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)
Sloppy. Just fucking sloppy all around.
He’d have to do a more thorough check after he talked to Sloan, but the problem with not trusting anyone enough to tell them where his residences were located was that he didn’t have anyone he could call in as backup. He’d never needed help before. He was the very definition of a lone wolf, and that was a strength when it came to his business and his plans. There was no need for extra muscle because the only one he had to worry about was himself.
That wasn’t true anymore.
He picked up his pace, damn near sprinting down the road. There was no reason to think Sloan was in danger, but he couldn’t shake the belief that if he didn’t get her in his line of sight immediately, something terrible would happen.
Jude burst out of the trees and ran around the side of the house, slowing only when he saw Sloan doing some weird-ass pose with her head on the ground and her legs posed carefully on her elbows. He looked around, but no threat burst out of the surroundings.
You are freaking the fuck out.
The idea of going completely off the grid was suddenly appealing. He could provide for them indefinitely, and he wouldn’t have to worry about Stefan giving away his location to Dmitri if there wasn’t some sort of grid to connect to.
Sloan carefully touched her feet to the ground, slid seamlessly into downward dog, and then stood. “Is something wrong?”
Everything. He’d always had a plan, had his feet firmly on the ground and his head on straight. Now up was down and down was up. Nothing made sense anymore. Jude scrubbed a hand over his face. “I think we should leave.”
Instantly, she was on alert. “Did someone find us?”
“Not yet.”
She frowned. “I don’t think I understand.”
“I don’t trust anyone to keep you safe but me, and this place has too many ways in to be totally secure.” Even if he could secure it, he couldn’t leave her here alone while he went to Boston. Not only was it impossible to lock down, but if she needed help, she was too isolated for it to get to her in time. Didn’t think this through. “We need to find a better one.”
“No.”
“The fuck do you mean, ‘no’?” He sounded furious and he knew it, which only served to piss him off. “You said you wanted a plan—”
“And I do. A realistic plan. And the reality is that I’m pregnant.” She touched her stomach, and his heart stuttered a little. Sloan visibly braced herself. “Going off the grid is impossible. Even if this is a textbook pregnancy and nothing goes wrong requiring ultrasounds or other tests, are you planning on delivering this baby and providing aftercare? What if the baby has a health condition requiring a hospital? What if I do? No.” She shook her head. “Going off the grid is out of the question.”
She presented valid points. They didn’t change his desire to wrap her up and take her somewhere where nothing bad would ever touch her. He lifted his hands, and then let them fall to his sides. “Well, fuck. You have me at a loss, sunshine. I want you. I want this. But hell if I know how.”
“We’ll figure it out.” She crossed to him and slid into his arms. “Together.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
A ringing brought Sloan out of sleep. She looked around, but Jude was nowhere to be found. Typical. She stumbled out of bed, searching for the source of the ringing. She frowned. It was one of the remaining two burner phones. She frowned harder at the sight of Teague’s number on the screen. “Hello?”
“What side of the house are you on?”
She rubbed her face, trying to shake off the last bit of sleep. “What are you talking about?”
“The house on Orcas Island. The one owned by Jude MacNamara, a hit man who has a reputation to keep even me up at night. That house, Sloan—the one you’re currently in.”
Slow dawning horror made her spin to stare at the window. “What did you do, Teague?”
“What it takes to keep you safe. So tell me where the hell you are. Now.”
She shook her head, belatedly realizing that he couldn’t see the motion. “Just leave. We’ll pretend this never happened and it won’t ruin everything.”
“I don’t know if you’re suffering from Stockholm syndrome or just a shitty decision, but you don’t understand what’s at stake. He’s dangerous.”
Yes, he is. She set the phone down carefully and pulled on the first clothing she laid hands on—jeans and a tank top—before picking it up again. “Please don’t do this, Teague.”
“It’s too late.” There was no mercy in his voice. None for her, and certainly none for Jude.
He thinks he’s doing the right thing. She’d underestimated her brother’s reaction when she told him who Jude was, but she hadn’t thought he’d track her down after securing Sorcha, let alone so quickly…Sloan turned and cast a suspicious look at her luggage. “How did you find us?”