Total pages in book: 113
Estimated words: 109086 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 545(@200wpm)___ 436(@250wpm)___ 364(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 109086 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 545(@200wpm)___ 436(@250wpm)___ 364(@300wpm)
He was speaking to someone else, asking a question. I couldn’t make it out anymore.
“—this way.”
Jake was following someone down a small hallway. A door opened. The room was dark, blissfully dark. He started to let me down, but I reached for him. “No!”
I heard the voice. A part of me knew it was from me, but that didn’t sound like me. That sounded animalistic.
Another part of my brain switched on so I was watching everything from a safe distance. I was outside of my body, witnessing as Jake soothed me, calming me down enough so he could place me on a couch. Graham was there, but he moved out when Oliver took his place. Aunt Bess was also beside me. They were talking to me. Bess was smoothing my hair from my forehead.
Jake was grim, his face like concrete with blood splattered over his neck and jawline. He was conversing with Graham. Aunt Clara was in the background, overhearing. All of them looked shaken, pale.
The dogs were barking in the background.
Graham was saying, “—no, you will not!”
I came back to my body abruptly, jerking upright. Oliver’s hand was on my shoulder. Aunt Bess was touching my foot, as if they were both trying to keep me grounded. Their eyes widened at my sudden change. I blinked once, reality slamming down on me, unwelcome, but it was what it was.
Jake was standing sideways, his face and body so tense, but he kept a firm hold on his gun, pressed to his side. “More could be coming here. I need to take her away so none of you are in danger. Sawyer would want that.”
Graham leaned in, hissing, “Maybe, but I’ve a feeling you’re the reason she had me driving north of the city to get her and why she was so terrified we were being followed—”
Aunt Clara barked, joining in, “Followed?”
Bess said, “Followed by who?”
Graham didn’t see I was cognizant again. No one did. They thought I was still in shock, except Jake, who holstered his gun. His eyes were trained on me, inspecting me. He ran his gaze down my body, darkening, before lifting to meet my eyes once more.
Graham’s arm swept in the air, cutting through it. “She wouldn’t tell me, but she asked me to pick her up in someone else’s car. She was scared of her own shadow when I got there. Who are you?”
“What?” Clara screeched. “Why is this the first we’re hearing about this? She’s my niece.”
“Mine too,” Bess huffed, her mouth twisting as she went back to patting my foot.
Oliver cursed under his breath, standing up. “I’m calling the police.”
“No police,” Jake ordered, his voice sharp, silencing everyone. Even the dogs stopped barking.
It lasted a second.
He asked me, quieting, “Are you okay?”
Oliver drew in air, blinking at me.
Bess, Clara, and Graham all fixed me with stares.
“Oh, baby.” Bess’s hand gripped my foot.
Clara started to push into the room.
Graham took a step forward.
All of them crowded around me.
Their concern and panic pounded at me from all sides, mixing with my own, but I forced it down. “I’m fine.” I cringed. That came out like a squeak.
Jake’s eyes narrowed, a dark emotion flashing there before it was banked. His jawline clenched and he came toward me, standing over me. I tilted back, still holding his gaze. He lifted a finger to touch under my chin, running along the length of my jawline before he moved it over my forehead, his mouth turning down at whatever he saw there. He tucked some hair behind my ear, tracing down the rest of my face before ending again under my chin. He tilted me back a little farther, his next words coming out softly, “You were only a person of interest, but an hour ago, a price was put on you too. You’re listed as a secondary bonus.”
All of my insides took a nosedive to the floor. That wasn’t good.
I whispered, “Did you find out who’s behind it?”
His eyes went dead, his mouth flattening. “I did. That’s why I left, to find out.”
That was good. That meant he could fix this.
“Sawyer, honey.” Bess’s voice dipped. She was fighting back tears. Her hand squeezed my foot. “Who is this man? What is going on?”
Oliver suddenly stood up. “We need to call the police. Those were gunshots. Our neighbors would’ve heard.”
I looked to Jake for those answers, seeing he was barely restraining himself. “They won’t know which fucking house it came from. Your curtains are drawn. No lights are visible. The police will send a squad car to drive through your neighborhood. They won’t find a disturbance unless you create one, and I already said no fucking police.”
“Fuck this,” Graham muttered, pulling out his phone.
Jake was across the room in the next second, ripping it away.
“Hey!”
Jake ignored him, pulling his gun again.