Total pages in book: 157
Estimated words: 150968 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 755(@200wpm)___ 604(@250wpm)___ 503(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 150968 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 755(@200wpm)___ 604(@250wpm)___ 503(@300wpm)
He steps into my living room, still whistling. There’s a dark look in his eyes, and his smirk is disturbing. Sinister.
“I have to say,” he drawls, still smirking. “That was quite an interesting show. Your little girlfriend has such a sweet, adorable moan. She’s got a nice pair of tits though.”
My stomach revolts, feeling both sick and enraged.
He…was watching us? Fuck.
I stalk forward, fury pumping through my veins. “You broke into my house.” I growl menacingly. “What the fuck is wrong with you?”
He raises his hands up in mock surrender. “I came to visit my son. Didn’t know you had a girl over. I was giving you two some privacy, while enjoying the show.”
“What are you doing here?” My fists clench at my side, trying to rein in my wrath. I can’t piss him off…I have to stay on his good side, even though all I want to do it is snap his fucking neck. But I can’t.
I can’t because I need to keep up the act.
Estranged father who reconciled with his son.
He told me his dark secrets and I played along. But Harrison Avery is still hiding a lot more than what he told me. And I need to find out what’s beyond the veil of his lies.
I am, after all, the bait. An implant.
I am the only person capable of ending my father’s cruelty.
But in trying to lure Harrison Avery out of his wretched den…
I put Riley in danger.
My stomach drops with the realization.
Goldilocks is my weakness, and my father knows that. He’s a cruel, unfeeling bastard. When the time comes, he will use her against me if he has to.
“I need you to deliver something for me,” he says calmly, as if we’re discussing the weather. He strides over to my couch and sits down, stretching his legs out in front of him. His body is pale, his skin almost translucent. He has lost more weight since the last time I saw him, three months ago. “You’re the only one I trust with this cargo.”
My eyes flare with surprise. Could it be? Is this what I’ve been waiting for? I’ve been working on gaining his trust, trying to find a way for him to include me in his filthy business.
I need to have eyes everywhere, but as long as I’m looking from the outside, I’ll never be able to find what I’m looking for. I need to be on the inside.
And I’m finally being given the chance.
Tick tock…
I thought I had more time with Riley.
Tick tock…
I can’t keep my promises.
Tick tock…
Loving her was my dedication. Breaking her is my ruination.
Tick tock…
I’ve run out of time.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
Riley — 19 years old
The moment my phone rings, I snatch it off my nightstand and answer the call without checking the Caller ID. I don’t have to. I already know who it is.
“Hey, baby.”
“Riley.” My body melts into my bed at the sound of his deep, masculine voice over the phone. The butterflies are back, fluttering in my stomach.
Grayson makes sure to call me every night.
He has never missed a call before and he’s always punctual. We have our little moment together every night, for one hour. Long distance relationships suck. I never realized how important physical intimacy is important in a relationship until now.
And I’m not talking about sex.
I’m talking about hugs. Cuddles. Kisses. Little touches that make you feel loved.
I need those on a daily basis, but I can’t have them. Because he’s there and I’m here. It’s frustrating and depressing most days, but I don’t let that get between us. His calls make up for his absence and the loneliness that pains me.
It’s the one thing I excitedly wait for every day. It doesn’t matter if I’m stressed about school or having a bad day overall, Grayson’s call always calms me. His voice soothes my worries.
“How was your day today?” I sette back against my wall of pillows, pushing my textbook and laptop away, so I can stretch myself out in my bed.
I hear his breathing over the phone, but he’s quiet. Unusually so.
Frowning, I ask him. “Grayson? Everything okay?”
“Goldilocks—” His voice breaks off, but I already heard it in my nickname. In his tone.
Pain.
Torment.
Desolation.
I sit up, my lungs squeezing painfully. “What’s wrong?”
There’s rustling in the background, almost like he’s pacing back and forth. He’s quiet again, but then when he finally speaks… it’s with a voice I barely recognize and hollow words that can’t possibly belong to the man I love. “I can’t do this anymore, Riley.”
My heart stammers.
My breathing stutters.
And there’s a crack. I hear it, almost like it’s real. I feel it.
A broken fissure in my soul.
“What are you talking about, Grayson?” I breathe shakily. “What’s wrong? Talk to me… we’ll figure out whatever is together.”
I cling to the torn scraps of my heart…of my hope that Grayson will never hurt me. Will never break me. I trust him. I always have…