Total pages in book: 91
Estimated words: 90448 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 452(@200wpm)___ 362(@250wpm)___ 301(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 90448 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 452(@200wpm)___ 362(@250wpm)___ 301(@300wpm)
Each minute, I glanced over my shoulder as if Chase or Lucy would storm in and try to keep me in the hotel.
Thirty minutes later, I arrived at the airport and purchased a commercial flight back to the US. I’d spotted one of my guards rushing to buy tickets too and prayed he wouldn’t wake up and alert Chase.
For two hours I waited in the airport with nerves flickering on the borderline of hysteria.
When the plane arrived, I boarded and thanked god. Hopefully, no hard feelings would come between us. Before I got on the flight, I even emailed him to make certain of no ill will.
Chase,
I’m sorry. I promised I wouldn’t leave without telling you what was wrong, but I just figured you would talk me into staying. I don’t want to be a part of your arrangement.
Sorry I agreed. Neither of you did anything wrong.
It’s me, not you.
Jasmine :-)
He would be pissed, but he would get the message and move on.
* * *
Now back to normalcy.
Back in the U.S., I sighed in relief as I climbed the stairs to my apartment. Visions of a shower and my soft mattress danced in my head. It was five in the morning, and I just needed a snack and lots of sleep.
Just a simple normal . . . What the hell?
My brother stood naked in the hallway. He held a pillow to hide the one thing I absolutely did not ever desire to see most of all. He didn’t even notice that I approached. He kept his ear to my door, listening to the yells and shouts drifting out of my apartment.
Plates crashed from inside and then Vivian shrieked.
“What the hell?” I dropped my bags on the ground.
“You bastard!” Vivian screamed from inside the apartment. “You son of a bitch!”
“Oh god. You’re here. Quick! Give me your keys.” Troy raced to me with his hand out. “Hurry. Noc caught us hooking up—”
“How did he even get in?” I held my hand to my chest.
“He had a key.”
“What? When did he get a freaking key?”
“Viv hurried me outside so she could talk to him and then that motherfucker locked the door. They’ve been fighting ever since. He won’t let her open the door and—”
“What the hell?” My heartbeat increased.
“Keys, Jasmine!” He yanked up my bag. “Where are they?”
“I—”
“I swear I heard him hit her.” Troy’s chest rose and fell like he’d just been sprinting. “She’s been crying. I have to make sure he’s not hurting her!”
I rummaged through my bag at a panicked pace, knocking out its contents to the ground. Then I realized my keys were in my bra and dug them out.
“Here.” I tossed the keys to him.
He dropped the pillow, which made me cringe as it fell to the floor and bounced. Completely naked, he ran to the door, slammed the keys into the lock, and wrenched the door open.
It was in that moment it hit me that letting Troy in the apartment might not be a good idea.
Troy yelled. “You’re dead, motherfucker!”
Yes. Definitely a bad idea.
A boom sounded up ahead.
I rushed in and spotted Vivian first. Swollen purplish skin surrounded her right eye. Blood dripped from her nose.
Tears and snot covered her face as she waved her hands. “No. Troy!”
Noc’s earsplitting shrieks filled the air.
Shit. Shit. Shit.
I rounded the corner into the living room right as Troy charged him.
Oh no.
Troy’s head slammed into Noc’s bony chest.
Both guys crashed into the coffee table. Broken and splintered wood shot up. I rushed toward a screaming Vivian and hugged her.
She looked like she was going to try to pull Troy back, but it would only get her hurt. I’d learned the hard way many times that once Troy began a fight it was impossible to stop him. And maybe I could have figured out a way to stop him— hitting him in the head with a pan had worked once.
But another glance at Vivian’s face forced me to pause and root for Troy to kick Noc’s behind.
“Are you okay?” I held her to me with shaking arms. Grunts sounded from the floor as both men struggled to get on top of each other.
Vivian wiped her face with the back of her arm. “Y-you’ve got to stop Troy. He’ll get in trouble and—”
Troy flipped Noc over like he was a ragdoll. His biceps bulged and flexed with the move. It was over for Noc. Once Troy got on top, no one had a chance of survival, unless there was an extra weapon around.
“You like to hit women?” Troy’s fist collided with Noc’s jaw so fast it was a blur of movement and then a bang as the fist made contact. Soon after a crack sounded so loud, I flinched and Vivian jerked back in my arms.
Holy shit!
Noc’s eyes closed as he slumped back on the carpet. Blood spilled out of his mouth. He mumbled something.