Total pages in book: 68
Estimated words: 67711 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 339(@200wpm)___ 271(@250wpm)___ 226(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 67711 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 339(@200wpm)___ 271(@250wpm)___ 226(@300wpm)
We discussed the plan, a bold one that was going to come closer to getting us all arrested than anything I’d been a part of with Miles before. I agreed to it despite my concerns because Jay’s life was in danger. I wasn’t going to let anyone hurt him.
Somehow, we’d get out of it if we were caught. We had money, we had powerful families, and we had contacts within the police. We’d cover it up one way or another, and Jay would be safe, and we would….
What exactly would we do? Would he move in with me? Were we truly going to build a life together? Was he going to tell his sister and his grandmother that he was bisexual and in love with a man? Fuck. Carter was right, this had all gotten very complicated.
When a valet brought my car around after the meeting, I decided to stop by my house on the way out of town. I regretted not bringing the hat I’d knit a for Jay. Now was the perfect time to give it to him. After last night, I didn’t want to wait any longer. I’d told Miles I would go straight back to my grandparents’ estate, but a quick stop would be fine. I wasn’t the real target.
Despite how powerful these assholes might think they were, they hadn’t had the balls to make a direct attack on Miles or anyone else at Montgomery Enterprises. Miles believed Ben was the second most likely target, and he had security on him as tight as he could get it.
I was just going to dash in and grab the hat. Surely, I’d be fine. As if it was meant to be, a parking space a few houses down from mine was open. I maneuvered into it, hopped out, and started up the steps to my door. Immediately, I felt uneasy. Something was off. I should have turned back, but I didn’t.
I glanced around, looking for any sign that someone had broken in or even been near my door. I didn’t see anything. I was just jumpy, unnerved by Matteo showing up, by the haunted look on Carter’s face, by how serious the threat was to Jay. I texted Jay, letting him know I’d be heading back soon.
Thank God was his response.
Had he run into my grandmother? She’d better not be interrogating him anymore.
Maybe he was just horny. I smiled at the thought. When I got back, I was going to drag him to my secret room again and ride him until he lost his mind.
I hurried through unlocking the door, then raced up the stairs to retrieve the hat from my bedroom. I was so focused on getting it that I registered the sound of footsteps behind me too late. An arm came around my neck, and I felt the prick of a needle.
I struggled, kicking back, and digging my nails into the man’s arm. Whatever he’d injected me with was working fast. The edges of my vision darkened, and I fought for consciousness.
I dropped to my knees, partly because my legs didn’t want to work anymore, and partly because I hoped it might throw the man off balance and force him to release me. Even if it had, I doubt I could’ve held onto consciousness. I fought, driving my head back into him, tearing even harder at his arm, but before I could do much, my eyes closed, and I fell to the floor.
29
JAY
It had been two hours since Ford told me he’d be leaving the city soon. The drive was just over an hour, so he should have been here a while ago. Would he have called if traffic was terrible?
It didn’t matter. I wasn’t waiting any longer. I called him and got no answer.
My heart pounded. He might be on the phone with someone else or have some other good explanation, but that didn’t stop my stomach from churning. I hadn’t wanted him to leave, and it wasn’t just because I didn’t want to be here with his grandparents. I didn’t want him out of my sight.
When another half hour passed, I called him again. Still no answer. I scrolled through my contacts. He’d given me Carter’s and Miles’s numbers in case of an emergency. They were going to hate me if he was just caught in traffic, but I knew Ford wouldn’t ignore my call, not twice, and he’d said he’d be back for lunch. I’d never known him to be late for anything.
I tapped on Carter’s name.
“Jasper? What’s wrong?” Obviously, Ford had given him my number as well.
“Ford texted me two and a half hours ago that he was leaving the city soon, but he isn’t back, and he’s not answering his phone.”
“Fuck. He left here almost three hours ago.”
That was not what I wanted to hear. “Where was he going?”