Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 80503 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 403(@200wpm)___ 322(@250wpm)___ 268(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 80503 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 403(@200wpm)___ 322(@250wpm)___ 268(@300wpm)
What sort of crazy shit she gets into.
“I can disappear. I’ve done it before. I can do it again.” She lifts the drink to her lips.
“You do realize that’s strange, don’t you?”
“I’m aware.”
“Who were you before you became Jeanie Gray?”
She looks to the side, away from me, toward my kitchen. “Nobody.”
“We don’t need to go through this again.”
“Are you going to tell me I don’t kiss like a nobody?”
“I’ll tell you that your pussy doesn’t feel like a nobody. Or your lips don’t taste like nothing.”
“Prick.” She closes her eyes. “But I was nobody, okay?”
“You’re not going to tell me. I get it, although I did save your life. I feel entitled to something. For example, why do you seem so hell-bent on getting yourself killed?”
She’s quiet for a long moment. She doesn’t move, doesn’t speak, and I wonder if I’ve pushed too hard. I don’t want to make her run but I also can’t keep moving forward with her if I don’t have some level of trust.
And I did save her damn life.
“Revenge,” she says finally, almost a whisper. The word echoes through my living room and fades away.
“Revenge for what?”
“Against Malcolm. That’s all you need to know, okay?”
“What did he do to you?”
“A lot of things. It’s complicated.”
I sigh, leaning back. “Jeanie. I want to help you here. But give me something to work with.”
Her gaze sharpens and her eyes narrow. “My mother. Okay? I’m getting revenge for what he did to my mother.”
I nod slowly. “That’s something.”
“Look, you don’t have to worry about it. I’m going to leave here after I finish this drink, get a bus back into town, and figure out where to go from there. I’ll stay with a friend, scrounge up some cash, and start over. I can do this.”
“That’s a mistake.”
Her face twitches with anger. “How do you know?”
“Benedict will hunt you down, and if he finds you with your friend then he’ll kill her too.”
“How do you know it’s a her? Maybe I’ve got a boyfriend.”
“You don’t kiss like you’ve got a boyfriend.”
“Asshole.” She sighs and nods. “All right, that’s a good point. I can’t go to Lauren’s house. I can go somewhere else, sleep in the park, maybe—”
“Stop.” I hold up a hand. “You’ll sleep here, and in the morning, you’ll work for me.”
“No.” She shakes her head. “I can’t.”
“You’d rather be homeless and on the run with no money and no prospects and no friends than work for me?”
She blinks, head tilted like she’s seriously considering that. “I think so.”
“You’re a damn idiot then.”
“Hey,” she says, narrowing her eyes. “Watch it.”
“I’m your golden fucking ticket, Jeanie. I’m your jackpot. You want a way to get revenge on Malcolm for whatever he did? I’m your way. I can keep you safe, give you money, get you back on your feet. I can get you closer to that bastard than you ever could on your own. You can disappear if you want, become a drifter, whatever you have to do, or you can stay here and fight. It’s your decision.”
I stand and walk away to refill my glass again. I want that to sink in for a minute or so. I don’t know what this girl is thinking but I swear she’s losing her mind. The idea that she hates me so much she’d rather risk her life by running away is crazy to me and borderline insulting. I’ve done nothing but yank her ass from the fire, and now she’s acting like I want to cover her in kerosene and light the match myself.
And yet I’m still drawn to her. Inviting her to stay here is stupid. Casso will be pissed, and I still don’t know this girl’s story. She’s trouble, pure and simple, and yet I want trouble right now.
Trouble makes me feel alive.
Leaning against her, cleaning her cuts, touching her ribs, that’s the most present I’ve felt in a long time. This girl needs my help, and I need her to wake me up.
I want to take her and keep her. I want to dig into her secrets and peel her apart.
But most of all I want to feel her lips against mine one more time.
“I can’t,” she finally says. “How can I trust you? You’re a Bruno.”
“That’s right, and I’m your only option.” I turn and face her. “I could make it an order and not a request. You think you could leave here if I wanted to keep you?”
She shivers and her grip on the glass tightens. “You wouldn’t.”
“I’ve done worse.”
“Gavino.” A hint of fear now. Is that what I wanted, to scare the girl? I’m such a bastard, even I hate myself sometimes.
“I won’t force you to stay, but we can cut a deal. Tonight, you sleep in my place. Tomorrow, you sleep in the main house. You’ll have your own suite in Villa Bruno and the protection of my family. You’ll be my personal secretary and we’ll work on the Strafford deal together. And hopefully, you’ll get the revenge you want, and I’ll get to throw that shithead from my city. We can do it together if you’d stop being so damn stubborn.”