Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 89093 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 445(@200wpm)___ 356(@250wpm)___ 297(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 89093 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 445(@200wpm)___ 356(@250wpm)___ 297(@300wpm)
Cedric doesn’t see things in the same manner, though. He thinks I’m sheltering him because I believe the lies spilling from his mouth.
“Tell her the truth, CJ.” His tone is way too haughty for my liking. He’s acting as if he has the world at his feet, and I struggle not to deem the same when he adds, “Tell her how you planted spikes on the road because you want the land Cecil left you both, and that when she survived the accident, you conjured up a ruse about people hunting her so you could cash in the bounty the Petrettis have had on her head the past decade.” He drops his eyes to mine that are staring at him in disbelief. “Then he gets to kill two birds with one stone. Collect the bounty on your head and the land in one fell swoop.”
“Ugh!”
“No!” I stop JR from going into a violent rage with one word before I upend Cedric’s theory with a handful more. “Cecil was a patient of mine for only hours, so I’m highly skeptical he left me anything. And JR…” I pause, his name suddenly bitter in my mouth, “… survived a fatal accident that night. He didn’t instigate it.” Sappiness fuels my next reply, “Furthermore, he has saved my life more than once.”
“That’s not what the coroner reports says,” Cedric straight-up denies. “He’s wanted on murder, and not just one count either.” Too shocked at JR’s lack of objection to form one of my own, I give Cedric the entire stage. “He orchestrated the death of his sister before killing a man for endeavoring to get his mitts on the same piece of land he’s trying to take you down for.”
“You’re a liar, Cedric.” I wish my words were stronger. It’s hard defending facts when you have no clue if they’re true or not. I only remember portions of the accident which claimed the life of Ophelia Petretti. Most of that night is a black void in my head.
I’m reminded as to why that is when Cedric thrusts a pathology report into my chest. I’m naked, but I’m stripped bare when my eyes rake over the report. “Betradezliroids is—”
“A hallucinogenic drug that swept the black market ten years ago. Its sales overtook fentanyl the following year,” I interrupt, aware of the document he’s showing me. It’s the same drug a federal agent told me about when I came to in a morgue the day following Ophelia’s accident. It was meant to kill me, but for some reason, it only stole portions of my memories. “What does this report have to do with JR?”
I’m left speechless when Cedric replies, “His fingerprints were on the vial agents found in your room after you went into cardiac arrest.” Horrifying memories creep into my head, freezing me further when he mutters, “He poured it down your throat, then clamped his hand over your mouth to make sure you couldn’t spit it out.” I can’t tell if its smugness in his eyes or remorse when he whispers, “That’s why you clam up anytime I touch your neck.”
I want to correct him, to explain that it’s more than fear instigating my lack of interest, but before I can, JR’s roar rumbles through my chest. It is unlike anything I’ve ever heard and exposes that he’s opposed to every word leaving Cedric’s mouth.
“Were you there?” I ask, mindful he will have a harder time deflecting my interrogation than Cedric’s.
When JR jerks up his chin, I blubber out, “Did someone try to kill me?” I’m blindsided when he nods for the second time. “Then why did you leave? You vanished without a trace.” Some of my anger evaporates when remorse flashes through his eyes. He has honest, truthful eyes that should have alerted me to his identity a lot sooner than they did. “You thought they succeeded?”
I see only half of his head bob before Cedric interrupts a conversation he should have never been a part of. “Hence, the reason he only tried to kill you after he organized for Rosha to spike my drink with a sedative. He thought you were dead.” He twists to face me, his expression not close to sorrowful. “I swear to God, Twinkie Pie, I had no clue what I was doing that night. You know I’d never deceive you like th—”
JR shuts Cedric up with his fist before I can slap his lie from his mouth. The connection of his fist to his face knocks Cedric unconscious, leaving the remainder of my fact-finding mission to me and the man I’m slowly realizing is still a stranger.
After putting some much-needed distance between JR and me, I plead, “Tell me the truth. Are you CJ Petretti?” When he steps closer to me, his cock swinging like a pendulum, I hold my hands out in front of myself, stopping his approach. I’m naked, but even if I weren’t, I couldn’t feel more exposed than I do right now. “Answer me! Are you CJ Petretti?”