Total pages in book: 134
Estimated words: 122242 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 611(@200wpm)___ 489(@250wpm)___ 407(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 122242 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 611(@200wpm)___ 489(@250wpm)___ 407(@300wpm)
I thought he was going to kill both of us, but Mila convinced him to let me go. I didn't want to leave her, but I had to do it. I had to let Knox know Remi was inside. Leaving her in there alone with Remi was the hardest thing I've ever had to do. I love Mila. She's my first real friend…my only friend.
I glance down at Octavio, take in the way his eye is twitching again, and then sigh. He's stressed out about me being seen out here.
"I'll go," I say, giving in.
The stiff set of his shoulders relaxes infinitesimally. He pushes himself to his feet, reaching out for me. His hands close around my waist. He pulls me close to him and then slides me down his big body until I'm on my feet. His sepia eyes lock on mine. I can't read the emotion in them, but a shiver works its way through me, and heat pools in my belly.
"I'll be there as soon as I can, little bunny," he whispers. He doesn't let me go, though. Instead, his hands tighten on my waist, tugging me a step closer. He tips his head toward mine and presses his lips to my forehead.
I want to lean into him, but I don't. He murmurs something beneath his breath. It sounds like I could have lost you…but I'm not sure. A second later, he pulls away, waving Agent Gunner over.
"I'll be there as soon as I can," he mutters to Gunner and then shoots me a look I can't decipher before heading back toward Roman's.
"You okay?" Agent Gunner asks, walking beside me toward Octavio's.
"I'm fine. Um, thank you for sitting with me."
Agent Gunner gives me another half-smile. "It's all good, Ms. Donovan."
We don't speak again until we're inside. Agent Gunner heads toward the living room, looking around. I watch him for a long moment. I want to say something to him about Sanders, thank him for trying to help me that night. But I don't know how to bring it up.
I guess there isn't a way except to just do it.
"Agent Gunner?"
He turns toward me.
"I just wanted to thank you for trying to protect me that night. For getting Sanders out of there and making a statement and everything." I shove my hands into the pockets of my hoodie. "I appreciate it."
He eyes me for a moment, his expression soft. "It's all good, sweetheart. I'm sorry for what he did. That shit wasn't cool. Had I known he was capable of something like that, I would have asked for him to be pulled off your detail."
I give him a small nod. I believe him. He's one of the good guys, I think.
He smiles back. "You doing good here?"
"Octavio is nice to me."
Gunner's smile widens and he shakes his head like he knows something I don't, but he doesn't say anything. He just grins again and heads toward the couch. I trail behind him, plopping down in the recliner. He turns the television on, flipping through channels until he finds a football game.
"Do you want something to drink?" I ask him a few minutes later, not sure what else to do with myself. I feel restless and raw, like I can't settle or relax now that Octavio isn't here. He calms me down, makes me feel safe. He said Mila's okay, and I believe him…but I'm not sure I'm okay.
Before Remi broke in, I told Mila things I've never told anyone. Not even Dr. Shapiro. I think…I think I want to tell Octavio though. I've been writing everything I know about Nikolai’s men in my notebook to give to him. I thought maybe doing it that way would be easier than confessing out loud what they did to me, what they made me watch them do to others. But I think I need to say the words.
Agent Gunner turns his head in my direction. "I'm fine, Ms. Donovan. Thank you."
I nod and lean back in the recliner, bringing my hand to my lips. Perhaps it's my imagination, but it feels as if they're still swollen from the way Octavio kissed me.
Octavio kissed me.
My heart soars toward my throat and then immediately sinks toward my stomach as hope and practicality war for dominion. Did he kiss me because he wanted to kiss me? Or was he simply caught up in the moment? I'm almost afraid to find out.
If he regrets it or says he didn't mean it….
I take a deep breath, battling back hope until it's a hard lump in my stomach and nothing more. Of course he didn't mean it. He was trying to comfort me. That's all it was. When he gets back, he'll ask if I'm okay. I'll tell him that I'm fine, and we'll retreat to opposite ends of the house as we've been doing for most of the last week.