Total pages in book: 40
Estimated words: 35602 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 178(@200wpm)___ 142(@250wpm)___ 119(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 35602 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 178(@200wpm)___ 142(@250wpm)___ 119(@300wpm)
"Anyway..." He narrows his eyes at me. "What you're saying is, there is no way we can convince you to give up the search for Tallulah, is there?"
"No," I reply firmly. "I'm never going to give up. I'm going to keep going after her until I cage her and put her back where she belongs."
After I have dinner by myself in the office, I start getting tired and admit to myself it's time for me to go to bed. But as I walk over to my bedroom, I purposefully avoid the door leading into my quarters. Instead, I open the one leading into Tallulah's room.
No one's touched anything since I was last here. And once again, my legs are carrying me over to the underwear drawer, and I stuff my pockets with her lacy panties. They all smell like her. Everything in here smells like her.
If the dogs could, they'd spend all day in Tallulah's bedroom. But this is now a sacred space. Until I find her, I'm going to treat it as such.
I end up getting in her bed with her lingerie strewn around me. I inhale her scent and stare at the ceiling, wondering how the fuck a little girl like her got such a hold on me.
Once again, my hand finds my cock and I begin massaging the throbbing mess through those silky back boxers I put on after my shower.
I need to get off again. I've never been a man who was easily pleased, but ever since Tallulah disappeared, this need to hurt, to hunt, to kill, has been haunting me. And if I don't get it sated soon, I'm going to lose my fucking mind.
My cock bursts with a shot of cum as I bring myself to another throbbing orgasm.
This time, I don't toss the panties away. I fold them right next to me and stare at them as I slowly drift off to sleep.
Once again, my dreams are plagued by the characters who have shaped my life into the mess it currently is. Antonio is there, demanding to know why I killed him. Why I sacrificed an innocent life.
All for Tallulah, who turned out to be the deadliest of all of the people I associate with. After all, she's one the only one who got close to hurting me. And she did a damn good job. I'm almost proud of her.
But in my dreams, it doesn't seem that way. Antonio and Tallulah attack me and my brother, Xander, is there, too, always watching.
His throne sits above the rest of us. And he watches us with disgust. I can tell this is all just a game to him. And when I wake up the next morning sweating and confused, I already know.
One way or another, Xander is going to be the one to end this game once and for all.
Chapter 8
TALLULAH
It's the middle of the night when I first hear the screams.
They must be coming from downstairs. At first I mistake them for just the sound of the wind blowing through the damaged house. But then another one happens, and then a child begins to cry. I rip myself out of bed. I try to rouse my roommate, Maria, to get her to come with me.
She yawns and looks up at me, her eyes wide and frightened.
"What's going on?" she asks in Spanish.
I tell her I don't know, but to stay here and hide in one of the closets. I help her get between the clothes and huddle them over top of her. I have no idea what's going on, but with the screams, I know I need to act fast. Out of all the women here, I'm the only one who can shoot and the only one who can protect us.
I'm assuming it's an invasion. Maybe a husband or boyfriend of one of the women here, coming to get her back and take the kids with him.
My blood runs cold when I remember there are children here. They could be getting hurt. They could be getting hurt right now, and I'm doing nothing to help them.
"I'll be right back," I whisper to Maria.
Her wide eyes stare back at me, hoping for promise I can't make her. I lock the doors of the closet and put the key on the floor underneath a rug. I can only hope they won't break down the doors to get her out of the wardrobe.
I tiptoe down the hallway and quickly notice something's wrong.
A lot of the girls down the hallway are already waiting to see what's happening. I press a finger to my lips and walk downstairs as quietly as I can. What I see stops me in my tracks.
The floor is bathed in blood, blood fucking everywhere.
I swallow the lump in my throat.
I know there's a gun in Dorothea's safety case in the reception. It's hidden, so I'm assuming no one's found it yet. I'm one of the only two people who know about it.