Total pages in book: 18
Estimated words: 18308 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 92(@200wpm)___ 73(@250wpm)___ 61(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 18308 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 92(@200wpm)___ 73(@250wpm)___ 61(@300wpm)
Yes.
You think it will make her angry enough to make a move.
Yes.
Do you realize how insane that sounds? She’s wanted for murder! Didn’t I tell you that earlier?
You did.
And you still want her angry?
I do.
Why?
Because I don’t want to live the rest of my life looking over my shoulder.
And that was how they had ended up here.
“Move very slowly toward the stairwell,” Anya hissed under her breath.
Dear God, I know You’re real, and I know You have a purpose for all of this.
So...
Whatever it is, I trust You.
But for now...
“W-Why are you doing this?”
Payton was back to pretending she was frightened out of her wits, which—if she had to be perfectly honest—didn’t need much effort on her part.
“Say one more word, and I’ll kill you.”
If it had been anyone but Anya, Payton would have believed the other girl was bluffing. The hotel lobby might not be crowded, but it was far from empty either. But since this was Anya, and Payton knew firsthand the girl was crazy enough to do anything in the name of hurting Niccolò...
Payton turned in the direction of the stairwell.
“Good girl.”
Payton didn’t know if that was deliberate or not, but those words...
First, Eric, and now Anya.
Those two words...
They no longer had any power over her, but instead...
No more!
It gave Payton the boost of courage she needed to turn around in hopes of catching Anya by surprise, and—
Everything after that...
It always happened too, too fast.
“You ugly stupid hag!”
Payton managed to swing the gun down, Anya still managed to fire a shot—
Bang!
Payton looked down. Anya had shot her.
Bang!
Payton looked at Anya. She was shot, too.
Both of them crumpled at the same time, but just as the world started to swim, she saw the undercover agent who had arrested Eric in her first rebirth make a call to 911 even as he ran toward Anya.
I know you’re working with the Feds to capture her, she had told Niccolò earlier. Let them know what’s happening here.
It was too bad she had to get shot, but at least their plan had worked—
Oh!
Niccolò got to her in time, catching Payton in his arms while Anya wasn’t as lucky, with her head making a loud cracking sound against the marble tiles.
Niccolò pressed a shaking hand against her wound to keep it from bleeding. “You...idiot.”
Payton wondered dazedly if her boss needed a refresher’s course on English. He kept saying the word like it was an endearment...except it wasn’t.
“You said you’d keep yourself safe,” he bit out. “Is this what safe looks like to you?”
Payton was about to answer when she saw...
Eric.
She remembered all of his angry texts about using her credit card, remembered how credit card receipts were as good as giving one’s location, and...
No no no.
Eric had seen Anya on the ground. And then he was staring at Niccolò with so much hatred that she had a feeling...
Did Eric know who Rosé really was from the start?
Eric was running toward them.
But just like how Anya was obsessed with Niccolò, had her husband been so obsessed with the other girl that...
Nooooo!
Eric...
He had a gun.
Was it from Anya? Probably. But there wasn’t really any time to wonder why because the moment she realized Eric had his gun pointed at Niccolò...
That was the moment it finally became clear.
I get it now.
All the times Payton was reborn...
And it’s okay.
It wasn’t to save herself.
I trust You.
But him.
But I’ll need Your help to make this work.
And she had barely finished praying when a burst of adrenaline pushed Payton to clutch Niccolò’s shirt, using it to pull herself up—
Everything was happening too, too fast again.
And then she was reversing their positions—
Bang!
So that Eric would end up shooting her, not Niccolò.
The pain was familiar.
And as her eyes drifted closed...
There was no darkness this time.
But just the most comfortable, blinding streak of light.
I’m ready to go home, God.
Chapter Eight
"MS. SINCLAIR?"
The voice had Payton shaking her head as she raised her hand and got to her feet. “T-That’s me.”
How very strange.
She knew she couldn’t have possibly fallen asleep while waiting for her name to be called, but why did she feel like she was waking up from a really long dream?
The woman who had called Payton’s name introduced herself as Nellie. “I work as Mr. de Vindice’s EA. Fairscale employs a rather large workforce, but Mr. de Vindice prefers to work with a small team and then delegate everything else.” Nellie opened the door to her boss’s office. “Good luck.”
“Thanks.”
Payton took a deep breath before entering.
“Take a seat, please.”
She rushed forward, stumbled, then quickly straightened.
“I’m okay!”
She got to her seat and when she finally looked up—
Oh!
This man was, well...beautiful.
Black hair.
Golden eyes.
And...
Could this man truly be Niccolò de Vindice? And why were his lips so—
Stop it, Payton!
It was so not like her at all to be this...
This...
Oh, she didn’t even know how to describe the way this man was making her feel.