Total pages in book: 38
Estimated words: 36975 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 185(@200wpm)___ 148(@250wpm)___ 123(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 36975 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 185(@200wpm)___ 148(@250wpm)___ 123(@300wpm)
“Still, watch your tone with Demi. It’s not her fault.” I end the call because I’m trying to keep my cool. I’m mad at everyone, including myself. I thought Andrea was safe, and I’d been foolish to leave her without my protection.
“Elijah,” Andrea whispers. I turn around and find her staring down at her feet, afraid to look at me. I tip her chin upward to look into my eyes. Her beautiful blue eyes are filled with tears.
“I could have lost you today,” I whisper. The thought sits in the forefront of my brain. It vibrates in my head, driving violently and painfully into my skull.
“I’m sorry,” she says with her bottom lip shaking.
“Why didn’t you come to me?”
“He said he’d kill her if I warned you.”
“Why didn’t you tell me about the phones?”
“I’d forgotten my phone in the hotel. I’d been so caught up in getting to the hospital, but Bee grabbed it and tucked it in her bag. It had been powered off with hers. She brought it over yesterday and told me to text her if I needed anything because she was going to the hospital to see Asher. She didn’t want you to know about her visiting him.”
“Why?”
“Why else?”
“Because it’s fucking stupid when he knows who we are.”
“He could have come here too. I didn’t even turn it on until I had nothing to do. I thought I’d check my emails, and then I texted Bee to see how things were with her.”
“And then what happened?”
“He already had her. He answered, and then I had no choice but to do what he said.”
“It’s our fault for not asking in the first place. We should have checked for phones when we got you in the damn trucks the other night.”
“Are you breaking up with me?” she asks. I look at her like she’s fucking nuts.
“Honey, nothing could ever keep me away from you. I sure as fuck am going to take your ass home and spank it before I fuck you nice and good for giving me a scare of a lifetime, but I have no intention of ever letting you walk away from me.”
A gentle smile spreads over her face. “Are you sure?”
“I’ve waited a lifetime to find someone like you, Andrea.” I cup her soft face and bring my lips down to hers, kissing her gently. “I’m never letting you go.”
“Andi.” The tension is back in my shoulders as her cousin interrupts us.
“Bee, why did you go to the hospital?” I ask her flat out.
“He called me this morning.”
“What?”
“He was at the hospital. He said that he was going to come after Asher if I didn’t show up. I said I wasn’t with you guys and that we had been separated. He told me to come there quietly, so I did.”
“We had security protecting Asher. He wouldn’t have gotten that close.”
“You’re wrong. He got very close.”
“How do you know he was near Asher?”
“This.” She turns her phone, and there’s a picture of him standing over Asher as he slept.
“What the fuck?” I holler.
“How the hell? This bastard has too much clout, connections, and skills. How did he get into the hospital after we left and past our security?”
“He could have pretended to be one of the doctors or nurses.”
“True. The cops had no reason to stay, and we didn’t get his image until later, but we had Riders around the room.” Fuck, I waited because I’d been too busy fucking Andrea to do what I had to do. This is all my fucking fault. He wouldn’t have gotten to Asher if I’d given everyone his picture. Of all these people in danger, it didn’t matter because my girl was safe. When was I going to learn?
“Shit. It’s my fault. I dropped the ball on all of this. We need to destroy this fucker.”
“Watch what you say here, Elijah. There’s a cop right there.” I look over and see Ghost. Chuckling, I tell her, “Baby, that’s Ghost.” I’ll have to talk to Ghost in private about his brother.
“Oh. I didn’t recognize him in uniform.”
“It’s okay. Well, what did the doctor say about you?”
“I’m fine. The jackass didn’t hurt me, and although I’m a little sore from the accident, the doctor said it’s nothing some over-the-counter pain meds won’t fix. Now where am I supposed to stay?”
“You can come back to the apartment and sleep on the sofa.”
“Bee, you can stay with us,” Boomer offers. “Crystal and I have plenty of room at the house, and we won’t let her out of our sight.” He gives me a wink.
“Thanks.”
“What about Asher? Is he going to be safe?”
“Yes. The bastard is locked up. We’ll send more guards to watch over him from now on until he’s brought home.” We have him in custody, but we want to be assured that Asher’s secure.