…hello,” the woman on the other line greeted. “I’m sorry to call so late. My name is Molly. I’m a nurse here at Ossella Memorial Hospital. Can I please speak to Owen Wray?”
“You got me,” I rushed to say after I’d already shot out of bed and started finding clothes to throw on. My heart was pounding out of my chest since I had only one guess why and who they were calling for.
“Good evening, Mr. Wray. I’m calling because you are listed as the emergency contact for Kareena Beck.”
“Yeah, um…is she…is she all right?”
Of course, the nurse wouldn’t tell me anything over the fucking phone and simply urged me to get here as soon as I could.
“Fuck.”
I hung up and, for a few moments, just stared through the dark at Atlas sleeping peacefully.
Unbeknownst to her, I’d been speaking to her mom almost every day and drove down there to check on her whenever I could without raising Atlas’s suspicions. I just told her there was some rare car part I needed to pick up for the custom work I did on the side or an auction that was a few hours away.
Kareena had been no better but no worse, and just as I had begun to hope, this happened.
I didn’t want to—wished that I could save my baby from whatever news awaited us in Ossella—but knowing time might not be on our side, I gently woke her anyway.
Of course, she had questions and complained about being dragged out of bed at four in the morning, but I ignored her and found some clothes for her to throw on.
There was no time to pack.
Ossella was hours away, so I just grabbed her purse, my wallet, gun, and keys before locking up and rushing us both to my car.
“Where are we going, Owen?” Atlas grumbled for the umpteenth time.
“I’m taking you home,” I finally replied as I entered the interstate.
“Home?” Atlas frowned. I glanced over to see her studying the signs. She’d already figured out we were heading south. “You mean Ossella,” she said in a flat tone. I nodded grimly. “Why?”
I reached over and took her hand in mine. “I have something to tell you, and you won’t like it. You might even hate me for keeping it from you, but before I tell you, know I love you and am here for you. I got your back. You may not want me to after you hear what I have to say, but I have it nonetheless.”
“Owen, you’re scaring me. Just tell me.”
Fuck. “Okay, I um…a few weeks after we met, I went to Ossella to figure out what you were hiding, and I…I met your mom.”
“You met my mom,” Atlas echoed. There wasn’t anger in her tone, only confusion. “How?”
“I broke into your parents’ house.”
“You did what?” Before I could respond, she sucked in a breath. “What did you do, Owen? Did you hurt my mom?”
“Of course not,” I barked before remembering everything I still hadn’t said and checking my temper. “She caught me looking around, and I told her who I was. We talked for a little bit, and then she…she went to sleep.”