Total pages in book: 41
Estimated words: 37970 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 190(@200wpm)___ 152(@250wpm)___ 127(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 37970 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 190(@200wpm)___ 152(@250wpm)___ 127(@300wpm)
I jerk my chin in a nod. I would have moved Nina to my place days ago, but there was no way she was leaving home when there was a chance of Nate showing up there. With him back, I'll definitely be moving them elsewhere until Alexei Palatov is dealt with.
"You ready to go talk to your sister?" I ask Nate.
He gulps and then nods, reluctantly climbing to his feet. Judging by the look in his eyes, this is one conversation he is not looking forward to having. Good. It'll do him good to look in her eyes and see exactly how upset she's been. Maybe he'll think twice about ever taking this kind of risk ever again.
Nate is quiet for the first part of the drive, watching me out of the corner of his eye. And then he sighs heavily, scrubbing his hands down the legs of his jeans. "You really love her, huh?"
"Yeah, I do." I'm not going to lie to him. He may only be seventeen, but if he's old enough to make adult decisions like putting his life at risk, he's old enough for the truth.
"You're the one who pulled her out of the fire, aren't you?"
I glance over at him as an SUV passes us.
"I was at football practice," he mutters. "I heard about the fire and went by the house, saw you guys out there. One of the neighbors said a firefighter pulled her out." He swallows, glancing out of the window. "I knew right then what happened. I was so fucking mad."
"So you decided to go to Houston?"
"I went to the hospital first," he whispers. "I made sure she was all right."
My eyes widen, surprise running through me. "She didn't mention that."
"She doesn't know. Um, I talked to one of the nurses." He sighs. "I knew if she saw me, she'd know what I was thinking. She'd try to talk me out of it. I didn't want her to talk me out of it."
"She was afraid you set the fire."
Nate laughs abruptly. "I'm not surprised. Honestly, I thought about it for about five minutes after we found the insurance paperwork, but I knew it'd upset her. She has—had—good memories in that house. Didn't want to destroy them. I'm not surprised they set it on fire, though."
"Me either," I mutter, glancing out of the rearview as the car behind us speeds up, riding my ass. I tap the brakes, warning them to back off. "Men like that are willing to do anything for a few dollars."
"Yeah." Nate scowls. "Nina doesn't really understand that, Emmett. She still sees the good in the world and in people. She thought she could convince them to take less than they were owed. It doesn't really work that way, though. Not for guys like them."
Jesus. It's…fucking sad that he understands at seventeen how the world works. He shouldn't. No kid should. But I admire the hell out of him for trying to protect his sister—his hero—from having her blinders ripped off. He loves her just as fiercely as she loves him.
"You were wrong about something back in Dillon's office."
He glances over at me.
"She didn't give up anything to take care of you," I murmur. "As far as she's concerned, raising you is the best thing she's ever done. She doesn't regret a minute of it. And you don't owe her a single thing for it. She got to keep her brother with her, the one person in this world she loves more than anything. That wasn't a sacrifice for her, Nate. Never think it was."
He swallows hard, his eyes bright in the dim light. "Thanks, man," he rasps. "Maybe you will be good enough for her."
I chuckle quietly. "I sure as hell intend to be. And I'm guessing you'll help make sure of it."
"Fuck ye–"
The car behind us slams into us out of nowhere, jolting us forward.
"Shit," I growl as Nate pitches forward. "Hang on." I grip the steering wheel, trying to keep the truck on the road as the car behind us bumps us again.
"What the fuck are they doing?" Nate asks, turning to peer behind us.
"Sit down!" I order him. "Keep your seatbelt on tight. If you can reach my phone, call 911."
He immediately drops back down in the seat, snatching my phone up to call for help. I split my attention between the road and the car behind us, trying to get a look at the driver, but with their headlights blaring, they might as well be invisible. I have a good idea who it is, though.
Alexei fucking Palatov.
He speeds up, pulling up beside the truck.
I grit my teeth, growling a curse as he rams into the side of us, trying to force us off the roadway. We split apart for a brief second before he rams us again.