Total pages in book: 106
Estimated words: 100791 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 504(@200wpm)___ 403(@250wpm)___ 336(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 100791 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 504(@200wpm)___ 403(@250wpm)___ 336(@300wpm)
Her beautiful face crumpled into a stubborn frown, and I already knew what she was going to say before she spoke. “Not gonna happen, Alexander. I’m not leaving you to face that creep and his backup all by yourself.”
“May I remind you, my sexy protégé, that I am trained in all weapons and nearly every form of martial arts, and your only expertise is the plaited braid stitch.”
“Not true. I’m also an expert at knitting, and I’ll show you where I’m about to shove those needles!”
I snorted, grinning at her even with deadly threats outside the door. “Mackenzie Blaine, I would never dare underestimate you. You are more than tough enough to handle those bastards. You did handle those bastards by yourself, with no weapons and no help on the way. I know you can face them...”
My grin melted away. “But I can’t face ever losing you again. Kenzie, when I thought she killed you, I fell so far, I planned to murder everyone in this building... and then myself.”
Her eyes widened. Lips parting, she made to speak, and couldn’t.
“I cannot possibly convey how uninterested I am in living without you, so please,” I said, tucking the last gun through my waistband. “Stay here where I know you’re safe.”
Coming out from behind the couch, Kenzie came over and rested her hand on mine. “Bane, who are you lying to right now? Me or yourself?”
I blew back. “What?”
“If you really believe that I’m strong enough to face the Brotherhood by your side, why are you telling me to hide? And if you really think you’re enough of a weapons master, martial arts badass to take them all on by yourself, why can’t you protect me if I do need it? So which is it?” she demanded, folding her arms. “Are you lying about how tough I am, or how strong you are?”
I gaped at her. Damn, she really turned that around on me, didn’t she?
“I’m not lying about anything,” I cried. “I just don’t want you in harm’s way. That’s a very natural wish for a boyfriend!”
She shrugged. “Well, I’m not going anywhere, so”—Kenzie plucked one of the guns from my waistband—“let’s do this.”
“I—”
The door burst open.
I whipped around, squeezing off two shots and dropping the brother before the battle cry left his throat.
“Arggh!”
I grabbed Kenzie and we dove over the same couch, dropping down hard and grabbing each other as bullets ripped through the furniture—raining fabric and down on our heads.
“There’s no point hiding, Alexander! Mom says you’ve got something of hers, so bring it and yourself out from there. Do it without a fight, and we’ll deliver you to Mom with a lot less holes.”
Kenzie leaned over and kissed the tip of my nose. “I’ve got an idea. Stay down.”
“Wha—? Don’t!”
“I’m standing up,” she called. “Don’t shoot.” Kenzie raised her arms and stood. Her hands weren’t empty. “Because if you do, I’ll shoot this.”
I goggled at her. The woman was standing out in the open with her gun pressed against one of Liam’s floor-safe hard drives.
“What the hell’s that?” one of the goons shouted.
“It’s what your mommy so desperately wants. She wants it even more than me and Bane. That’s why we came up here and busted it out of the floor,” she said, nodding at the mess we made of my brother’s living room. “We don’t want to fight, and I’m one hundred percent sure you were told not to kill us anyway, so here’s what we do: Bane and I will walk nice and slow to the elevator. Once we’re inside, we’ll throw the hard drive out to you, then let it whisk us away. Everybody wins.”
Raucous laughs filled the room. I snarled, peering around the couch and training my gun on the two men standing half in and half out of the room—waiting for them to give me a reason.
“That’s cute, sweetheart, but you’re wrong. We were told not to kill Alexander. You’re fair g—”
“Think, dumbass,” she snapped. “If you kill me, I’ll drop the drive, and Bane here will destroy it before you have time to jump over this couch and stop him. Then—oh yeah—he’ll kill you. Let us both go, and at least you’ll win big points with Mom.”
I saw them exchange a look amongst each other, and then to whoever else was waiting out in the hall.
“But... Mom would kill us if we just let you go,” he ventured, actually considering a trade for a useless hard drive that was no doubt filled with nothing but boring tax and accounting information for Liam’s businesses—dirty and legitimate. “She specifically said she wants Alexander.”
“You’re not letting us go. There’s nowhere for us to go. Either way, the Brotherhood has the building locked down, so all you’re doing is making us someone else’s problem.” She clicked off the safety. “We have a deal or not?”