Total pages in book: 114
Estimated words: 109368 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 547(@200wpm)___ 437(@250wpm)___ 365(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 109368 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 547(@200wpm)___ 437(@250wpm)___ 365(@300wpm)
With that in mind, when Ramsay returned with the food, I lunged. Verbally. “How did you find the guy who attacked me so quickly? How did you connect it to Halston? Where did you disappear to?”
“I called in a few favors.” Ramsay shrugged before taking a bite of his burger.
“What kind of favors? With whom?”
“Old friends.”
“Ramsay—”
“Eat your food before you pass out.”
I took an aggressive bite of my burger, glaring at him the whole time.
Something hot but tender lit his expression as he stared back.
As if he realized it too, he looked down at his food.
I waited until I’d finished my burger. “Who are these friends you speak of?”
“Just old friends.”
“Seriously.” I hissed, leaning across the table and then wincing with pain. “Fuck.”
“Stop exerting yourself.”
“Stop lying to me.”
He scowled. “I haven’t lied to you.”
“Then stop evading. Did you go after Halston?”
“I’m going to get your pain meds out of the car.” He got up before I could say a word and disappeared out of the restaurant.
Emotionally wounded, I sank back against the booth and reached for my phone. I wanted to talk to London. I wanted to tell her everything and ask her what she thought about Ramsay.
There was still nothing from her.
Concerned and a little depressed, I didn’t push Ramsay further. I took my pain relief. I ate and let him eat. Then he gently guided me back to the car.
For the next few hours, I stewed in my own emotions. By the time we reached the car ferry that would take us over to Glenvulin, I was close to tears again. “I trusted you with my story,” I suddenly spoke into the silent vehicle. “I don’t understand why you can’t trust me to tell me the truth.”
Ramsay sighed. “Be honest, Silver. You only told me the truth because there was no other option. That’s not trust.”
Anger flushed through me. “I told you I’d already decided to tell you that day that fucker stabbed me, but he got to me first!”
“Calm down.” Ramsay glowered. “You can’t get worked up right now.”
Knowing he would be obnoxious and not respond if I didn’t lower my tone, I continued quietly, “I trust you.”
A muscle in his jaw flexed as his gaze shuttered.
I swallowed over and over again, fighting back my tears. I wouldn’t give him my goddamn tears. Clenching my hands into tight fists, I concentrated on my indignation instead.
Quinn called as we made the crossing.
The media were already there and waiting.
Thankfully, we were able to drive past them off the ferry, though Ramsay almost mowed them down and they nearly blinded me with their cameras. The Leth Sholas police unit was very small, but they blocked the exit from the ferry terminal with two large Defenders so we could get out with a police escort while the Defenders blocked the paparazzi from following us.
My heart rate slowed as soon as I knew they couldn’t follow.
To my surprise, Ramsay drove me into a residential area of Leth Sholas. “Where are we going?”
Instead of answering, he pulled up outside a bungalow. Taran stepped through the front door of the one-story home.
The police car parked behind us as a precaution.
Taran hurried around the car and opened my door. “You’re staying with me while you recuperate,” she offered without preamble.
I gaped up at her. “No. You’ve got enough going on.”
“I want you here,” she assured. “It’ll help me too.”
“The media.” I gestured behind me to what we’d left in our wake at the harbor. “They’ll camp outside the house.”
“Then let them.” Taran stepped aside and Ramsay was there, sliding his arms under my ass.
“What are you doing?”
“No more walking today,” he said gruffly, easing me out of the car and into his arms as if I weighed nothing.
Even though my anger toward him still burned hotly, I held on tight and enjoyed the moment.
Mostly because I worried it might be my last time in his arms.
The thought made me sick to my stomach.
Inside the bungalow, Taran directed Ramsay to the back of the house and into a bedroom with a double bed. My suitcases were stacked in the corner. “What?”
Ramsay lowered me onto the bed. “You can’t get up and down the stairs of the flat, so the flat is done with. Aodhan already knows.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Well, that’s a little high-handed, don’t you think? Where am I supposed to go when I’m healed up?”
Taran appeared in the doorway. “You’re staying here until the B and B is ready.”
Gratitude mingled with dismay. “I can’t impose like that.”
She gave me a sad smile. “Honestly … having you here … it’s kind of selfish of me. I … being here without Mum is hard. And after reading your story today in the paper … maybe it would be nice to have each other right now.”
This time my tears fell before I could stop them. “Thank you,” I whispered, wiping them away, though the salty taste of them lingered on my lips.