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)
His face tightened and he nodded. “Be careful, Devi. The men who took your father, they are violent and vicious. You need to make sure that you keep yourself safe.”
“Don’t worry, Detective,” Hayes said. “That’s my job now.”
What if these guys came after her? What if they hurt anyone who was near her?
Oh God.
However, she said nothing in front of the detective. Once he was gone, though, she turned to look at Hayes.
She was scared and feeling kind of numb.
The future was terrifying. And it had never really been that certain or safe in the first place.
“Hayes?” she asked. “What do you mean that it’s your job to keep me safe? How long are you staying?”
“Not long,” he said as he typed something on his phone. “I’ll be going home as soon as you’re out of hospital.”
“Oh, right.”
So he’d keep her safe until then.
“I think we’ll drive rather than fly. It will take around ten hours without stops. But there’s less chance of you getting bumped by people. And I hate flying.”
“You do?” Her mind was spinning. What did he mean by we?
“Yeah, I don’t like not having full control.”
His phone rang before she could question him further and he answered it.
“Derick’s body was found, did you know that?” he asked whoever had called. “Have you got any leads on them? Do you need anything? Yeah. Okay. Good.” He ended the call.
“Who was that?” she whispered as he sent another message.
“Hmm? That was Zander. I wanted to make sure he’d heard about Derick. He and his team are still searching for Fury and those assholes. They think they dumped the body and fled town.”
A strange noise left her. Something that sounded like pain.
Hayes froze and then set his phone down before turning her carefully in his arms. He cupped her chin, staring down at her with searching eyes.
“I’m sorry, baby. That wasn’t thoughtful of me. Are you all right?”
“I think so.” She still felt odd. But then she’d felt odd since she’d woken up in the hospital.
As though all of this was happening to someone else. Like she was just a participant in a play. It felt like her emotions were becoming more and more diluted as each thing happened to her.
“You think so?” he repeated.
“I don’t really know. There’re some emotions inside me. But it feels like there is this wall between me and them. And it gets thicker with each thing that happens. I don’t . . . I don’t feel like myself anymore, Hayes.”
He tightened his hold on her. “You’re going to feel like yourself again. I promise.”
She would?
Huh. When would that happen? What if this was her new normal? What if she couldn’t feel anything properly again?
“What do you mean, we?” she asked.
He frowned, looking confused.
“You said that we would drive rather than fly,” she explained.
“You’ll be coming with me,” he told her.
“Coming with you? I can’t do that. You don’t have to feel obliged to look after me anymore. Mac and Silla both offered me a place to stay when I get out.”
“I don’t feel obliged to do anything,” he told her. “And it’s not safe to live with Mac. I want you with me.”
She tried not to read anything into those words. He didn’t mean it like that. His phone beeped before she could argue with him again.
It just wouldn’t be a smart move to go with him. Not for her heart nor her head.
“Gwen is on her way and she’s arranged with the warden at Rohan’s prison for you to have a short conversation with him.”
“Does he know that I was attacked?”
“Yes,” he said tensely. “The police interviewed him and told him. Gwen found out after the fact. She’s raising hell over that too.”
“Gwen is busy.”
“She is. But she likes to keep busy.”
“I just . . . what if someone decides to hurt her? To make her stop?”
“Nothing will happen to Gwen,” he reassured her. “Dominic has her back.”
“You’re sure?” She just really couldn’t handle anyone else getting hurt. But especially not Gwen who seemed so kind and awesome.
“I’m sure, baby. You don’t need to worry about anyone but yourself.”
That seemed an impossible task.
Before she could say anything more, there was a knock on the door and Hayes called out to the person to enter.
Gwen strode in with a wide smile. Behind her stood an attractive older man with gray hair and tanned skin. He nodded at Hayes before his gaze moved to her. There was sympathy in his face that morphed into caring as he studied her.
“Devi, how are you, honey?” Gwen asked. “Hayes said you had a visit from that hideous Detective Brown?”
“Um, yes.”
“I’ll tell you about it,” Hayes said. “I want him fired.”
“Oh goody. That sounds interesting. Do you have your phone? Is it charged?”
“Honey grabbed it when they found her,” Hayes said. “And Kent brought in the charger. It’s in the bedside drawer.”