Total pages in book: 173
Estimated words: 174632 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 873(@200wpm)___ 699(@250wpm)___ 582(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 174632 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 873(@200wpm)___ 699(@250wpm)___ 582(@300wpm)
She isn’t Elizabeth.
Jack grabbed the bags and carried them to the boot of the car.
Ian stomped over. He came to a stop as soon as he saw it.
Fuck.
The windows of the car were down slightly.
Had she heard anything?
He felt ill at the idea that she might have. And he didn’t want to examine that feeling too closely.
“What the fuck did you do?” Jack snapped.
Turning, he saw the other man giving him a cold look. One that promised retribution.
“I didn’t fucking know.”
Ian climbed in, spinning to glance into the backseat. He was prepared for the glare. But he wasn’t prepared for who it came from. William scowled at him, his eyes full of disapproval.
But that didn’t affect him the way the sight of Maggie did. She was hunched, her shoulders up to her ears as she stared out the window. There was something wrong with the way she looked. She’d been so full of attitude before.
Now . . . she looked tiny and defenseless.
Fuck. Had he done this?
“Maggie,” he said in a low voice. He wasn’t sure what he was going to say. He didn’t even know this girl.
No . . . and yet look what you’ve done to her after knowing her a few short days.
He’d just . . . he’d thought her skin would have been thicker. It was confusing. Where was her attitude now?
Maybe she’s not as tough as you thought she was, asshole.
“I’ve changed my mind,” William said.
“What?” Ian asked.
“You are not good enough to date my niece.”
Fuck.
No. He really wasn’t.
14
Maggie raced up the stairs to her room before anyone could stop her.
Yep, her hip was aching from all the standing and walking she’d done today, but she was used to it.
And it didn’t hurt half as much as her stomach did.
She’s just a brat who likely has to work for family because no one else will have her.
God.
Ian had certainly hit her where it hurt with those words. And the thing was, he probably hadn’t even realized how much those words would hurt.
Or had he?
No doubt they’d done a background check on her. She threw herself onto the bed. Why hadn’t that occurred to her yet? Of course they had.
They knew all about her pathetic life.
Did Ian know how much of a disappointment she was to her family?
How she’d failed them all?
She tugged hard at her hair as she felt tears threaten.
Stop.
If she wasn’t careful, she was going to end up bald. Maggie forced her fingers out of her hair. There were a few strands caught up in her fingers.
But the pain wasn’t enough to get her out of her head.
A knock on the door made her glance over. She’d locked it.
Right?
“Maggie? Can I talk to you?”
She huffed out a laugh, even though she didn’t find anything humorous about it. Rolling off the bed, she grabbed Ziggy out of the side table’s drawer and moved toward the bathroom.
Her attached bathroom had a massive tub that she hadn’t yet used. And if she ever needed to relax, it was now.
Filling the tub, she ignored the knocking on the door.
Did that make her a coward? Maybe.
But Ian’s words had been a kick in the teeth. Sure, he grumbled a lot. Bossed her around. But hearing that . . .
It’s only because it’s true that it hurts so much.
He’s not saying anything you don’t know.
Taking a deep breath in, she grabbed her phone. Perhaps she should call Indie while the bath filled and tell her what was happening.
Then she looked at the time. Shoot. Indie would still be at work.
Besides, Indie didn’t need this crap on her mind. She had enough going on.
She saw a several missed messages from her family. But the idea of dealing with them made her feel nauseous.
She was going to take tonight off. Hide and lick her wounds.
Tomorrow was a new day.
The following morning, Maggie groaned as her alarm went off. Last night, Uncle Willy had popped by her room to tell her they were going to scout palace locations today.
But she really wasn’t ready to get up.
After her bath last night, she’d curled up on the bed with Ziggy to watch cartoons on TV. She might have stayed up a touch too late.
Yawning, she pulled on some yoga pants and a long-sleeved gray sweatshirt with a black wolf on the front.
With her boots on and her hair up in a messy bun, she was ready.
She didn’t bother with any makeup.
Walking out the door, she nearly stepped on a tray of food.
Actually, two trays of food. She lifted a silver lid to find a plate that held some shredded chicken, rice, and beans. The other tray had French toast smothered in maple syrup.
Jack?
She’d have to thank him even if she didn’t feel like eating it. Picking up one tray, she headed downstairs, coming to a sudden stop as she found Beck and Hux standing in the kitchen.