Total pages in book: 88
Estimated words: 79749 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 399(@200wpm)___ 319(@250wpm)___ 266(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79749 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 399(@200wpm)___ 319(@250wpm)___ 266(@300wpm)
"This could be a trap," I whisper to Nolan.
I held my breath half an hour ago when he was arguing with Hemlock about making entry on the property with everyone else. He stayed back before because of his connection to the case, but he's not as easy to convince that it's in his best interest to stay back this time.
"We know," he answers before his lips form a flat line. "They know. They're good at what they do, Peach. It'll all work out."
I can't help but wonder if this is just like Damien setting me up to rummage through his office so he could hurt me. It's very likely the man is many steps ahead of us, but I also know that these men have to follow the leads they're given.
They aren't approaching this like they think Eli isn't there. They're hoping since it's only been nine hours after they discovered the video that they'll have an edge with the element of surprise, but I doubt they will.
Honestly, it's very possible that Damien is well aware we're all piled into one of the houses only a few short blocks away from the summer house.
He could have a team ready to take everyone out the second they step outside.
"What's wrong?" Nolan asks as his arm wraps around my shoulders. "You're trembling."
"I'm scared," I confess. "What if it goes wrong?"
He pulls me to his chest, and I don't hesitate to press my face into the warmth of his body. It brings a small level of comfort, but there's nothing other than holding my healthy son in my arms that will ease the worry altogether.
I pull back and look up at him. "If this goes badly, he'll hurt others. Anyone who he thinks failed him will pay for this."
"The goal is to not leave him alive," he says so simply, as if it's an everyday occurrence that people who once walked the earth are now dead. And maybe that is the case, considering what happened at the cabin just outside of Boston.
"What happens if one of our guys dies?" I whisper, looking around the room.
The men, despite being geared up like they're heading into a war zone, don't look the least amount worried. I don't know if that is ego or confidence in their skills, either of which could still fail them and end tragically.
"Every man here is trained. They do this all the time," he assures me. "They know the risk they're taking."
Despite this conversation, I'm not going to argue with the risks. It may make me as psychotic as Damien, but I need my son safe, no matter the cost. If they're willing to risk their lives to rescue him, then who am I to stand in their way?
"He's all that matters," I whisper, once again leaning on him for support.
"I know, Peach. I know."
His arms are around me as the guys make their final preparations. The compromise that Hemlock and Nolan came to was that he could be with the team that goes to the property, but he couldn't be on the entry team. None of it makes sense to me, and I'm so incredibly worried about his safety just leaving this house and going to the other location.
"If I could go back in time," I say, pulling my face from his shirt so he can look into my eyes. "I'd make so many different choices. I'd pick you a million times."
His hand is warm on my cheek as he looks down at me.
My pulse thrums in my neck as he leans down, and for a few blessed seconds, nothing else interferes.
His lips press to mine, and the other men surrounding us don't exist. The only sound is our combined breathing.
It feels like it did that first time all those years ago, when our futures held so many promises, when everything was perfect.
And that's how it all felt back then. We could sit and dream, make plans, and whisper our desires. In the weak light cast by the setting sun, we could let ourselves believe we had a shot at a life we wanted rather than being forced into lives we never would've chosen for ourselves.
His tongue traces mine, and I feel more alive at this moment than I have in a very long time. We aren't locked away, hidden from the outside world. His mouth is on mine in public, and he seems to have no problem with others witnessing this. He doesn't have to worry about showing his affection to me in front of these men. The way he looks at me isn't the death sentence it was years ago when he was working for my father. He isn't attempting to claim me and mark his territory in front of them the way Damien has done more than once with his men.