Total pages in book: 58
Estimated words: 56709 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 284(@200wpm)___ 227(@250wpm)___ 189(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 56709 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 284(@200wpm)___ 227(@250wpm)___ 189(@300wpm)
I make sure to get close to him. If he pulls a weapon, I’ll have time to leap on him, grab him, and wrestle. It’ll be one hell of a challenge, but I’ve fought men bigger than me before.
“This is a nice bike,” the man says.
I nod.
“The name’s Randall,” he says, flexing his arms.
He actually does this. He tenses his arms so that his veins bulge out even more. That level of vascularity has always looked odd to me, unnatural.
“Would you mind letting me have a ride?” Randall asks when I don’t respond.
I smirk. “I think you know the answer to that.”
“It’s a nice bike, is all.”
“You said that.”
“How fast does it go?”
“Fast enough.”
The man lowers his hand as if to touch it.
“Don’t do that,” I tell him.
He pauses, his smile spreading, holding his hands barely inches from the seat. “I don’t like being told what to do, Kai.”
So this isn’t a chance meeting. I wonder if it’s related to the Titans, the stuff I can’t tell Kay about.
“How long have you been following me?”
The man grins. “A little while. What happens if I touch your bike?”
“If you know who I am, you know what happens.”
“You’re trying to sound tough.”
“Touch the bike,” I shrug, “and whatever happens, happens.”
“You say that like it’s a force of nature. Like a natural disaster. Like you wouldn’t be responsible for whatever you tried to do to me.”
After a long pause, he steps back, shoving his hands into his pants pockets.
“You’d pull your gun. I’m not interested in unfair fights.”
I almost tell him, My gun’s in the room, but it would be pointless to reveal that. Let him think whatever he wants to think.
“Why show yourself?” I say. “You could’ve popped me at the window.”
“In a busy motel? Does that seem like an intelligent move?”
“So your employer doesn’t want any heat.”
He smiles thinly. “I’ve been given permission to offer you two million dollars cash. I have it at a nearby location. If you accept it, you’ll have to disappear and start a new life. You could go anywhere, be anybody, with that kind of money. You’ve spent enough time as Ryan Lewis’ lackey.”
His lackey. Like this idiot could ever understand the deep bond Ryan and I have. He’s been like a brother to me ever since my aunt left, and the MC took me in.
“Oh yeah? And what do you get in return?”
“What else? The girl. Ryan Lewis’ sister.”
“She’s worth over two million,” I growl.
“So we’re haggling. How much?”
I laugh darkly. Not for all the goddamn money in the world. My hands tighten into fists as I imagine crushing his neck.
“More than you can pay. It’s time for you to go, Randall.”
“The next time we meet, it won’t be so pleasant. You should seriously think about my offer.”
“I will think about it,” I say, looking at him meaningfully. “Don’t do anything stupid before we talk again.”
I toss that out there just in case he’s gullible enough to believe I’d give him Kay. He doesn’t know about the hunger inside me, the burning, roaring, never-ending need, but he does know that she’s my best friend’s sister. He knows she’s protected by Titan’s MC. He knows that any Titan worth his salt would never sacrifice the princess.
Randall grins and turns away. “I’ll be seeing you, Kai.”
I watch him go, standing near my bike, ready to duck behind it if the asshole suddenly pulls a piece. Many people are in the motel parking lot, a family checking in and a couple walking toward their vehicle. He knows better than to start anything here.
Once he’s climbed into his car, I turn and hurry into the motel room. I knock on the adjoining door.
When she opens it, I almost forget about the asshole and his threats. She’s wearing a baggy gray T-shirt and sweatpants. It’s not as though it’s some purposefully sexy outfit, but she’s not wearing a bra, her nipples poking through the material. My head is already a haze of violence. This adds another component. Pure heat. Pure possession.
“Is everything okay?” she asks, looking cutely up at me.
I swallow, trying to think of Ryan, trying to think of duty. “This place is a shithole,” I growl, not having to fake the anger. It’s aimed at myself for these feelings flurrying through me.
“Really?” she asks. “It seems okay to me.”
I shake my head, hating that I have to lie to her, but it’s not as if there’s anything new there. “There was a rat in my room, and I found mold. Ryan wouldn’t forgive me if I let you stay here. We’re moving.”
“A rat?” she says, eyes widening.
It’d be so good to sweep her into a hug right now, kiss the top of her head, and inhale her scent. Then I’d tell her, “Don’t worry. I’ll take care of you. Remember those stories? Remember how the prince always saved the princess? I can be that for you.”