Total pages in book: 92
Estimated words: 90211 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 451(@200wpm)___ 361(@250wpm)___ 301(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 90211 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 451(@200wpm)___ 361(@250wpm)___ 301(@300wpm)
“Like what?”
“There are decent people in the world worth caring about.”
“Are you talking about me now?”
“Don’t be silly. I’m talking about your brother. The love of my life.”
“Gross.”
He kisses me again and I flush with joy. It feels right standing here with him. Not far away, a dock extends out toward the lake. I decide to angle toward it, remembering how I’d stand there with Luke trying to catch fish for hours at a time, making jokes and laughing together. Liam feels fine following along, out of place around these parts, but it doesn’t matter. The few people we come across are friendly enough and none look too long at my husband.
I try not to think about the past, about the bad things Liam went through to get to where he is now. I know the New York foster system is notoriously difficult, and to survive it the way he did must’ve taken a lot of grit. It’s no wonder he got through it with more than a few deep scars, and it says a lot about how much he cares for me that he’s finding ways to work through them.
I spot a figure sitting at the end of the dock. My heart stutters with surprise as I get closer. The person is the right shape, has the right hair, but he’s in a jacket I don’t recognize and his back is to us. He’s sitting with his feet dangling over the side, face angled toward the water like he’s trying to taste the smell of lake rot on the air.
But as I draw nearer, I know, deep inside my chest. I pull away from Liam and walk faster, at a run as I hit the planks of the dock and sprint ahead. “Luke!” I call out. “Luke! What are you doing here?!”
He turns. His face is bright in the sunshine. He seems happy and free, strangely calm, even though it’s like the world’s coming down around us. I should hate him for what he did, but I’m mostly relieved he’s still alive and safe. No matter what he did, he’s still my brother. He smiles at me and opens his mouth to say something—
But his expression turns to a terror-filled flinch as he grabs something lying beside him. I come to a skidding stop, not sure what’s happening, as he raises a gun gripped in both hands.
“Get down!” Liam’s voice roars in my ear. I’m slammed sideways as the gun goes off. My head smashes against a pillar, light bursts in my eyes, and everything goes black as a choked scream wrenches from deep in my throat.
CHAPTER 29
REGAN
I’m at the bottom of the lake. There’s light above me, but no matter how hard I swim, I can’t get any closer. I feel the muddy, silty depths dragging at my feet, tugging me down, but I don’t want to be there. I swim and swim, screaming, breath running out, panic setting in, this must be how it ends—
I sit up with a gasp. My chest heaves and my head pounds. I groan, rolling onto my side, checking my body but I’m whole. There’s no water, only a mattress and blankets. I’m groggy and confused. It takes a few minutes before I realize I’m back home.
Back in Liam’s apartment.
“Hey, hey, it’s okay, you’re okay.” He’s beside me and helps me sit up. Liam’s touch is gentle. He’s in different clothes, which is confusing. I accept a glass of water and drink. “Take it easy. The doctor said we need to monitor you closely. You took a bad knock to the head.”
“What… I don’t know…” I search his face, confusion ringing in my brain. “Luke? We found Luke? At the dock, and he had a gun…”
Liam’s expression tightens. He touches my cheek and takes the glass away, setting it on the nightstand. “Don’t worry about that right now. Just rest for a minute, okay? I’ll explain everything soon.” He shifts into the bed beside me and pulls me close.
I accept the comfort. I’m not in a good spot to argue right now even if I wanted to. My skull feels like it’s going to split in half. I reach up and touch a bandage wrapped around my forehead, wincing at a sharp pain.
“How long was I asleep?”
“Half a day. We need to get you scanned soon. But for now, the doctor said to take it easy.”
“Jesus… half a day? Are you serious?”
“I’m sorry, love. You took a bad spill.” He touches the bandage. “Twenty-six stitches.”
“What?!”
“I know. He had to shave some of your hair.”
“Oh god.” I groan and reach to touch myself again, but he stops me.
“It’ll grow back. You’ll get one of those sexy cuts with the shaved sides of the head or something. You can pull it off.”
“I doubt that.”
“Trust me, love, you can pull anything off.”