Total pages in book: 158
Estimated words: 144908 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 725(@200wpm)___ 580(@250wpm)___ 483(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 144908 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 725(@200wpm)___ 580(@250wpm)___ 483(@300wpm)
She nodded and Master quickly strode from the room to find Ink draped against the front door. That didn’t surprise him. Ink was calm most of the time. When he moved, he could explode into action very quickly.
“She okay?” Ink asked.
Master shook his head. “Ambrie is one tough woman.” He let admiration leak into his voice. “She’s determined to keep her word and make this a real marriage. I gave her every out.”
“You up for that? Having a woman in your life permanently? You never saw yourself like that before.” Ink’s tone was mild. Inquiring. Nothing more.
“With her? Yeah. I can do it with her. Don’t ask me why, because I couldn’t tell you, but I know I can. She makes me want to. There’s something valiant about her.” He felt like an idiot for even saying it, but Ink nodded as if he understood.
“Yeah, I kind of thought so too, when she stood there in that wedding dress of hers with her shoulders straight and that gun in her hand.”
“Reese tell you what his fuckin’ parole officer told him he had to do, or he was going back in?” Master changed the subject.
Ink sighed. “Yeah, he told me. I said to put the bottle down and wait for us. That he needed to call you and we’d sort it out. Someone wants him back in prison, Master. We’re going to add this to our long list of priorities.”
“I have the feeling that if they manage to get him back in, this time, he won’t be coming out alive. They’ll arrange for an accident inside.” Master scowled. “I should have been pushing harder to figure out who was behind these charges. I just thought some bitch was pissed because he turned her down, so she accused him of rape and battery.”
“That never made sense to me. An MMA fighter goes down for rape and battery charges, although his wife maintains adamantly that he was with her the entire time and it was impossible, but the jury is persuaded he’s guilty even though she can’t identify his penis with the multiple piercings?” Ink said. “Not to mention the tattoos?”
“Absinthe felt the same way. I knew he wasn’t guilty just talking to him. But he has a temper, he drank, and more than once he had an outburst in court.”
“Because they accused him of cheating on his wife,” Ink recalled.
Master nodded. “Yeah, that set him off every time. Reese has a real thing about honor and integrity and his wife. He’s got a code. They called him the ‘Knight’ in the ring, because he was always so honorable. He never cheated on the rules. I never could understand why he started that descent into the bottle when he was so careful. It was evident his family meant the world to him. He made a fortune every time he stepped into the ring.”
“The promoters began to pressure him to take a fall. He also had someone in his past putting pressure on him. He wouldn’t tell me about it, but I suspect that’s the person behind the woman who insisted he beat and raped her,” Ink said. “You’ll have to get him to open up, Master. He hasn’t to me. Tells me all about the fight scene, training, the scandals, what the promoters and even his trainer did to him, but not the one thing we need to protect him.”
Master sighed. “I’ll do my best. I don’t know why he’s shielding this person, but essentially, that’s what he’s doing.”
“You’ll have to make him see he’s trading his family, his freedom, and possibly his life if he doesn’t help us,” Ink said.
They both turned to watch as Ambrielle entered the room. He knew how small and curvy she was, but seeing her dressed in soft leggings and a clingy top that emphasized her full breasts, he could see how diminutive she really was in comparison to him. No wonder he felt like he could break her in half when he wrapped his hands around her.
She had pushed her feet into flip-flops that were far too big for her, and she was going to trip trying to walk in them. As it was, she was walking gingerly. He knew Ink noticed, because he did. Hopefully, Reese and his wife wouldn’t.
“Lose the shoes, princess. We’ll have your things here tomorrow. I’ll carry you to the truck.” He should have felt like a fool carting a woman around, but he liked cradling her in his arms. He knew she needed to be close to him, and that gave her an excuse.
“I can’t go into someone’s house barefoot.” She looked horrified.
Ink lifted an eyebrow. “Some kind of law I’m not aware of?” He turned his head to look at Master. “You know about this law?”
Before Master could respond, Ambrie gave her appealing laugh, the one that sounded a little like perfectly tuned bells skipping over water. He was a music lover and knew a perfect pitch when he heard it.