Total pages in book: 89
Estimated words: 105065 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 525(@200wpm)___ 420(@250wpm)___ 350(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 105065 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 525(@200wpm)___ 420(@250wpm)___ 350(@300wpm)
“I have no doubts about that.” A wave of guilt crashes over me for what I’m about to do.
“I’ve got to head on,” he says.
“Okay.”
He reaches down and brushes his lips against mine like it’s the most normal thing in the world, and it surprises us both.
“Be good, sweetheart. No giving Conor a hard time.”
“Never,” I lie.
He turns to go, but at the last second, his fingers brush over my necklace. My breathing stops as he inspects it, and then his eyes find mine again with a questioning glance.
“Ye don’t seem like the hearts type,” he says.
I choke back the emotion in my voice as I stare up at him and give him a sad smile. “That’s because I’m not.”
Chapter Twenty
Mackenzie
Now that Lachlan and Ronan are gone, I’ve put two and two together. Ronan must be a lot higher on the totem pole than I originally expected. He had to go to the meeting tonight, and Lachlan wasn’t at all happy about leaving me in the hands of a new recruit. There was obvious worry on his face when he left. And also something else. Something that looked similar to fear. I brushed it off. Because there’s no way he could actually be worried about me, right?
Regardless, it doesn’t matter. Even as I sit here, nestled in the safety of the fortress he calls a house, I’m already scheming my betrayal.
Conor is young, probably close to me in age. His position within the organization basically consists of being Lachlan’s bitch and doing whatever he’s told. Which tonight, means babysitting me. If I’d thought escaping him was going to be easy, I was dead wrong. He’s been watching me like a hawk for the last hour, and still hasn’t moved, even to go to the bathroom. I have every right to think that Lachlan probably threatened him with murder if anything were to happen to me while he’s gone. Conor is on high alert, his eyes bulging out of his head at every little noise. Jesus, he’s making me uptight even just sitting here with him.
I thought about sneaking out the window, but after further inspecting the glass and realizing it was frigging bulletproof and that none of the windows actually opened, that was a lost cause. This entire house has a lot more security features than I thought at first glance. I guess Lachlan is well prepared for any event. Good for him, but not so much for me. So now here I sit, an hour away from the meeting time, still trying to come up with a plan.
There’s only one real solution. And it’s going to land me in some hot water with Lach and make me feel like a complete asshole. But what choice do I have? This is for Talia.
I walk into the kitchen and rummage through the cupboards under the guise of looking for food. I can still feel Conor’s eyes on me, and I know I’m going to have to make my performance convincing.
Humming a little tune, I open up one of the bottom cupboards. And then I scream. Full on bloody murder. Conor comes running in a second later with wild eyes as I back away and point a shaky finger at the cupboard.
“What is it?” he demands.
“There’s a s-s-spider,” I squeak while I bounce from foot to foot and flap my hands about. “A huge one. Ugh, they scare me. Please… get it out of here.”
He rolls his eyes and bends down to inspect the so called spider. That’s when I pounce. While he’s vulnerable, I slide my hand beneath his jaw until my arm’s wrapped around his neck. Gripping my bicep with my other hand, I squeeze and pull while I cup the back of his head with my other hand. He barely has time to panic or attempt to fight back before the blood supply is completely cut off. He’s untrained in this kind of combat, and my guess is his only defense is the gun on his hip. He doesn’t even have time to reach for it before he loses consciousness.
“That’s right, Conor,” I say softly. “Just go to sleep.”
When he’s limp in my arms, I drag him into the kitchen and prop him on a dining room chair. Thank God Lachlan didn’t buy cheap wood crap. I don’t have any rope, so I have to settle for using some sheets and other fabric, along with a roll of duct tape.
Once he’s secure and I know he won’t be going anywhere, I pause to feel the tiniest flicker of remorse.
“Sorry, buddy.” I pat him on the head. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
With one last glance, I grab my keys and jacket and head towards the door.
***
After stopping off at the motel to change into a sexy dress and heels, I’ve only got about ten minutes before the meeting is due to start. I opt for a cab instead of the T and make it to Slainte ten minutes late.
I don’t know how long these meetings generally carry on, but I’m hoping it’s for a while. When I get inside, I try to play it cool while I figure out where they’d be meeting. I know there’s a lower level, but I’ve never been down there before. After scoping the place out, I notice a cocktail waitress getting ready to take a shit ton of alcohol through a side door to the stairwell.
Seizing my opportunity, I race over and grab her by the arm.
“Hey.” I smile. “It’s Nikki, right?”
“Yeah?” she shrugs. “Do you mind, I gotta’ get downstairs.”
“Actually, I do,” I say. “I’m Lachlan’s girl, Mack.”
“Oh yeah.” She straightens and gives me a worried glance like I might rip her head off or something. “Is everything okay?”
“Everything’s fine,” I reassure her as I take the tray of drinks from her hands. “But Niall wants me to run drinks tonight. Sensitive ears and all of that.”
She chews on her lip for a moment before she nods. I smile in response. I honestly expected it to be a lot harder than that. Apparently belonging to Lachlan does have its advantages.