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)
“Before the wedding?” Jonas asked, his voice as gentle as ever.
She nodded. “Yes. I remember being very upset. I could barely think straight. Master said it was my choice what I wanted to do.”
“It was important that Ambrielle was safe and in a protected environment,” Czar contributed. “She was going to need a family more than ever.”
All of that was the truth. If the deputy was a human lie detector, no one had said anything to set off warning alarms.
“Why weren’t any of your friends at the wedding?” Jonas asked.
“It wasn’t like it was my real wedding day,” she said, lifting her lashes and looking straight at Jonas. “I hadn’t planned the wedding. My parents weren’t there. My father wasn’t walking me down the aisle. Master married me because I asked him to.” Tears filled her eyes. “I asked him. And Preacher married us.”
“Master’s name was on the license already,” Jonas pointed out.
“I wanted to marry her,” Master said. “It would have been nice to have been able to give her the wedding of her dreams.”
He wrapped his arm around her, nearly swallowing her with his size. He made her feel safe and even loved in that moment. He leaned his head down and brushed a kiss on top of her head. She didn’t realize she was trembling until he began to run his hand up and down her rib cage in a soothing caress.
“Did your parents have enemies?”
“Not that I knew of. Both were retired from the military. They never mentioned having problems with anyone in particular.”
“Your mother was quite inventive and apparently made a tremendous amount of money,” Jonas continued. “Who inherits?”
She had known the money would come up. Money was a huge motive for murder. She leaned toward Jonas and looked him right in the eye, ignoring Absinthe’s restraining hand. “I would give anything to have my parents back. Any amount of money. But the truth is, I inherit everything, although most of it was already in my name. When my mother sold a patent, she would transfer the money into my name immediately. They had their retirement, but all the rest of it was just fun for her. Neither cared about the money. If you check, which I’m sure you will, you’ll see she had been doing that since the time I was a small child.”
Jonas simply nodded his head, as if he had checked off another question instead of knowingly struck at her with the implication that she might have murdered her parents for money. The images of their dead bodies rose up, swimming in front of her eyes. Her chest hurt so bad, she was afraid it might explode. She turned her face against Master just for a moment, a small reprieve to collect herself. Breathing him into her lungs, taking his strength, that natural masculine scent of his that seemed to steady her, she straightened her shoulders again.
Master shifted his body just a little more, turning so that he more than blocked the sheriff and his silent deputy from viewing very much of her. Very gently he caught her chin in the palm of his hand and tilted her head to him as he bent to her.
“I can stop this if it’s too soon. We’re all here, princess, but I promise you, always it’s your choice. You don’t have to do this if it’s too difficult.”
“No, I want to find whoever is responsible.” That was the truth. Her teeth nearly snapped together, and she did her best to sound frail instead of fierce. “They have to pay.”
“Are you aware that Master has a prison record as long as your arm?” Jonas asked. His voice was the same, that gentle, low tone. She nearly didn’t make out the question because it didn’t make sense, it was so out of context.
There was silence in the bar. The band ceased playing at that exact moment, as if they heard the question and couldn’t believe it was asked.
Ambrielle dug her fingers deep into Master’s thigh as a surge of anger swept through her. She had been so grateful to Czar for saving his life, but in that moment, she wondered why Master didn’t have the clean record all the others in Torpedo Ink did. She knew they had committed crimes and were still committing them. She’d seen them very efficiently gunning down Walker Thompson’s men in the chapel. They’d ambushed those men, killed them, yet they didn’t have records.
Her eyes met Czar’s, and there was no way to keep the accusation from her expression. Someone in Torpedo Ink was able to forge excellent paperwork. With Absinthe’s ability to compel others to do as he wished, it would be easy enough to wipe out crimes on paper, yet that hadn’t been done for Master. That meant her man wouldn’t be allowed to attend certain school functions with their children. She was certain Czar could attend anything with his children.