Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 85183 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 426(@200wpm)___ 341(@250wpm)___ 284(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 85183 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 426(@200wpm)___ 341(@250wpm)___ 284(@300wpm)
Jude's nostrils flare and he nods. "It's just us here. He could have killed us, but again, he didn't." I can see the confusion and frustration on his face.
"He wants to rattle you," I say. "It's all part of his games. We're all just chess pieces, waiting for him to decide to end us, and he wants you to know it. He wants you to believe he has complete control." I sigh. "And apparently, he wants to be theatrical about it."
"I have fifteen different people looking for him. Why the fuck can't I find him?" There's vulnerability in his tone. He slams his fist into the wall and growls.
I move behind him, wrapping my arms around his waist and pressing my face into his back. "You just have to wait, think, be smart. Anticipate his next move. He acts controlled but trust me, his rage blinds him. Don't make the same mistake. At the moment, we're always behind him. Get ahead," I say.
If only it were that simple, but this is Jude. He just needs to focus.
Jude nods and turns to walk out of the room.
"Where are you going?"
"Fucker wants to play games? You can't play fucking ball without a team." He walks out of the room, slamming the door closed behind him, and I smile.
I stand in the middle of the living room. The fucking window is blown out. Glass is all over the place, wood is splintered across the room. The smell of gasoline saturates the air and a thick cloud of smoke swirls in through the gaping hole. Marney's outside hosing the car down with a fire extinguisher. That fucking car was parked only feet from the front of the house. An enormous dark circle surrounds the smoldering vehicle, the tree limbs above the car are black, some of the leaves still burning.
I place my arm against the doorframe and rest my head against it. This is fucking shit. That was no accident. That was Joe. He knows where we are. The phone vibrates in my back pocket, and I answer the call.
"Hello?"
"Did you like my present, JP? I have to say I was impressed with yours. A fucking head?" he laughs. "I rather enjoyed that. I do have a flare for the dramatic."
I brace my palm against the counter and take deep breaths. This motherfucker always seems to have the upper hand.
"I hear a congratulation is in store," he says. "Question is for who? You or me?"
My face heats and my jaw tightens. "When I find you..."
"There is no finding me, JP. But as you're well aware, I already know where you are. I just hope it's a boy. I always wanted a son; he can replace the one you took from me." What the hell is he talking about?
"You—"
Marney snatches the phone from my hands and chucks it against the wall. "Threatening him's not gonna do shit." His face is red as hell. He slaps his palms on the table, leaning over to catch his breath. "You wanna kill the son-of-a-bitch? Great. But I'm taking her on down to that house. There's no reason she should stay here until you gut him."
I swallow as I nod. "Fine. That's fine."
She's pregnant, no matter how much she thinks she needs this, I can't put her, or the baby in this kind of danger. Joe is no longer playing with me; he's threatening my family.
I'm sat on the bed when Jude bursts back into the room and immediately starts emptying drawers into a duffle bag. His shoulders are tense, an air of aggression clinging to him.
"What are you doing?" I ask, my voice raspy.
He stops and turns to me. He smiles, but it doesn't reach his eyes. He closes the space between us and leans over me, cupping the back of my neck. He gently presses a kiss to my forehead, his fingers clenching possessively against my skin. "We're leaving," he murmurs.
I frown. "This is what he wants, Jude. You are playing straight into his hands."
"I don't give a shit if this is what he wants! This is stupid, Tor. You're pregnant. I'll get Joe, I swear to God, but you are going to go somewhere I know you'll be safe. Marney's going with you, and I'll come for you once Joe's dead."
I'm shaking my head before he's even finished speaking. "No, I'm not going." My fingers wrap around his wrists, holding him to me. I don't want to leave him. I won't leave him.
A low growl rumbles up his throat. "I wasn't asking if you wanted to. I let you do this to me before by letting you leave me, and look how the fuck that turned out!” His words make me recoil slightly. I pull away from him, glaring into his green irises. "That's not fair," I whisper. "That was different."