Total pages in book: 156
Estimated words: 157140 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 786(@200wpm)___ 629(@250wpm)___ 524(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 157140 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 786(@200wpm)___ 629(@250wpm)___ 524(@300wpm)
The car skids to an unexpected halt, making me look up.
I let out a slow breath and look out the passenger window, but between the heavy rain and the darkness, I don’t see much.
No cars, no buildings, and only faint, blurry lights. But at least we’ve stopped somewhere.
I reach for the door, eager to get away. But where are we?
“Turn your phone off. Stay calm,” he bites off. “It’s just a marina.”
A marina? Why the hell would we go to a marina on such a stormy night?
I open the door and step into ankle-deep water.
That’s when I decide it’s now or never.
I bolt as he screams after me, hoofing it as fast as a person can through streams of water swirling around my feet.
I have no idea where I’ll go or how I’ll get away from this guy, but right now action is my only hope.
There’s a building in the distance, maybe a boathouse or a bar or something.
Please, for the love of God, let it be open. Anywhere with people.
But something hits me from the back just when I start to make out the door, slamming me to the ground.
I splash down on my hands and knees, hitting a puddle of murky water and cracked concrete face-first.
Two big, angry arms wrap around my stomach, pulling me up like a puppet. “Just try anything cute like that again, bitch. C’mon. We’re taking a boat ride.”
My heart sinks to my knees.
“In this weather?” I sputter.
That laugh. That ugly, maniacal, throaty laugh.
I cringe. If I make it out of this alive, I’ll be hearing it in my nightmares for a long time to come. But right now, even walking away feels like a big ask.
“That’s the point, sweet cheeks,” he snarls in my ear. “Who could ever deny an accident in these conditions?” He leans forward, shoving something hard into my back. “Yes, it’s a gun. Pull another stunt like that and I’ll shoot your spine in half.”
Oh, God.
Oh, God, I’m shaking and I don’t have any choice but to listen.
I look around helplessly. There’s no one through the haze.
Just flat pavement and that taunting, blinding rain, all the way to the docks.
So when he leads me down to where the boats are, I don’t fight. We stalk along rows of tall ships tied up and soldiering together on the stormy sea.
Troy pushes us forward, stopping near a small boat. When we climb on, he drags me to the main cabin, opens a tall door, and shoves me inside.
“Sit!” he barks. “Don’t move.”
There are only two seats. Shivering, I sit down on what looks like the passenger seat next to the controls.
I just hope I don’t wind up tied to this chair while the cabin floods.
“I know what you’re thinking, Eliza, but I’m no monster.” So says the guy who’s dragging me to a watery grave. “One mistake ten years ago and it balloons into this. She seduced me, you know. Good enough to fuck, but not to love. Cole just can’t let her go, and neither can I.”
I hug myself, the words not registering at first.
The woman Cole loved...his wife, his one and only, seduced another man? His best friend?
“What do you mean?” I ask absently.
His jaw clenches, but he doesn’t say anything more.
As much as I hate him, I should make him talk.
I just wonder if I’m buying myself precious time or only prolonging my torture.
I’m so not ready to die.
“What happened?” I force out.
His eyes flick to me, bright like boiling mercury.
“Their marriage was already a dumpster fire. That shit had nothing to do with me. The kid, she was the final straw. Aster had a ‘wicked stepmother.’” He chuckles, shaking his head. “That’s what she called her, anyway, but Aster could be dramatic. You had to know her. Anyhow, that’s why she wouldn’t cut Cole loose from a miserable marriage. She didn’t want that for Destiny, another woman butting into her life.”
I stare at him numbly as he shoves his face in his palms, stretching his skin before he glowers at me again.
“Everyone acts like she was a terrible mom. She couldn’t deal with the kid—it didn’t come naturally with her issues—but fuck, she loved Destiny. She tried. If she hadn’t been so jealous of the nannies, it wouldn’t have been so bad. It’s like she thought Cole had it in him to start fucking strange women behind her back.” Troy pauses and snorts. “I wish. It never would’ve happened if he’d just cheated. No, he had to stick around like a stubborn goddamned mule, expecting too much from her—”
“Too much?” I whisper.
Troy nods. “Just because he walks around like he’s citizen of the year doesn’t mean he isn’t a demanding cock. You already know. Every time he told her why he stuck around—because he took their marriage seriously—it stressed her the fuck out. By the end, she only stayed with Cole because she didn’t want him falling in love again. She couldn’t stand anybody else coming into the picture for Destiny.”