Total pages in book: 107
Estimated words: 100086 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 500(@200wpm)___ 400(@250wpm)___ 334(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 100086 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 500(@200wpm)___ 400(@250wpm)___ 334(@300wpm)
I wonder if Dmitri showed her the door as soon as our father’s body was in the ground.
She shook her head, letting go of the small shred of satisfaction that thought brought. There were bigger things to worry about right now—like Sergei showing up at the same time Cillian did…
Oh God. She’d brought Cillian into this. She’d never forgive herself if something happened to him because of her. She hadn’t even considered that as a possibility when she called him. All she’d been thinking was that she needed help and he was the one man who had the means to give it to her—and who might not hold it over her head for the rest of her life.
She checked on Hadley, but her daughter was sleeping soundly on the couch where she’d lain down with her favorite blankie while Olivia hurried around and packed their suitcase. Thank God for small favors. She grabbed her phone and dialed Cillian again.
He picked up almost immediately. “Did something else happen?”
“No. I just…” She braced herself. He was helping her because he was a better man than she could have dreamed. It wasn’t fair to drag him into her mess. “Cillian—”
“Hold that thought.”
A knock on her door had her spinning around. She approached the faded wood like it was a poisonous snake and leaned in to peer through the peephole. A gorgeous tattooed man in a three-piece suit stared back at her. “You’re here.”
“Open the door, sweetheart, and let’s blow this joint.”
“This was probably a mistake.” She realized how stupid it was to be having this conversation on the phone when he was on the other side of her door, but she couldn’t quite make herself unlock it. Not yet. “I would never forgive myself if something happened to you because of me.”
“I’m a big boy, Olivia. I can take care of myself—and you and Hadley in the mix.” He put his hand on the door, and she could almost feel his touch if she concentrated. “But if it makes you feel better, you can tell me everything. If I think it’s too much after that, I’ll turn around and bring you guys back to Boston.”
Strange as it was, that did make her feel better, even if she suspected he was just telling her what she wanted to hear. But that was a rational response—he’d hear her out and then he’d decide. She took a deep breath and unlocked the door. It was only when she opened it that she realized she still had the phone pressed against her ear. “Sorry. I’m just…rattled.”
“It’s okay.” He waited for her to step back before he walked into the apartment. He glanced around, but then focused solely on her. “Where’s your bag?”
“Here. And we should hook up Hadley’s car seat before I pick her up. She’ll probably sleep through the whole thing, but it will minimize the chance of a tantrum.” Her daughter reacted to being woken up about as well as Olivia did.
He picked up the car seat and the suitcase. “Sit tight. I’ll be right back.”
She started to volunteer to help—hooking up the damn car seat sometimes felt like it required a degree in rocket science—but stopped. She couldn’t leave Hadley alone. Sure, she’d be right there and have a direct line of sight to the apartment entrance…but she couldn’t make herself do it. Dmitri’s almost-threat was too close to the forefront of her mind. Her fear might be irrational in this situation, but it wasn’t irrational in general. So she nodded. “Okay.”
Then she stood and watched him from the window as he put her suitcase into the trunk and went to work on the car seat. It took him a few attempts to get it figured out, but he hooked it in faster than she had the first time she’d tried. Once she was sure he’d gotten it, she picked up Hadley and tucked the blankie around her. It was quick work to lock her door behind her, and she paused, part of her wondering if she’d ever see the shithole apartment again.
“Olivia?”
She turned to find Mrs. Richards peeking into the hall. Mrs. Richards. Shit, she’d forgotten to contact the woman. Oh lord, I forgot to call Benji, too. The latter would have to be dealt with on the way out of town, but she could take care of this now, at least. “We’ve run into some trouble.”
The old woman frowned. “Trouble in the shape of that ex of yours, if I don’t miss my guess.”
“Yeah.” She shifted Hadley into a more comfortable position. “I’m going to go out of town for a while until things calm down.” If they ever did calm down. Dmitri could be dogged when it suited him, and she didn’t see him letting go anytime soon. If ever. “If anyone comes looking—”