Total pages in book: 67
Estimated words: 64571 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 323(@200wpm)___ 258(@250wpm)___ 215(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 64571 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 323(@200wpm)___ 258(@250wpm)___ 215(@300wpm)
“That will show him.” I can hear the smirk on her lips.
“I wish I could see his face when he comes home and I’m just, poof, gone.”
“With all those cameras you told me about around there, maybe you can.” That would be kickass.
“Yeah, right. He’s got those on lockdown like everything else around here.” No wonder he worked with my father and the government.
“Are you sure you’ll be able to slip through security?”
“I guess we’re going to find out soon.” I have been paying attention to every detail around here over the last month when it comes to that. Who is coming and going and at what times.
“I can’t believe it’s finally happening.” I love that she’s as excited as I am.
“Yes. If anything changes, I’ll text you in code.” I know there are going to be points where I can’t use my gaming system, so text will have to do. I’ll send and delete, but in case he does see them, they will be vague.
“Teddy,” I hear Roland, her butler/uncle and maybe friend, say, making her scream in surprise. He must have popped up on her.
“Sorry, you scared me,” she responds to him. I can’t wait to meet Roland.
“My apologies,” he says. Always so formal. Roland takes the butler thing very seriously, whereas Teddy does not. Though she doesn’t take much seriously. “Mr. Gem is here.”
“Oh. Was I supposed to be seeing him today?” Not that creepy fuck. Why does he keep showing up there? “There was nothing on the calendar.”
Mr. Gem was her grandma’s lawyer. After she died, he’s been the one helping with the whole estate and trust. All of it went straight over to Teddy. Closed case. Why are we still doing this?
“He’s always showing up there. I don’t like it,” I tell her. I can’t wait to meet him either. We’ll have a few words.
“I better go and see what’s up.”
“Love you,” I tell her.
“Love you too,” she chirps back before jumping offline. I pull my headphones off, wondering if I could fake being sick to get out of this spontaneous work trip that I want to call bullshit on.
He can take Sasha with him.
Chapter Five
TRISTAN
One thing that has never bothered me is what people think of me. I don’t give a shit. Giving those things attention holds you back in life. That used to be the case. Then the Swans came into my life.
A big part of why I got paired up so often with Victor was because we’d gotten along, and I did care what he thought and often took his advice. He was a father to me in a way that I’d never had. Parents aren’t all that great in the upper social circles. They hire people to do those things. Children are accessories that you use even into adulthood.
With Victor, it was different. He gave a shit. Not because it would help him or a million other reasons; it was because he did actually care. The way he always talked about Lily gave me a glimpse into how normal families operate with each other. It was foreign to me.
Hell, the L word wasn’t used much in my life growing up. It was said in front of others because that was expected. You pretended to be this family and upheld an image. The reality was a stark comparison.
Victor didn’t pretend shit. Lily doesn’t either. She wears her heart on her sleeve and says what’s on her mind. Lily would be pissed if I told her that. She believes she’s a tough cookie. I think because she thought she should be. Her father sure as hell was.
Now I find I care what Lily thinks of me. Right now, she’s ignoring me with her arms folded over her chest, staring out the plane window at the endless sky. I don’t know how to fix this. I’ve never wanted to try before.
She’s still fiery with me. I do have this fear that indifference could soon slip into its place. I should want that. It might make it easier to keep my hands off her. I ball them into fists, then flex them.
There isn’t any business I need to travel for. I made it up. I was too on edge to stay put. I don’t care for uncertainties. I need to know who she is speaking with, and while Killian finds the answer, we’ll be on a whole other continent.
I watch her, unable to pull my eyes away. This is another reason I tend to keep space and spend less time with her. I have no self-control. It gets harder and harder for me to rein in my obsession with her. For me not to touch her or kiss her smart-ass mouth when she’s being a brat. I continue to blankly stare at her, but I know change has to come. This would have been a time I would have asked Victor for advice.