Total pages in book: 110
Estimated words: 104185 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 521(@200wpm)___ 417(@250wpm)___ 347(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 104185 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 521(@200wpm)___ 417(@250wpm)___ 347(@300wpm)
My heart pounded, making blood whoosh loudly in my ears as I stepped back and raised the gun. I didn’t know anything about them, which I’d proved that night I’d been in the van. This was why I’d wanted to tie him up first. If I’d reached for his gun before then, I was sure something would go wrong. He’d overpower me, or disarm me, or I wouldn’t be able to get it to fire in time.
Plus, as much as I hated him and he deserved it, I wasn’t sure I was ready to become a murderer.
I stared down the barrel at the man tethered to the bed, who didn’t scream or move. His eyes mocked me, silently daring me to do it.
But I couldn’t. I physically couldn’t.
The gun was a million pounds in my hands. Was it more of Dr. Vorbusch’s work?
“Stay,” I uttered, even though I’d done everything to make sure he had no other choice. I had to get to Jason.
I burst out into the hallway, only to find I wasn’t alone. Plavko was there, running toward me, and I acted on instinct. The gun in my hand came up, no longer weighing more than it should.
“Take me to Dunn,” I demanded, pointing the gun as menacingly as I could.
My feelings for him were conflicted. He’d helped me so many times, but then I remembered the times he’d punched Jason. Plavko pulled up short at the sight of my gun but said nothing.
He disarmed me in one precise move that was so swift it left me breathless. I stumbled backward, horrified.
“Stop,” he said, extending the gun back to me, his hand wrapped around the barrel. “I’ll help you, but I need to know where Juric is first.”
The gesture was wildly disorienting, but not half as much as his voice. Not Croatian. Distinctly American.
I hesitantly took the gun back, my mind struggling. “I . . . tied him to the bed.”
He stepped around me, peered into the room, and issued a half-laugh at the sight of a nearly naked Frey struggling against his ties.
“Well, good for you.” But then he scowled. “The marshal made this a real mess for me, you know that?”
How could I answer him? I had no idea what was going on.
“No.” He softened a little. “Of course you don’t. Look, I need to salvage what intel I can out of Juric, so do me a favor. Keep Dunn away until I’m finished. He owes me that.” He turned to face me and put a hand on the edge of the door. “He’s waiting for you in the studio.”
The door clicked shut, and I took off, bolting down the hall.
46
JASON
I’d been pacing erratically across the studio floor ever since Plavko had left me here, every muscle in my body screaming to go. To do something. He’d asked me to stay put so he could try to save his cover, and I was doing my best to hold to that, but my resolve was slipping with every fucking second.
I had my back turned when Laurel entered. I sensed it was her, always acutely aware when she was near. I turned to see her standing with a hand on each side of the doorframe, a gun in one of them, and she was out of breath as if she’d been running.
She was still in that infuriating white dress.
I didn’t say a thing, didn’t move an inch. Was this the girl I fell in love with, hesitating in the doorway? Her eyes were clear and focused on me, but her face was completely unreadable.
Then her bottom lip quivered. “Jason.”
She knew me.
The 9mm fell from her grip and clattered to the hardwood. Her right hand went to her left and yanked the two rings off her finger as she stormed toward me. They were flung to the ground where they bounced and rolled away.
As she reached for me, I drew her into my arms and crushed my lips to hers, overwhelmed. She was still mine. After more than a month of brainwashing and God only knew what else. I’d sort all that out later, but the only thing that mattered was the woman with her arms thrown around my neck, her kiss searing across my lips.
It felt so incredible to have her back. As the emotions poured through me, my heart tripped and stumbled, unable to keep its rhythm. I shook with relief, and maybe she did too, but it was impossible to know.
Our mouths moved together, eager for connection and to make up for lost time.
When we finally came up for air, I set my forehead against hers and closed my eyes. I was almost too afraid of what her answer would be. “Are you okay?”
“I am now. There’s still a lot I don’t remember, but things have been coming back faster since you got here.”