Total pages in book: 70
Estimated words: 67905 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 340(@200wpm)___ 272(@250wpm)___ 226(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 67905 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 340(@200wpm)___ 272(@250wpm)___ 226(@300wpm)
“We go in guns blazing.”
“But does Astrid want him dead? She may not…”
The thought hadn’t crossed my mind, and I couldn’t ask her. “I’m not sure if I care about her preferences.”
“This will all be for nothing if she can’t forgive you for killing him.”
“She should want him dead for what he’s done.”
“I agree. But maybe she doesn’t. Something to think about.”
“I’m not sure if there’s a future for us anyway.”
Axel stared at me. “You wouldn’t be doing this if you didn’t care for her.”
“I never said I don’t care about her.”
“Then don’t hold a grudge.”
“It’s not a grudge—”
“Then it’s your ego. Don’t burn the bridge, is all I’m saying,” he said. “So, how do you want to handle this?”
“I’m not going to risk my men or you to keep him alive. So spare him if you can…but not to your own detriment.”
Axel nodded. “Got it. Let’s do this shit.”
17
ASTRID
We walked in the door after dinner, Bolton’s dark mood apparent.
We hadn’t talked in the car on the way home. We hadn’t talked over dinner. I assumed he would explode once we were alone together in the house.
But instead of coming at me like he usually did when I acted up, he went into his study and shut the door. I heard his voice on the other side like he was talking on the phone. Couldn’t figure out what he was saying. Probably talking about the new client he’d just acquired.
I went upstairs and got ready for bed, washing off my makeup to reveal the full extent of my appearance. Hints of blue and purple were distinct in areas around my eyes and lips. After my conversation with Scarlett, I looked at myself differently. I used to tolerate my appearance, but now it killed me.
It killed me because I didn’t deserve this.
I’d tried to kill him and escape, and that just made everything worse.
But I couldn’t give up. Not when Scarlett would tell Theo…and he might come to my rescue. This could all be over soon.
Unless Theo didn’t come.
And Axel didn’t either.
Decided it was too big a risk. Axel had a family to think of. And Theo didn’t owe me anything.
The thought was too much. Because if they didn’t come for me, there was only one way out.
An option I didn’t want to think about.
Once my makeup was gone and I was ready for bed, I heard voices downstairs. It was almost midnight, so I didn’t know why people were in the house. Bolton never invited people over unless it was his brother and sister-in-law.
I opened the door, so I could listen better.
“Watch the security system,” Bolton said. “Keep an eye on the windows. The guys will radio in if they see anything.” He turned toward the stairs.
I stepped aside from the doorway and waited for him to join me.
He walked into the room, looking pissed off.
“What’s going on?”
“Pack your things. Just the essentials.”
In shock, I just stared at him. “What?”
“Pack. Your. Things.” He walked to his closet and tossed a few things on the bed. “I’ll send someone for the rest of our stuff later.”
“Why are we leaving?”
He gave an angry sigh before he looked at me. “Because I said so. Now grab your shit, or I will grab it for you.”
He knew. Or he was paranoid.
Either way, he was right on the money.
If we left the house tonight, it would be over. Theo would never find me. Bolton would take me to Spain or Croatia, live off the radar for a while and then move again until he decided that enough time had passed and Theo would have occupied himself with other matters. He might leave me there under the supervision of his men while he continued to work for the Brotherhood. He was a trained assassin who could disappear or hide in plain sight, so no matter how smart or resourceful Theo might be, he was up against a professional.
I walked to the closet and stared at my things, taking a moment to try to think of a way out of this. If I didn’t run tonight, I might not have another opportunity. But now, a group of men were in the house, and men outside were waiting to take us away.
I had no chance against these odds.
I would leave a note to be discovered by Theo, but I had no idea where we were going. “Where are we going?” I asked the question, but I didn’t expect an answer.
He stormed out of the closet then grabbed me with the speed of a lunging viper. He squeezed my neck. “Did you plan this?”
“Plan what?” I could barely speak over the way he compressed my throat.
“You planned to see her. You planned to tell her.”
I threw my elbow down on his arm and shoved him. “You’re the one who made the dinner plans. I had no idea where we were going until we pulled up to the restaurant. How could I have possibly planned this?”