Total pages in book: 127
Estimated words: 120186 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 601(@200wpm)___ 481(@250wpm)___ 401(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 120186 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 601(@200wpm)___ 481(@250wpm)___ 401(@300wpm)
And my father demands I scare Allie into silence or end her permanently. And as much as Allie breaking my heart hurt, I know there is no way in hell I can kill her. The thought of physically harming her makes me sick to my stomach, but scaring her, making her think I would hurt her? I can do that. I can bully her. Force her into compliance. And that’s exactly what I’ll do tonight. If only to save her from something far worse.
The Porter ranch has security and cameras. But all the time I spent with Allie means I’ve learned where the blind spots are. Here’s hoping the Porters haven’t changed anything since Allie went off to school.
I flick the headlights off as I turn onto the dirt road, which is really more like a footpath worn into the earth, that runs alongside the southern fence closest to the main house. Anticipation builds in me. I can’t wait to see her again. To watch the fear fill her eyes. For her to realize just how much she’s fucked herself by pushing things.
I squint to make out the scenery, as the cloudy skies partially block out the half-moon. I won’t hurt her, but the other night, there was a moment when she looked scared, and I’d gotten harder than I ever had in my life. It felt like... power. In a relationship where we’ve always fought for dominance, part of me can’t wait to feel that heady rush again. I climb out of the truck, grab my small handgun from the glove box, and quietly head along the path leading toward the back gate.
I trip on some downed brush and freeze, my heart pounding as I watch the camera on the fence line angled away from me. As long as it doesn’t turn, I’m safe. I guess it wouldn’t matter even if it did get a good shot of me. From what I’ve seen, the security staff is shit. They don’t review footage, and if they do, I’m sure it’s only when they’re told to.
Nevertheless, I give it a minute, and in the silence, I hear my father’s mocking voice in my head. “You’re a fucking failure, Kade. A failure. You can’t do anything right.”
It doesn’t matter if I do things exactly as he wants. It’s like no matter what I do, I fuck it up. Every action is a failure simply because it’s connected to me. I am a failure. But I won’t be tonight. Not with so much on the line.
Tonight, I’ll prove to him I can get the job done. And I’ll keep her safe in my own way. I latch onto the pain Allie caused me. The hurt I spent a year sitting on. That’s what I need to focus on. Allie Porter is the enemy—a stubborn brat who doesn’t know when to quit.
Tonight, she’ll learn. She’ll see a side of me that I’ve never exposed her to. If she thought the way I acted in the bar parking lot was harsh, I can’t wait for her to realize what else I have inside me. My blood hums with adrenaline. I wonder if she’s expecting me to show up. If she will be ready for an attack, or if she thinks she’s safe tucked away on her mommy’s ranch.
She isn’t safe, though. Not from me. Never from me.
Whatever I become tonight—it’s her own doing. Not only to protect her but also to remind her that we aren’t friends, we aren’t shit, and that it’s all her choice.
I cut through some dense forest and spot the house nestled in the center of probably a thousand pines all crowded together, stretching up like they’re competing to touch the sky.
It’s been over a year since I snuck inside this place. I remember the rush I felt at the idea of being caught. Allie was always worried, afraid of what her mother might think if she found out, but I didn’t give a fuck. She didn’t want to disappoint her mother, and we both knew nothing would be more disappointing than discovering your daughter hooking up with the Bishop fuckup. That should’ve been my first clue she didn’t want me, that she only liked using me.
She fooled me real fucking good. Hook, line, and sinker. I could kick myself for making it so easy to be betrayed by a girl who only thought of me as a good time.
An excuse to be wild and free.
To her, I was an escape and nothing more than a thrill.
To me, she was everything I could never put into words—a diamond in a heaping pile of bullshit. Looking back, I realize I should’ve seen the end coming.
I’ve never been good enough for my father or my brothers. So what made me good enough for Allie? Nothing. Not a damn thing. Otherwise, we would still be together, right?