Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 91266 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 456(@200wpm)___ 365(@250wpm)___ 304(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91266 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 456(@200wpm)___ 365(@250wpm)___ 304(@300wpm)
Her phone rang almost instantly, and she startled. “Hello?”
“What’s wrong?”
She breathed out a sigh of relief. “Teague.”
For his part, he didn’t sound the least bit reassured. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. I just…”
“Then why are you calling?” He seemed to realize he sounded terse, because his tone gentled. “Not that I’m not happy to hear from you, but Aiden has his hounds out looking for you, and I don’t want to do something to tip them off.”
A different kind of fear rose at his words. She’d known her family would search for her, but Teague had been so reassuring when he said they’d never find her. He hadn’t sounded worried through the entire planning and extraction process. He sounded worried now. She clutched the phone. “Does he know where I am?”
“We covered your trail too well. Even Cillian can’t make progress with it.”
Thank God. She took a deep breath, well aware that they were nearing the time limit for a potential wiretap. “Then I’ll make it quick. I’m fine. Everything is fine. I just need some information.”
“I’ll do what I can.” He always would. That was so very Teague of him. Of all her brothers, Teague was the one who’d bend over backward, putting himself in danger time and time again, to ensure the people around him were safe.
She wanted to ask him how everything else was going. Callie would be well into her second trimester now, maybe even showing. Cillian must have been okay because Teague mentioned him…I miss them. The realization staggered her. It shouldn’t have. She loved her family dearly. Her siblings weren’t the reason she’d left.
“Sloan?”
The concern in his voice brought her back to the matter at hand. “Do you know a man named Jude? He’s big, long dark hair, short beard, dark eyes. He…He might be a hit man or hired muscle.”
Teague was silent for a beat, and then another. “The name doesn’t ring any bells, though if he’s in that life, I doubt his name is really Jude.”
“I know.” She breathed another small sigh of relief. She hadn’t really believed Jude was somehow linked to her life back home, but with everything going on, she couldn’t help but be a little paranoid. Maybe he’s running from something, the same way I am. It would explain the potentially fake last name. “Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me yet. Just because I haven’t met the man, doesn’t mean he isn’t exactly what you fear. How do you know him?”
She clutched the phone tighter. “He’s my next-door neighbor.” My lover. Possibly the man who got me pregnant…if I’m pregnant. The longer she went without a period, the greater that fear grew—so great that she couldn’t force the words into the open air, even when she was alone.
She’d bought a test, but technically she wasn’t supposed to have her period for another week, and the information she’d found online said the pregnancy hormone levels wouldn’t be high enough to be picked up by an at-home test until then. Taking one now wouldn’t prove anything, because it’d likely come back negative regardless of whether she was pregnant or not.
Teague cursed. “I knew we should have put you somewhere else. Listen carefully, Sloan. Sorcha has enemies. Not just because she was born a Sheridan, but because of who her late husband was. We thought you’d be okay there because she’s successfully kept both herself and her small staff safe, but…” He cursed again. “If you think for a second that you might be in danger, get out. Get out immediately. Take the money and run, and I’ll find a way to get you a new identity, more money, whatever you need. Listen to your instincts.”
What instincts? She fought down the helpless feeling trying to take root.
She wasn’t helpless.
And she wasn’t leaving.
“It’s fine. I’ll be careful. I promise.” The same promise she’d made to Jude. Sloan took a deep breath. “Is there any way one of the other families could know I’m here?”
“No. If Cillian can’t find you, I doubt anyone can.”
The reassurance felt like a lie, though she couldn’t say if it was because he thought there were better hunters out there than Cillian or because he was that worried. She forced a smile into her voice. “I’m safe. It will be okay. Take care of yourself and Callie.”
“I will. Love you.”
“Love you, too.” She hung up and systematically dismantled the phone, removing the battery and tossing it into the wastebasket next to her bed.
Teague had offered little information about what was going on back home, but that was just the way she’d wanted it. She couldn’t have it both ways. Her earlier realization rose up and choked her. I miss them. This was the longest she’d gone without seeing her siblings since she was born.
The longer she was away, the more she wondered if she’d been too hard on her sister Carrigan.