Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 94076 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 470(@200wpm)___ 376(@250wpm)___ 314(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 94076 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 470(@200wpm)___ 376(@250wpm)___ 314(@300wpm)
“Like what? You have no power here. There is nothing you could do to me.”
“If you hurt her, I will tell them everything.”
He chuckles. “And they’ll kill you for it.”
“Maybe. Or maybe they’ll come looking for you.”
The silence that follows is full of menace.
The seconds tick over painfully slow.
“Like I said, sister, Lucretia’s safety is up to you. No more fuckups and she’ll be fine.”
He ends the call, but I’m frozen to the spot.
When Rogue walks away, Lars walks over to me.
He gives me a quizzical look. “Everything all right?”
“I have to go,” I say, trying to keep my voice even. I’m rattled. It’s like I can feel Luca’s eyes on me. Like he’s everywhere. And if I put one step out of place…
I can’t let myself think about it.
“Now?” His knowing eyes roll over my face. “Who was on the phone, Ella?”
Think fast.
“My sister.”
He frowns. “You have a sister?”
“Yes, she’s seventeen.” I blow out a nervous breath. “Look, I’ve got to go.”
“Why?”
Because my half-brother will kill my sister if I put a step out of line.
And what I want to do with you is not just stepping out of line.
It’s blowing the line to smithereens.
I shove my phone into the back pocket of my jeans. “I’m sorry, but this was a mistake.”
His jaw tightens. “You didn’t kiss me like it was a mistake. Something happened to change your mind…what was it?”
“I stopped long enough to realize we were about to do something we’d both regret,” I say, hating the way he’s looking at me. Like I just drove a nail into his gut.
“I’m pretty sure I wasn’t going to regret anything we were about to do,” he says with an edge to his voice.
But I can’t let it get to me. I have to put some distance between us.
With Lucretia’s safety on the line, I can’t risk it.
Fuck, I feel so unsafe.
“I’m sorry, I really have to go.”
Thankfully, he doesn’t press the subject. “Okay, I’ll give you a ride.”
Desperate to escape, I look across the foyer to the front door. I need to get back to the motel and calm down. “I’ll call a cab.”
“No, I’m taking you home.”
I push a palm into his chest. “It’s better if I take a cab.”
I brush past him, but he takes me by the wrist. “What just happened?”
“We need to keep this plutonic. I work here.”
“Something’s going on.” His eyes roam my face. “And when I mentioned taking you home you basically bolted for the door.”
Shit, shit, shit.
I’m being too obvious.
I draw in a heavy breath to steady myself. So I don’t look guilty or like I have anything to hide. “Now is not a good time for me. For this. For you. I need this job. So I think it’s better if we keep things separate.”
“It was an offer for a ride home. Not to come inside.” His eyes glimmer. “Although, I’m not as strong as you when it comes to temptation, Firecracker. If you invited me in, I wouldn’t say no.”
“Please don’t say that,” I whisper.
He comes closer. “Don’t leave. Stay with me tonight. I’ll protect you from whatever has you spooked.”
He’s so close I can feel his breath on my cheek and all I can think about is how much I want him to hold me. To make me forget. Even though I know I’m playing with fire, I can’t help myself.
But—
Dammit. “I’m sorry.”
I push past him and flee out the front door, taking the front steps two steps at a time, and I don’t stop until I’m at the end of the long driveway.
Not because I’m afraid he’ll come after me. But because I’m afraid I’ll change my mind and run back to him if I don’t.
Thankfully I don’t have to wait long for the cab to arrive, and I jump in and leave Lars, the clubhouse, and a world of temptation behind me.
CHAPTER 31
Lars
When Ella leaves in the cab, I pull out from the underground garage and follow from a distance. I’m so damn tired, I could sleep for the next decade. But I want to know what just happened with Ella. And to figure that out, I need to know who Ella is and why she carries her cards so close to her chest. And why she’d rather take a cab than have me drop her home. She’s a mystery I’m determined to crack, and I know I won’t get any sleep with her on my mind.
When I spoke to Cheezy, he wasn’t exactly forthcoming with information on her, which only furthers my suspicions.
Riding through the night, I don’t follow too close to the cab. Just keep my eye on the ruby lights in the distance as we cruise through the streets heading out of town. When the cab turns into a motel near the county line, I pull up across the road at a gas station and watch.