Total pages in book: 107
Estimated words: 100086 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 500(@200wpm)___ 400(@250wpm)___ 334(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 100086 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 500(@200wpm)___ 400(@250wpm)___ 334(@300wpm)
He yanked her closer and gripped her throat with his free hand, her death in his eyes. “You always were a bitch.”
“No argument there.” Each word was fire inside her, his hand tightening until black spots started dancing across her vision. This is so very, very bad. She kicked at him, but he dodged easily, something like arousal on his face. So she went for his eyes.
She barely had a chance to rake her nails across his face when he slammed her into the wall hard enough to stun her. “This will be easier if you don’t fight me, Olivia.”
No telling what exactly he was threatening, but she didn’t really want to know, so she fought harder, almost thankful for his hand around her neck because it made screaming impossible. Stay where you are, Hadley. Please, God, whoever’s listening, let her stay where she is. She kicked and clawed, nothing seeming to have any effect on Sergei, even though she could see the blood running down his arms.
He shook her again. “Enough.”
“You’re right.” The voice came from behind him.
Sergei was ripped away from her, and Olivia fell to the floor. She shoved to her knees in time to see Cillian land a punch that sent her ex staggering several steps back. He pistol-whipped him, knocking him to the ground. She froze. She’d never seen Cillian look like that, almost…soulless. He kicked Sergei in the face, flipping him onto his back. “You will never put your hands on her again.”
“You can’t stop me.” Sergei drew a gun from his ankle holster, pointing it at her.
Cillian didn’t hesitate. He pulled the trigger of his pistol twice in quick succession.
Olivia crawled over to Sergei in time to see the life leak out of his pale blue eyes. She touched his chest, part of her disbelieving that it was over as easy as that, but it didn’t draw breath. No pulse, no breath, eyes staring at nothing. Can’t fake that.
It didn’t stop her from wanting to empty a clip into his chest to make sure.
“Olivia.” Strong arms wrapped around her and pulled her to her feet. It was harder than it should have been to stay standing, so she clung to Cillian, her gaze never leaving Sergei. “He’s dead.”
“He damn well better be. He might have been a tough son of a bitch, but no one can survive two bullets to the heart.” He turned her slowly away from her ex, and framed her face with his hands. “Are you okay, sweetheart? When I came through the door and saw his hands around your neck…”
A full-body shudder worked through her. “I’m fine.” Her voice was so raspy, the words were damn near indistinguishable. It hurt to talk. Hell, it hurt to breathe.
But she wasn’t done yet. She turned toward the closed doors. “Hadley.”
“Why don’t you—”
“No. Not until I know she’s okay.” Please be sleeping. If he’d done something to her baby girl, she’d bring him back to life so she could kill him again. Not good enough. Not by a long shot. Olivia slipped out of Cillian’s arms and crossed the living room in a daze. It had all happened so fast. One second Sergei was there, his larger-than-life presence threatening to smother hers. The next, he was dead and gone. He’d never be able to hurt her again.
She opened the first door, but it was just a bathroom, as tiny and clean as the rest of the house. The next door was locked. Her heart skipped a beat. She rattled the lock. It was one of the old ones that could be popped with a bobby pin—which was something she didn’t have.
“Let me.” Cillian gently nudged her out of the way and set his shoulder to the thin wood. She glanced back to find dour-looking men filing into the living room. Without a word, one produced a tarp, and they set about wrapping Sergei’s body in it. It took seconds, and then there was only a small stain on the faded blue carpet and the cracked plaster where her head had met the wall. Another man came through the door with a bucket of what looked like cleaning supplies. They’ve done this before.
Yeah, no shit. When you do illegal things, people get hurt, and it’s necessary to cover it up.
She turned as Cillian hit the door again, cracking the wood and sending the part still attached to the hinges slamming into the wall behind it. Olivia saw the familiar flash of a gun and moved, slamming him into the wall and covering as much of his body as she could with hers. Fire exploded across her back, the burning fury a match to her throat. “Gun.”
“Got it.” He pulled his out again and peered around the door, nearly taking a bullet to the face. “We’re not here to hurt you. We came for the girl.”