Total pages in book: 168
Estimated words: 164910 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 825(@200wpm)___ 660(@250wpm)___ 550(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 164910 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 825(@200wpm)___ 660(@250wpm)___ 550(@300wpm)
He backs up. “I think I’ll dump you on his lawn,” he pants. “He can get his revenge, too.”
I launch out, kicking his face and watching his head snap back. Blood spills from his nose, and his friend throws me on the ground, pressing my face into the gravel. Milo charges in and rears his foot back to kick me, but I scrape up some pebbles and dirt in my hand and throw them at his face.
He twists his head away, stumbling back and squeezing his eyes shut. Snarling, he swipes his hand across his face, his eyes watering and red.
“You broke my hand!” he growls. “I’m going to break your fucking teeth!”
He starts for me again, and I tense, ready for the kick, but someone catches him. I watch as Dallas throws him against the car and rams my door shut on Milo’s good hand. My former friend cries out, and the scene explodes in a flurry of activity as others fly in and kick ass. Anna-Katherine falls to the ground as Army points his firearm, badge around his neck since he’s out of uniform, the man holding her slowly raising his hands.
Dallas fists Milo by the collar, kneeing him in the gut, and I scramble to my feet, crashing my shoulder into the bearded guy’s stomach. He tumbles to the ground, scurrying backward, then climbs to his feet and runs down the small ravine, hopping the narrow canal and disappearing into the brush.
“Milo,” the short one calls, backing away slowly to test if Army will stop him.
Milo shoves Dallas back and bolts, both of them following their friend.
Rain spills down my face, my skin stinging. I whip my hand across my cheek, flinging off little rocks as I try to catch my breath.
But Dallas turns to me, and my lungs empty, taking in the sight of him.
My God…
His black pants glimmer with rain, molded to his thighs, and water drips down his chest and the ridges of his hard stomach. Green eyes are just visible behind the drenched locks of hair, and my groin starts to fill with heat.
Fuck.
I dart my eyes to my sister, pissed at myself for getting distracted when she was in danger.
She stands up, and I take a quick inventory, seeing she’s not bleeding anywhere.
I move to the front of my car, putting myself between her on one side and the Jaegers on the other. “You okay?” I ask her.
She nods, and I comb my hair back over the top of my head.
Milo’s car sits stalled just behind mine, and I try to see if he dented my rear fender. I need to get Anna-Katherine and myself out of here.
But I swallow, looking around at Macon, Army, Iron, Trace, and Liv. I blink twice, my heart picking up speed. I should’ve known she’d get her payback at some point.
“Where’s our shit?” Dallas asks.
I wipe my hands together, trying to wash off the dirt under the rain. “Not at the police station.”
“Where’s your security?”
My heart skips a beat. Why is he asking that?
Would he really hurt me? Or worse?
Not with Anna-Katherine here. They wouldn’t want witnesses, and I’m the only one who knows where the treasure is.
I pause, though, realizing he might not care. They’re used to doing without and have survived worse, and he might be willing to do anything to be free of me. Finally.
If he can’t have the treasure, at least he can have that.
Raising my eyes, I watch his siblings stand like marble columns in the background, his head tilting to the side.
He came looking for me.
They’re all here for me.
I try to steel my voice, but it comes out strained. “How much pain do you think I can take?” I ask. “Wanna see?”
He brutalized my heart years ago. I can survive anything now.
He steps closer. “I won’t hurt you.”
“Perfect night,” I go on, looking around at the empty road I just drove down, most of the homes vacated for the season. “Have to hand it to you. Lockdown. Cops are occupied. No cameras out here.”
“I won’t hurt you,” he says again.
“So I can leave?”
“No.”
Motherfucker.
I glance at Anna-Katherine, seeing she’s returned to her seat in the car, out of the rain. She’s not worried about Dallas. She loves his family.
She doesn’t know that they hate me and aren’t going to let me leave in one piece unless I give them back their shit.
I smile snidely. “You couldn’t just behave, could you?” I spit out. “You were always too dumb for your own good. You don’t understand that I’m the only ally you have. You’ll never get the treasure back, but at least you were dealing with me instead of my father.”
I walk up to him, rubbing my groin for him. “And you like dealing with me, don’t you, Swamp Rat?”
I shove his face to the side, wiping that fucking smirk off it, but a full-on smile appears as he stares at the ground.