Total pages in book: 115
Estimated words: 109695 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 548(@200wpm)___ 439(@250wpm)___ 366(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 109695 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 548(@200wpm)___ 439(@250wpm)___ 366(@300wpm)
He stepped close to loom over me, narrowing his eyes, with his lips curled. “I’d expect that from a woman. But that’s because you’re only looking at the goods. Deep down, he’s a selfish bastard. Aubree thinks he’ll come for you, but I’m not counting on it.”
Aubree came back inside, setting her keys on the counter. “Let’s try Stone again.” She put the call through, but he didn’t pick up.
It gave me hope that Nate might know what was going on, and that’s why he didn’t answer. If he’d been close, he might have taken Aubree out while she was outside, so that meant he was further away than I thought.
“We might as well take her to the warehouse,” Johnny said. “We’re too exposed here.”
“Let’s give it a few more minutes.”
“Why? I don’t think he’ll come back.”
“I don’t want to upset Larry. A few more minutes isn’t going to hurt.”
He huffed out a breath. “He’s a dick. I can’t wait to see the look on his face when we’re done.”
“Yeah… the guy has no balls, but we have to follow what Needles told us.”
“Fine. Ten more minutes… that’s it.”
She opened her mouth to answer, but the doorbell rang. They both froze. With a huff of annoyance, Aubree stepped away to glance into the living room. The doorbell rang again, followed by loud knocking.
“Serenity! Your car’s in the driveway. I know you’re in there. Come on. Let me in. You promised to talk to me.” Brandon waited another few seconds before shouting. “I’m not leaving until you open this door.”
“Who’s that?” Aubree asked.
I swallowed. “That’s my ex… uh… my husband. I told him to stop by for a chat.”
“Shit.” Johnny glanced at Aubree. “What should we do.”
Aubree turned to me. “You need to get rid of him. But don’t try anything, or we’ll kill you both. I don’t need you alive to lure in Stone.”
I stood and motioned to my hands. “You’d better get this off me first.”
Johnny pulled a knife from his pocket and cut through the zip-tie.
Rubbing my wrists, I slowly made my way to the door. Johnny followed close behind, but stayed out of sight. I opened the door a few inches and tried to smile. “Hey Brandon. Now’s not a good time after all. Can you come back later?”
“What? No. We need to settle this, now.” His eyes narrowed, and he glanced at the door. “What’s going on? Is that guy here?”
“No. But… something’s come up. You need to go.”
He put his hand on the door, and his eyes turned dark. “I’m not leaving. We have unfinished business, and I’m tired of waiting.” At my widened gaze, he shoved the door open, and I jerked out of the way.
He rushed inside and came face-to-face with Johnny. Lurching back, he nearly fell. “Who the hell are you?”
Johnny sneered and punched him hard in the stomach. Brandon doubled over, going down on one knee. Johnny slammed the door shut, turning the lock for good measure, and hauled Brandon up before punching him in the face.
Brandon’s head jerked to the side, and he went down again. As Johnny leaned in to grab Brandon’s arm, Brandon pulled a gun on him. Before he could shoot, Johnny kicked the gun out of Brandon’s hand and followed through with a punch to the jaw, knocking him flat. This time, Brandon stayed down.
Johnny picked up the gun before I could go for it, and stuck it in the pocket of his jacket. He glanced my way, his gaze narrow and filled with accusation. “Did you know he had a gun?”
My shoulders rose. “No. I had no idea.” I glanced at Brandon. Dazed, he shook his head and blinked a few times. As he pushed into a sitting position, I stepped toward him. “What did you bring a gun for?”
He growled. “To kill you! But you just won’t die.” He rubbed his face and swore. “Dammit, Serenity. You should be dead by now.” He lunged for me, going for my neck, but I danced out of his way.
Johnny grabbed his arms and pulled them behind his back. “Maybe, if you cooperate, I’ll let you kill her; but for now, you need to take a seat.”
He dragged Brandon into the kitchen while I stood there in shock. Just as they reached the doorway, I gathered my wits and turned to escape out the front door. Turning the lock, I grabbed the knob.
“Don’t, or you’re dead.”
I glanced up to find Aubree aiming a gun at my head. I stiffened, and tried to rein in my terror.
“Get back into the kitchen.” I hesitated, and her voice hardened. “Now.”
Out of options, I stepped toward her. She moved aside, nodding for me to go ahead of her into the kitchen.
Johnny had shoved Brandon into my chair and zip-tied his hands behind his back.