Total pages in book: 66
Estimated words: 62197 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 311(@200wpm)___ 249(@250wpm)___ 207(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 62197 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 311(@200wpm)___ 249(@250wpm)___ 207(@300wpm)
“You don’t know the situation, and you don’t tell me what I am and am not going to do.”
She placed her manicured hands on her hips and cocked her head slightly. “I do know the situation. I know that Ransom is family. And he didn’t do anything directly to you. He didn’t try to maliciously defy you. His actions had nothing to do with you or the family,” she said, raising her voice and closing the space he’d put between them. “In fact, he stood in front of you at the Derby after-party when the first shot was fired. He was ready to take a bullet for you.”
“He did.” Luther’s voice surprised me. I glanced over at him as he took a sip of his whiskey. “Take a bullet that night, that is.”
“Thank you, Luther,” Madeline said before Blaise could respond. “See, he is loyal. But you were demanding he stay away from the woman he is in love with. And he tried. She thought he’d ghosted her. He broke her heart, and all because he was trying to obey you.”
Blaise’s gaze didn’t soften. In fact, it might have gotten more chilling.
“Trev tell you all that too?” he asked.
She rolled her eyes.
“I asked you a question, Madeline. How do you know how Noa Raines was affected?”
When she didn’t respond, I wondered if this was the point where she cowered. I glanced over at my father, who was watching the two of them. His eyes shot to meet mine, and I could see the question in them and the trace of hope.
“Because I’ve spoken to her.”
Here we go.
I looked at Forge hesitantly as we waited for what was to come next. He was as fucking tense as I was.
“When did you speak to Noa Raines?” Blaise demanded.
“An hour ago.”
“Where?”
“Inside my G-Wagon, in the parking lot of the spa.”
“On the phone?” he asked.
“No.”
His eyes flared. “She was in your vehicle with you?”
“Yes, she was. Along with Branwen,” Madeline said matter-of-factly.
“Oh shit,” Luther muttered. “Someone, pass the popcorn.”
Blaise’s gaze shot to Linc, and I couldn’t even look over at him. I stared at the ground instead.
“Don’t you glare at Linc! He did nothing wrong. Branwen is my friend. She wanted to meet with me and introduce me to my favorite romance author. Just so happens you were trying to kill the man she loves because he would rather die than be away from her,” Madeline said.
Blaise’s arm shot out and pointed to the door. “Outside,” he said, raising his voice.
“Not unless you’re coming with me.”
“I. Am,” he said through clenched teeth.
She lifted one shoulder in a shrug. “I did try and have this conversation in private. You were the one who refused to—”
“Madeline!” he shouted, stopping her from whatever else she was about to say.
“Do not yell at me, Blaise Hughes,” she warned him.
His hand wrapped around her upper arm, and he took her with him as he stalked toward the door. No one spoke. I wasn’t sure hearts were even beating at this point. We were all frozen as we watched them leave. The door slamming behind them.
No one moved. My eyes flickered over to Forge, who had paled slightly—but then I probably had too. I still didn’t chance a look in Linc’s direction.
“Well, didn’t this just take a fun turn?” Luther said.
“Dad,” Kye said sharply, speaking for the first time.
“What? It did,” he said with a smirk, then took another drink from his glass.
“You brought Branwen here?” The underlying fury in Linc’s tone was expected.
“Branwen is a grown woman, Linc,” Luther interjected. “Those two didn’t bring her anywhere.”
“What the fuck were you both thinking?” Linc demanded angrily.
I lifted my chin and met his furious glare. “That I would do anything to save my brother.”
“We were handling things,” my father said.
Cutting my eyes from Linc to him, I asked, “And how was that working out? Where is Ransom? Not in here, is he?”
“You don’t bring the women into this,” Dad said.
“I didn’t. She brought herself. Noa showed up at the distillery, looking for Ransom. When she found out he was taken here, she got so upset that she started puking. Branwen went down to talk to her, and before we knew it, Branwen was ordering Forge to call for a plane, and we were all headed here.”
A deep chuckle came from Luther. “Ah damn. I love that woman.”
Linc took several deep breaths, and his eyes shot to the closed door. His anger had morphed into panic.
“Branwen will be fine,” Levi told his father. “The only person on earth who can make Blaise do their bidding is Madeline. Trev, however, may need to go to Garrett’s until Blaise cools down.”
Twenty-Seven
Ransom
The feeling in my arms was taking a while to return. I shook them a little as I sat down on a stool across the bar from Huck, who was getting down a bottle of whiskey from the shelf. He’d come to get me from the underground, but said little else. I’d be relieved, but this didn’t mean forgiveness or freedom. For all I knew, I was being allowed one last drink before the end came.