Total pages in book: 57
Estimated words: 53717 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 269(@200wpm)___ 215(@250wpm)___ 179(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 53717 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 269(@200wpm)___ 215(@250wpm)___ 179(@300wpm)
He blew out a nervous breath. Though he could handle himself, only an idiot wouldn’t be worried.
Thanks to his headlights, he got a better look and realized dilapidated was too kind. The home looked more like it ought to be condemned. Shingles hung off the front, the shrubbery was dead, and even in the semi-dark, thanks to his headlights, it was obvious the paint was chipping.
He turned to Charlotte, whose face was now pale. “Second thoughts?” he asked.
“Yes, but I’m not leaving without my brother.”
“Got it. Then you are staying here. Get in the driver’s seat in case you need to leave.”
She stared at him, horrified. “I’m not leaving you!”
“If it gets dangerous and bullets fly, you sure as hell are. I mean it, Charlotte. I’m not getting out of this car without your promise. You look out for yourself first.” Her and their baby.
“Fine.”
“Say it.”
“I’ll leave if it gets dangerous,” she said without meeting his gaze.
He shook his head. “Your fingers better not be crossed where I can’t see.” He drew a deep breath. “Now call or text your brother and tell him to get his ass out here or I’m coming in.”
She pressed the buttons on her phone and put the sound on speaker, but the call went straight to voicemail. She texted Dan next and they waited in silence.
He gave the man three minutes and let out a curse. “Text him again that I’m going to get him.” She did as he asked. “Now come switch seats with me.”
She exited the vehicle and he met her outside his door, helping her in. “Shut the door and lock it,” he instructed.
She treated him to a salute but he saw the fear in her eyes. Leaning over, he pressed his lips to hers before slamming the door shut and waiting to hear the click of the lock before starting up the dried-out lawn.
He arrived at the front door only to find it partially open. He was creeped out but pushed the door further open and stepped inside. Looking around, he didn’t see anyone and began to make his way through the house, checking in the living room, then the kitchen.
The sound of a crash startled him and he realized it came from upstairs. He slowly made his way up, checking behind him every few steps. At the top of the stairs, he faced a bathroom with the door open a crack.
“Dan?” he called out.
The other man peeked through the opening, his one black eye showing. “Jared? Charlie said you’d come.” He flung the door open, revealing white powder all over the old, dark wood countertop.
He had a bruise on his jaw, his lip was split, and he held his side as if his ribs hurt badly.
“I didn’t mean it,” he said, hopping from foot to foot.
Jared frowned. “We can talk in the car. Let’s go.” He wanted to get the hell out of this place before whoever was looking for Dan found him.
“I swear, I didn’t know they had a gun.”
Charlotte had already explained the situation and it was as bad as it could get. “Come on. We’re leaving now. Talking later.”
Jared stepped closer, grabbed the other man’s skinny arm, and all but dragging him down the stairs, around the corner, and out the door, him yelling about how it hurt the entire time.
He didn’t give a shit about the man’s pain. He wanted to get Charlotte out of here and to safety. This shitty neighborhood was freaking him out. Nothing could happen to her or his baby. Allowing her to come had been a mistake.
They were steps from the car and he caught her wide-eyed gaze when two men approached, seemingly out of nowhere.
“Fuck.” Jared glanced at the car and narrowed his gaze, silently warning her not to dare unlock the vehicle. He turned as a hooded man grabbed Dan, one arm around his waist, the other holding a knife to his neck.
Seconds later, Jared was pushed from behind and plastered to the hood of the car, the second man holding him in place. Taken by surprise, he expelled a rough breath of air, aware he had to fight this guy off.
But the only thing going through his mind was Charlotte as he prayed she stayed in the damned car.
* * *
Charlie watched the house, barely blinking as she waited for Jared to approach the old, run-down home and knock. Her stomach bottomed out when he walked inside and disappeared from sight. Time seemed to slow as seconds, then minutes passed.
When she saw Jared and Dan rush down the grass to the car, she breathed out a sigh of relief. And then two men jumped out of the bushes from the side of the property and she screamed in surprise. In the blink of an eye, her brother had a knife to his throat and Jared was thrown against the hood of the car by a man with a tire iron in his hand.