Total pages in book: 141
Estimated words: 141428 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 707(@200wpm)___ 566(@250wpm)___ 471(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 141428 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 707(@200wpm)___ 566(@250wpm)___ 471(@300wpm)
He started wrapping her arm.
Fuck! Fire lit up her arm and she had to retreat into her head, where the pain couldn’t get to her.
Time became irrelevant until he grabbed her chin again. “Focus on me. That’s it. You know, when your old man was trying to get a meeting with my boss I didn’t actually who he was. Not until I saw you come out of his trailer that night you ran into me.”
“You were w-watching my t-trailer?”
“My boss was tired of your old man pestering the girls to get him an interview. Sent me here to tell him to fuck off.”
Tell him?
She wondered if his idea of talking involved fists?
“But then I realized he was your old man and I convinced the boss to hear him out. You always intrigued me, Mouse.”
Awesome. Something to be pleased about.
“That night I brought him home, he’d just had a meeting with my boss. He was already drunk when he turned up, then the whiskey we gave him sent him over the edge. Do you know why he was there?”
“N-no.” But Derick had lied to her, she knew it!
“To sell you.”
“W-what?” she whispered.
“He wanted to see how much he could get for you.”
She let out a pained noise. She knew Derick didn’t love her . . . but to try to sell her? She was going to be ill.
“Yeah, that fucker cared nothing for you, Mouse.”
“Did your boss . . . did he want . . .”
“We don’t tend to shop in our own backyard. But we were toying with the idea. Until I did a bit of research and we decided you weren’t worth the risk. Even though the local cops are shit, your brother does have some powerful connections that we didn’t want to mess with.”
Lucky her. God.
“I leave you like this and you’re gonna die. That would likely make my life easier, but like I said, I like you, Mouse. Always so quiet. Always so easy to hurt. If it wasn’t for your brother, you would have been destroyed in that school.”
She kind of had been. Her spirit had been crushed.
“W-why did y-you want m-me to call y-you when D-Derick came b-back?”
His face darkened. “My boss wanted another chat. Your old man has been annoying some of our girls.”
Right.
“Now, I’m sure I don’t have to tell you that you can’t tell anyone I was here, understand?”
She nodded and Vega put her phone into her hand.
“This is the end of my good deed, Mouse. I’d suggest you get out of town.”
Suddenly, he was gone and she was on her own with just her phone.
But she knew exactly who to call. She fumbled with the phone, but managed to hold onto it. She’d need to use the voice activation.
“Call Hayes.”
21
Hayes pulled his phone out as it rang.
A stab of fear went through him as he saw it was from Devi. Why would she be calling him?
He was sitting in the Stein house on his laptop, trying to figure out another way to get Rohan free quicker. Donovan hadn’t gotten back yet but he’d sent a few messages, letting him know that Stein was still giving his statement to the cops.
When Sondra woke up, he’d have to tell her what had happened.
Without Stein here would she be safe? Would the person threatening him go after her? He didn’t know, but he was fairly certain she wouldn’t want to pay for their protection any longer.
And Stein’s money was about to dry up.
“Devi? What’s wrong?” he asked.
It was now four in the morning. There was no way this was a good call.
“Hayes,” she whispered, sounding like she was in pain. He stood and started running toward the front door.
Fuck!
Sondra!
“What is it, baby? What’s wrong?”
“Hurt. Please. Come.”
“I’m on my way. I have to hang up but I’m coming. Where are you?”
“Home.”
“I’m coming. Just wait for me.” He ended the call and quickly called Zander.
“Man, you just can’t get enough of me, can you?” Zander said.
“I have to go. Devi’s in trouble. I need you guys to watch Sondra.”
If it was anyone else, he’d have sent Zander to them and stayed with Sondra. She was going to freak if she woke up to a stranger. Especially if that stranger was Zander.
“Send Webb.” He was the most . . . calm? Nonthreatening?
Most people might look at Honey and think she would be the least threatening.
Until she opened her mouth.
“You got it. Honey and I will meet you at Devi’s.”
Zander hung up before he had a chance to tell him no. Or to ask if he knew where she lived.
Of course he knew that. That fucker seemed to know way too much. But Hayes didn’t have time to think about that.
He had to get to Devi.
Now.
“Oh shit,” a feminine voice said.
Devi opened her eyes and stared up into the face of a beautiful woman that she’d never seen before.