Total pages in book: 23
Estimated words: 21859 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 109(@200wpm)___ 87(@250wpm)___ 73(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 21859 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 109(@200wpm)___ 87(@250wpm)___ 73(@300wpm)
“Then divorce her ass and get her out of our lives. She has nothing over you anymore, and I want us to be free.”
My dad chuckles. “You never hold your punches, do you?” He sounds proud, which makes me smile through my tears.
“Not when it comes to my family.” An image of Ari flashes through my mind. “And she’s not our family.”
“I’ll handle it. I promise.”
“Thank you, Dad.” I glance up when red and blue lights shine through the car, and I see a cop pulling up behind me. “I’ve got to go. I love you, Dad.”
“I love you too,” my dad barely gets out before I end the call. The last thing he needs to hear is my getting arrested. A second later, the cop knocks on the window, and I roll it down.
“Hello, Officer. Did I do something wrong?” I give him a giant smile, which I’m sure is terrible with my tear-filled eyes and blotchy face.
“Besides stealing a car?”
“I didn’t steal it. I borrowed it.”
“Borrowed it?” I swear he’s trying not to laugh.
“You know what? I plead the fifth.” Let’s see what he does with that.
“All right, ma’am. I need you to turn off the ignition and hand over the keys.” He holds his palm out, waiting for me to comply.
“Did I mention I was kidnapped?”
“Oh you’re about to be kidnapped.” Ari’s voice comes out of nowhere. “Thanks, Copper. I’ve got it from here.” The officer nods to Ari before turning and walking back to his cruiser.
“You got the fuzz on your payroll?” I glare at Ari, but I’m sure it’s terrible at the moment because I kind of want to burst into tears again.
“The fuzz?” Ari lifts a brow but doesn’t smirk.
Oh shit, he’s pissed.
Chapter Sixteen
ARI
“I’d ask you why you ran out on me, but I already know.” I take a step toward her, and when she tries to move back, her ass bumps against my car.
“You’re the detective so I’m glad it didn’t take long.” She tries again to joke but I shake my head at her.
“Are you okay?”
Sadie is surprised by my question as I reach for her and pull her body against mine. I press my nose to the top of her head and breathe her in, reminding myself that she’s safe.
“You’re not mad at me?” Her arms slowly come around my chest, and I feel her cuddle closer.
“I’m not happy you left, but I was more worried than anything else. I wasn’t sure how much you knew, and I didn’t want to be the one to tell you. I wouldn’t have kept it from you, but I wanted to give your dad an opportunity to do the right thing.”
“How can you be so perfect?” She leans back so her eyes can find mine, and I use my thumb to wipe away the new tears on her cheeks.
“I’m not, Sadie. I’m far from perfect, and I know sometimes I’ll make mistakes, but when it comes to your heart, I’ll always do the right thing. I love you, and I’ll make sure that every decision I make is made with love.”
“Stop it or I’ll keep crying.” She laughs through the tears now as I bend down and kiss her. “I love you too.”
“I know,” I tease, and she playfully smacks my chest.
“Know-it-all.” She sniffs and kisses me again. “How did you find me?”
“I knew your dad was out of town and you’d probably go to your mom’s. So I called in a favor, and my friend was looking for my car.”
“Oh yeah, sorry about that.” Her smile lights up my soul from the inside out.
“All you had to do was ask. You didn’t need to steal it or sneak out. I’m on your side, shorty. Always.”
“I like the sound of that.”
“Good. Now get your ass in the car. We’ve got lunch plans.” When I take her around to the passenger side of the car, she starts to protest.
“Ari, I can’t go anywhere like this!” She waves at her outfit, and I shake my head.
“Tough shit, shorty. You would have had plenty of time to get ready if you hadn’t run out on me.” After I close the door on her and get in the driver's seat, she turns her shocked expression on me.
“You can’t be serious! I had a family crisis, and it’s all your fault for kidnapping me and then keeping me sex-crazed for days.”
“Sex-crazed?” I wiggle my eyebrows, and she huffs.
“That’s not the point. You’re supposed to be on my team, remember? Which means you need to let me at least shower before we go out to eat.”
“It’s not a big deal, it's just my family’s Sunday dinner.”
I’m not sure how it’s possible, but her eyes get bigger as she starts flailing her hands. “There’s no way I’m meeting the rest of your family or seeing your mother again like this.”