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)
“Tell me you love me, Allie.”
He lifts his head to look at me. I blink fast, trying to clear away my tears. “Tell me. I’ve waited years to hear you say it. Tell me you love me the way I love you, Allie.”
God, I don’t know if you’re real or if you can hear me, but I need you to get me through this.
It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do, forcing a painful smile when all I want to do is scream for help that would probably never come, anyway. I have to make my voice gentle instead of letting the terror leak through when I murmur, “I love you.”
His smile lights up his face, deepening his wrinkles, making his eyes glow. It makes me shrivel inside. “Thank you. We are gonna be happy together, Allie. Just you wait and see.”
Then he settles back down, his head on my chest, his body half crushing me and making it impossible to move. All I can do is stare at the ceiling and get through one breath at a time.
Someone has to help me. And they have to do it soon.
Because he won’t be satisfied with this for long.
And I’ve seen what he’s capable of when he snaps.
Chapter 32
Kade
Ialways knew it would come to this. That I would be back where I belong, around the people I understand best because I’m one of them. Drinking away my sorrows like they are, looking for comfort at the bottom of a bottle.
So far, I haven’t found it, but the night is still young. I let her use me. No amount of whiskey can burn away that fact. Shit, I made it easy. I let myself get caught up in a fucking fairy tale where I was her guardian and she was my prized princess. I somehow convinced myself I could earn my way into her life.
That was never going to happen. No matter what I did, no matter how many times I put her first, she would never have respected me. I would never be anything more than one of her hired hands. Good enough to fuck, but not good enough for much else.
Stupid son of a bitch.
“You plan on drinking me dry tonight?” Rick asks as he pours a couple of pints. He sounds tired. I guess doing the same thing day in and day out does that to a guy.
“Could be.” Though I am nowhere near that point yet. “How about we make a deal, you and me? As I’m sitting upright, I want another drink. Got it?”
“You trying to pickle your liver?”
“Something like that.” Maybe my brain. If I drink enough, I won’t remember I was almost happy. I thought I knew what I was put on earth to do. To be with her, to care for her. And she let me keep on believing it as long as she got what she wanted. Comfort, protection, a good fuck. I provided all of it. I made it so fucking easy.
It’s like I’ve been replaying the same sad fucking song my whole life. If I try hard enough, if I work hard enough, I’ll get the things I want. The things I deserve. This time, I’ll prove myself. This time, they’ll see. It hasn’t worked out that way. I doubt it ever will.
I ignore the double buzz from my phone, signaling a text. The world can wait for a night. I don’t have it in me to give a fuck what’s happening beyond the walls of this bar.
That selfish little bitch. I lift a fresh glass, staring into it before tipping it back and pouring the contents down my throat. So much for turning over a new leaf or whatever the hell I thought I was doing. Tonight, all I want is to hurt someone. Violence is clean, uncomplicated. It will be good to get back to what I know.
Another double buzz makes me almost rip the phone out of my pocket. I see myself dropping it into my glass to silence it once and for all.
Instead, I check out the texts first.
Emma. This night keeps getting better.
Emma: Emergency. Call me ASAP.
I hate to break it to her, but the days of keeping me around as her daughter’s guard dog are over. So what if it was my fucking idea in the first place? I let her get too comfortable with the idea, and now she thinks she can text me whenever the hell she feels like it.
Another message. Emma: Allie is missing.
Something hot and sharp twists in my chest when I read those words. It’s a habit, that’s all. She is an old habit I need to break. Like smoking, only the damage has spread throughout my body.
The phone rings and sets my teeth on edge. Fuck this. I’m not going to sit here and deal with this all night. “Can you take a hint?” I snarl upon answering her call. “I’m not interested in—”