Total pages in book: 156
Estimated words: 160192 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 801(@200wpm)___ 641(@250wpm)___ 534(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 160192 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 801(@200wpm)___ 641(@250wpm)___ 534(@300wpm)
“No, you won’t,” Jared said.
God help her.
This was impossible. She shared a look through the camera with her sister.
Are you all right? Keira mouthed the words.
I really am. I want to stay here. With them.
Keira nodded. I love you.
Angie’s eyes filled with tears. Love you too. Thank you for everything.
We’re sisters. That’s all that matters.
“All of you, stop!” Keira and Angie said together.
Wow. They’d never been in sync like that before.
“Angie is staying with Jared and North,” Keira said. “Because that’s what she wants and we’re not retaliating.”
Zander scowled.
“I like both of them, Zander,” Angie said quietly. “Sure, I might not have wanted to be kidnapped. And I certainly didn’t want to be locked up—”
“Locked up!” Zander yelled.
Right. She’d left that out. Deliberately.
“And I never wanted to worry anyone. But I want to be here now. Can you be okay with that?”
“As long as they treat you right, I’m okay with it,” Honey said.
“I didn’t realize she got a vote,” North said.
“Everyone gets a vote,” Angie told him. “Even the baby.”
“Makes total sense,” Jared murmured.
Everyone else nodded and agreed until it got to Zander. She held her breath as he crossed his arms over his chest.
“I don’t like it. Any of it. Definitely don’t like seeing my wife upset all the time.”
“Zander,” Keira said.
“I’m so sorry,” Angie said.
“Not your fault.” Zander pointed at her. “Stop apologizing. Now, I want to talk to Angie alone. Without you two fuckers.”
Jared frowned.
“Please,” she said to Jared.
He sighed and then nodded, gesturing to North who left with him. Although she noticed the door stayed open.
“They’re gone,” she said.
“Show me,” Zander demanded.
She moved the phone around so he could see the entire room.
“Good,” he grunted. “Now, do you really want to stay?”
“I really do. No one is forcing me to stay.”
He groaned. “Fine. But I want to hear from you every day. And you’ll call your sister. And you’re to tell me if you ever need to get away from these two. Understand?”
“Yes, I understand. Thanks, Zander.”
“Don’t thank me, either. I’m going to go hit something. It will make me feel better.”
“He was worried about you,” Keira told her as the others disappeared. “I’m so happy you’re okay. Call me.”
“I will. Rest up. Love you.”
“Love you too.” Keira’s smile was everything as she hung up.
Angie slumped against the sofa as Jared walked in to sit next to her.
“You all right, baby?” he asked, rubbing his hand up and down her back as she leaned against him.
North walked in with a blanket which he wrapped around her.
“Yeah, that was just a lot.”
“You need to start wearing more clothes,” Jared stated.
“I’ll turn up the heat,” North stated.
“You don’t have to do that!” she protested.
“Yes, we do,” Jared told her. “Because your comfort comes first. I’m sorry that was so hard.”
“Me too. But it was also good. I feel better after talking to them.”
“That’s good.” Jared kissed the top of her head.
“I guess I should let you guys get to work,” she said as she tried to get off Jared’s lap.
“No.”
“No?”
“Just sit. Rest.”
Fine. She didn’t have the energy to argue. Even if he was extremely bossy.
41
“Ihave to write lines?” she cried.
After holding her for about an hour, Jared had dropped this bomb on her.
All right, it shouldn’t have been such a surprise since she knew she was getting a punishment. Although that was yesterday they’d told her that. And then it had been postponed. She’d kind of hoped that it would keep getting postponed.
No such luck.
“Yes,” Jared told her. “I want fifty lines saying that you will not pull a weapon on Daddy or North.”
“On North either? That seems a bit crazy. I mean, with how annoying he is people must pull a knife on him all the time.”
She’d noticed he’d called himself Daddy and not Jared.
How did she feel about that?
She wanted him to be her Daddy so much that it was an ache inside her.
“While that might be true,” Jared admitted. “You are not to pull a knife on North.”
North shot her a look from where he sat across from Jared at his desk.
She was standing next to him, shifting her weight from foot to foot.
“Here is your pen and paper,” Jared said, pushing them across to her. “You may sit on the other chair and use my desk to write. I want you to number each line.”
She heaved out a breath. “This sucks.”
“Would you like the lines to go up?” North asked calmly. “Because it’s now sixty.”
Her mouth dropped open. “Wait! You can’t do that! You’re not my Daddy.”
“No, but I still Top you. Don’t I?” North asked her.
She wanted to deny it. But she couldn’t. Because North dominating her was the stuff of dreams.
The good ones. Not the nightmares.
Although if he was going to be stricter than Jared, she might start to rethink that.
With a grumble, she sat and started to write.