Total pages in book: 37
Estimated words: 35040 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 175(@200wpm)___ 140(@250wpm)___ 117(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 35040 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 175(@200wpm)___ 140(@250wpm)___ 117(@300wpm)
She chuckled.
“I don’t think I could curse to anyone and make it seem like a nice thing.”
“That’s why I’m lovely, because I can.”
They had small talk. They talked about random stuff, like the café and the new refurbishment. The proposal of a beauty salon in one of the vacant business lots. Cyrus wasn’t sure they needed a beauty salon, but she was all for it, as she really needed to get her hair done.
Penelope brought out their food, and she delved in with relish. The food was amazing. She and Cyrus had their steaks well done. She loved the crispy edges around her steak. The peppercorn sauce was to die for. After their meal, they enjoyed the sticky toffee pudding, and along with the ice cream, everything was amazing.
Willow was having so much fun, she hadn’t even realized it was approaching nine o’clock. However, it was time to go, and she didn’t want her date to end.
It seemed Cyrus was of the same mindset as they made their way around town square, talking about the people in town, and what seemed like everything and nothing at the same time.
When she saw it was nearing midnight, Willow knew it was time to call it a night, and Cyrus walked her to her front door. She pulled out her key and slid it into the lock. Cyrus put her hand on his, stopping her.
“I had a great time tonight,” Cyrus said. “What are you doing tomorrow night?”
“I’m not doing anything.”
“Do you want to go dancing at the bar?”
“Really?” Willow asked.
“Yeah, really. I mean, we could go and eat again, but I can’t guarantee a table.”
“I’d love to go dancing,” she said.
Cyrus cupped her cheek, tilting her head back, and she couldn’t look away, nor did she want to. He was so close. She felt his breath against her skin.
And then, he pressed a kiss to her cheek. She had wanted him to kiss her lips. “Until tomorrow night.” He stepped away and waited.
Willow stepped into her house, wished him a good night, and then closed the door, locking it behind her.
She placed a couple of fingers against her cheek. He’d kissed her. Well, he had kissed her cheek.
Her mind was racing, and she quickly rushed upstairs and went straight to her laptop to start writing. She had so much she needed to get out, and as she typed, she felt a little like a crazy person as she tried to get it all written.
Chapter Three
With coffee and cinnamon rolls in his hands, Cyrus typed in the code that would lead him to Willow, and he made his way into her room.
She jumped back as he entered and she pressed a hand to her chest. “You scared me.”
He chuckled. “You should have seen me coming.”
“I’m keeping an eye on this situation here.” She pressed the keys and pointed to the camera in the far corner.
“What do we have?” he asked, noticing she held the phone within her grip.
“It’s a tourist and he has a young woman with him, but that move ... there, do you see it?” Willow zoomed in, but the angle was wrong, and she let out a growl. “Look, that there, that sign, that is a sign a woman gives if she is in danger or distress, or someone is with her that shouldn’t be with her.” She pointed to the woman’s hand that was held behind her back, and she kept opening and closing her palm. “Trust me, I have seen something like this before. Now, it could be a game they are playing, but we don’t know them. What if she is being abused? What if she has been taken?”
Cyrus saw the distress in her eyes and pulled out his cell phone. “I’m on it,” he said. He saw how worried she was. He cupped her face. “Hey, it’s fine. Even if this is nothing and they’re joking around, it is better to be safe than sorry.”
With that, he pressed a quick kiss to her lips and left the room, making his way toward the town square, and calling Daniel as he did so.
He gave the leader an update, and Daniel was already close as he was at the café. They were all aware of the hand signal that had been advised to be taken seriously. He’d seen a demonstration online, but not on a real person.
Cyrus found the couple outside a clothing store. He kept his distance, holding his cell phone to his ear, and he let out a little laugh, pretending to be on a call. All the time, he was aware of the man grabbing the woman’s arm, and when he did, she stopped gripping and opening her hand. He was growling words at her, and the woman looked terrified.
This was a situation. His gut was telling him this shit was real.