Total pages in book: 47
Estimated words: 44321 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 222(@200wpm)___ 177(@250wpm)___ 148(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 44321 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 222(@200wpm)___ 177(@250wpm)___ 148(@300wpm)
She took another deep breath.
Once again, she knelt at the side of her bed, hands clasped together, praying. She never normally prayed. This was a first for her.
The sound of the bolt sliding back made her jerk up. She sat on the edge of the bed and looked over at Brute. There was something different about him today. In his hand he held a key. He had never come to her cell with a key in his hand before.
Her heart started to race. Did this mean her grandfather had been in touch? Was she about to be free?
“I thought you and I could come to some kind of truce.”
“A truce?”
“Yes. You stink. This room smells and not because it’s the basement. I take care of my buildings. The stench is coming from you.”
She hated that her face started to heat. There was no way she should be embarrassed by this and she hated him a little more for pointing out the smell was her. She had told him days ago that she needed to wash, and he hadn’t graced her with it. Annoyance rushed through her as well as anger.
“Do you want me to apologize?” she asked.
He smirked. “No, I know the problem is my own. I should have allowed you to wash but in all honesty, I didn’t expect you to be here this long.”
She felt the jibe in his words. He expected her grandfather or someone to have come and claimed her.
“You’re ex-Bratva. That is what this club is about, right? You know as well as I that I mean nothing in the scheme of things.” She didn’t know what hurt most—the fact she had to say that, or that she no longer cared that she didn’t mean anything to any of them. Her grandfather had always said that no matter what, he’d be there for her, but she knew that was a lie. He was never going to be there for her. They were all empty words. Her mother had told her that. She meant nothing. She was nothing. No one loved or cared for her.
“And you and I both know Golubev is not predictable.”
“About this, he is.” She wasn’t even going to pretend. There was no point. “Does this mean you’re going to let me leave?”
“I can’t do that but I thought if you promised not to sucker punch me, I’d let you use my shower.”
Something was going on here, Faith didn’t know what exactly, but she wasn’t going to turn down a good shower. She stunk, really bad.
Glancing down at her body, she couldn’t help but wince. “Do I get a change of clothes?”
“It is all arranged.”
“Do I get to have some privacy?” she asked.
“No.”
“Right.” There was the catch. “Can it at least be a woman?”
“No.”
It was on the tip of her tongue to tell him no, but she couldn’t do it. It didn’t matter how long it took for the shower, she wasn’t willing to wait another day to enjoy the feel of getting clean.
Sliding off the bed, she pointed down at her ankle. “I won’t try to sucker punch you or run.” All she wanted was a nice, hot shower.
Brute stepped into the room, and this time he didn’t close it behind him. He surprised her even more by lowering down on one knee and gripping her ankle. Only one was secure to the bed, and she shouldn’t care what it meant or how it felt, but there was a spark when he touched her. A sudden bolt of heat traveled up her leg and spread throughout her whole body.
She gritted her teeth and took a long, deep breath.
It was fine. Perfectly fine. This meant nothing.
She couldn’t help but think about the kiss and then she felt like even more of a fool. The kiss had meant nothing. He had only done it to silence her. She knew that, as did he. He wasn’t pining for her. The kiss was a means to an end.
Don’t trust him.
She took a deep breath as the lock releasing seemed to echo around the room.
The chain around her ankle slid down and she was finally free. She had a few seconds where she thought about making a run for it, but she had told him she wouldn’t. She’d never break her word.
Brute stood up and he was so close. She had no choice but to take a step back. She tilted her head and looked up into his blue eyes. They looked so beautiful and yet, she knew the man behind them was nothing like his eyes. He was the Devil. There was no doubt about it. She couldn’t trust him, or this newfound kindness, if it was even that.
He held out his hand. “You’re going to have to take it.”
Looking at his hand, she wanted to tell him no, but what was wrong with touching him? She was never going to forget he was the enemy, so she placed her hand within his and ignored the bolt of heat that traveled up her body.