Total pages in book: 180
Estimated words: 168121 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 841(@200wpm)___ 672(@250wpm)___ 560(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 168121 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 841(@200wpm)___ 672(@250wpm)___ 560(@300wpm)
Was that the diversion they wanted? The paparazzi seemed to be losing their footing to the tizzy of desperate women, but the cameras didn’t stop clicking.
Without warning, Tony spun toward Jay, slamming her back against his chest and dislodging his arm from Charlee’s neck.
Oh God, no. What was happening? Charlee chased him, only to be yanked back by the shoving current of bodies.
Tony’s mouth moved, and her eyes flicked between the roof and the crowd. What was she shouting? One word over and over. Gun?
Charlee’s legs locked up and her mouth went dry. Something hunkered on the roof. Impossible to make out details with the sun’s glare.
Jay swung his head back and forth. “Charlee?”
More people rolled in, pushing her further back, blocking her view of Jay. She elbowed and kicked with the best of them, but the force of the frenzy swept her more feet away, bumping her into the grill of a parked car. “Jay!”
She glimpsed him through the crack of bodies, five…six car lengths away. The sunglasses on his face pointed in her direction.
His lips stretched from his clenched teeth. “Charlee!” He struggled against Tony’s grip, but something paralyzed him. He choked, curled in on himself and cupped his ears.
Oh Jay, no. Charlee’s heart skipped, helplessness curling her nails into her palms.
Tony bolstered most of his weight with hands on his chest and shoulders. No! Not her hands.
Charlee doubled her effort, punching and body slamming through the crowd.
A young girl broke from the melee. She flung herself at him, shackled her arms around his neck. Charlee watched, unable to move forward, as the girl smothered his mouth with hers.
The swarm devoured her view. Her blood boiled, fueling her muscles and propelling her forward. An arm shoved her back. She grabbed the bitch’s ponytail and yanked her to the ground. Too many fucking people. Come on, come on, let her through. A few more elbows and she gained half the distance to him.
Through a break in the rocking heads, she glimpsed Tony release his arms and punch the girl clinging to him. The girl went down and he stumbled back, gripping his chest and chanting something. His entire body seemed to lock up. What horror was tearing him apart inside?
Her heart sprinted. He needed her, goddammit. “Get out of my way.” She launched herself into the wall of bodies and closed a few more feet.
The crowd rippled behind Jay. A moment later, his SUV pushed its way through. The passenger door opened and Edison reached out, pulling Jay inside.
Where was Nathan? Charlee whirled, probing the sea of heads. No Nathan. Oh God, anyone of those heaving bodies could be a Craig. Her heart raced.
Jay arched his back and screamed two syllables. The distance and the shrill of the fans drowned out his voice, but she felt it in the marrow of her soul. He was suffering, buried by his nightmares. She felt him say her name, so close no matter how far. She was there. She willed him to see her.
The remaining bodyguards climbed in on the opposite side of the SUV. Tony pushed Jay into the seat and climbed in after him. As she reached for the door, he jerked his head in Charlee’s direction.
Were they going to leave her? Yes. She swallowed. They couldn’t wait for her to reach them. Tony had clocked a gun on the roof. She was doing her job, getting Jay out of there. “I’m with you, Jay. I’m here,” she whispered.
The door slammed shut, and the vehicle backed out toward the street. Her heart collided with her ribs. Caged by the crowd, she was powerless to get to him. She knew he was incapacitated by his guards, and more so by his nightmares. Would he come back for her?
Women flung themselves on the hood and against the windows, but he was safe inside. Good. That was good. His security did the right thing, her need for him be damned.
Suck it up. Jay was safe. She felt it in the slump of her shoulders and the looseness of her neck. She rolled her head back and glanced at the roof of her building. The hunkered shape was gone. Where was the sniper? Find Nathan.
The mob of fans and photographers thinned, spreading out as they chased the SUV down the street.
Heart pounding, face burning, she scrutinized the lingerers for blond hair, blue eyes, and a white button-up. Where the hell was he?
A gentle hand cupped her shoulder from behind and traveled over her collarbones to settle on her other shoulder. Oh, Nathan. She wanted to sag against him. “We need to get out of here.”
As she turned to face him, an unmoving figure caught her eye on the far side of the lot. Blond hair. White button-up. The man beside him held his hand beneath the cover of his jacket, pointing the bulge at Nathan.