Total pages in book: 19
Estimated words: 19570 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 98(@200wpm)___ 78(@250wpm)___ 65(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 19570 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 98(@200wpm)___ 78(@250wpm)___ 65(@300wpm)
I know damn well she doesn’t really believe in whatever charges she’s hanging over my head. This moment—the optics, the handoff—is the win she’s been chasing.
I’ll let her have it…
“I didn’t take you for the bondage type,” I say, finally turning around. “Do your colleagues know you were trying to fuck me weeks ago?”
“Edward Rochester.” She glares at me, her voice sharp enough to slice through the night. “You’re under arrest for racketeering and witness tampering. Drop the cigar and put your hands behind your back.”
End of Episode 2
Et tu, Brute?
EPISODE 3
Autumn
My childhood bedroom is now my refuge, and my mattress is the safe place.
My phone is tucked away in my desk drawer—powered off and trapped in a steel case so I won’t be tempted to check it.
I readjust my blankets and roll over, hoping that today will be the day when I might feel well enough to walk outside.
Maybe I was wrong. Maybe this ache in my chest isn’t heartbreak but something worse—regret.
“You’re safe now, Autumn,” a familiar voice suddenly whispers. “You’ll be alright for life now.”
I open my eyes to see Kylie sitting on the edge of my bed.
“What’s going on?” I slowly sit up. “How did you even know I was here?”
“I had a feeling,” she says. “I wasn’t sure when you’d come to your senses about him, but I knew you would.”
My heart is still aching—telling me that I’ve made a major mistake, so I can’t agree right now.
“Want to get some breakfast?” I say instead. “I could use a loaded waffle and some coffee.”
“Sure. I’ll meet you downstairs.”
She leaves my room, and I flip the covers off my body. Standing, I stretch, but it does little to alleviate the pain in my chest. I’m seconds away from bursting into tears.
Keep it together, Autumn. Keep it together…
I pull on a hoodie and head to the bathroom. I splash my face with cold water and force a smile while brushing my teeth.
I stare at my reflection as Ryder’s words echo through me like a scratched vinyl—looping over and over, bleeding through every crack.
“I told you exactly what this was from day one…”
Before I dissolve any further, I hit the lights and head downstairs.
Kylie is rummaging through my parents’ cabinets, shaking her head.
“You don’t have any waffle mix,” she says. “Want to make a quick trip to Gayle’s?”
I nod, zombie-walking outside and to her car.
As she starts the engine, I notice the glint of a pink and coral keychain swaying from her ignition. The same shade she once pressed into my palm.
“Put it on your keychain and never let it out of your sight…”
I swallow hard.
Thankfully, she doesn’t try to force a conversation as we ride, and by the time we arrive, I’m in a slightly better mood.
We order the same loaded waffle, and when she’s done filling me in on celebrity gossip that I’ll never remember, I brace myself for chaos.
“What did you mean when you said ‘I’m alright for life now?’”
“That you don’t have to worry about disappearing or dying anytime soon.”
“Can you be clearer?”
“Edward Rochester.” She places her hand over mine.
I flinch.
“You mean Ryder?”
She shrugs. “Whatever name he goes by.”
I still.
“He was arrested last week,” she says. “He’s going to prison for a very long time.”
“What?” My fork clatters against the plate.
“You hadn’t heard?”
“No…” My heart drops. “How would I have known?”
She tilts her head to the side. “Don’t you still—Never mind. It hasn’t hit the news yet, but it will this week. They went in stealth and got him outside a warehouse near his estate. Apparently, they needed to make sure they got a few more people quietly before anyone else he’s tied to could get away.”
I stare at her, stunned. Something about her tone feels too smooth.
“How do you know all this?” I ask. “Could you be wrong?”
She shakes her head. “I’ve been quietly keeping tabs on him through some back-end databases since you told me—Sorry.”
“You’ve been watching him?”
“Just monitoring,” she says too casually. “Checking in through old systems, a few off-the-books ones I still have access to. Just in case.”
I nod slowly, but something inside me is starting to shift.
Tears prick my eyes. “How long do you think he’ll be away?”
“For life.” She picks up her fork. “He’s a monster, Autumn. He’ll feel right at home, though, so don’t waste your time worrying about him.”
“What about Adele?”
“Who?”
I bite my tongue.
“Did you say Adele?” She laughs. “We are a bit too late to go to her residency, but you can make it up to me somehow later. I think you’re officially the random one between us now.”
I nod, grateful she didn’t press any further.
“You can find someone far better,” she says. “And you will. You already made the first step—the best step—in deciding to get the hell away from him.”
He’s not a monster…
I pick up my fork and force a few bites of waffle down my throat.