Total pages in book: 166
Estimated words: 160042 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 800(@200wpm)___ 640(@250wpm)___ 533(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 160042 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 800(@200wpm)___ 640(@250wpm)___ 533(@300wpm)
“Because you’ll be my lookout while I poke around.”
I breathe out sharply. I should’ve known. Because I’m always the lookout. And that’s because I refuse to break into her mom’s liquor cabinet or into a teacher’s office. Or make out with the security guard at a club so we can get past him to see the band backstage.
“Absolutely not,” I refuse.
Peyton gives me a look. “Do you want to find something on the Graysons or not?”
“I absolutely do not want to find something on the Graysons.”
“So, what, we’re supposed to just stay here and not do anything? We’re supposed to just trust them that they’ll let us go in three weeks.”
Yes, because they will. They absolutely will let us go.
There’s a stabbing pain in my chest at the thought that I somehow breathe through. But before I can say anything, she goes, “Because what if they don’t? They’re not exactly trustworthy, are they? They kidnapped us. They kidnapped you. He wrote you letters from the freaking prison so he could seduce you. Can you imagine the level of”—she searches for a word—“evilness that takes?”
I want to tell her then.
Tell her his reason, about his Annie, but I can’t. Because it’s not my story to tell, and I don’t think he’ll appreciate me blurting it out like that. And if I tell her about Annie, I probably will need to tell her about… us.
Or rather what happened between us last night, and I know for a fact that Peyton will lose her shit. Not because she’s a Turner and she has any familial hatred toward the Graysons. But because she’s my best friend, and I know she’ll see this as me going crazy and acting completely out of character. In fact, it’ll probably push her to get us out of here and me away from my evil kidnapper even faster.
As if to prove my point, she adds, “God, I could strangle him for what he did to you. Like, actually, literally. That alone is reason enough to find something on these assholes and send them all to hell.”
So no, I can’t tell her anything. Not until I come up with my own plan about what to do next. Because I think I may have to. The one that sets us all free, even him. From his past, from this revenge, from all this hatred and pain he has in his heart. Even if it’s all over between us, there is no way I’m going to let the man I love suffer any longer.
First, though, I need to calm down my best friend. “Look, Peyton. I think we really need to be careful here, okay? I don’t think we can be—”
“No, you listen,” Peyton interrupts and looks me in the eye. “We can’t trust these people, Riri, okay? We can’t trust my family either. Who knows what they’re going to do when they find out about this stupid marriage. I can tell you for a fact that my father will leave us to die here if it comes to that. So we need to look out for ourselves. We need to get our own leverage somehow. We need to save our own selves because no one is coming to save us.”
I know she’s right about her family, her father. Her father is like my father, and they’ll both kill us themselves to save their own asses. But I also know that no matter what, he won’t let anything happens to us. But since I can’t tell her that, I sigh in defeat and ask, “How do you suggest we do this? How are you even here? You’re supposed to be in the kitchen with Haven and she’s expecting me to be there in like, ten minutes.”
As soon as I made it to my room this morning, Haven knocked at my door. Thank God for timing. She’d come to wake me up for breakfast and said Peyton was there with her as well. I told her I’d be there after my shower. So if I don’t show up, she’s going to come looking for me. Plus, now Peyton is gone too.
“She thinks I’m with Axton,” Peyton replies.
“What, why?”
“Because he wouldn’t shut up about this bronco he’s trying to break at breakfast, so I told him I wanted to see it. He took me out back to the barn, and I snuck away when he got too busy measuring his dick with other guys about who can stay on longer.” Peyton shakes her head in disgust. “Why are guys so stupid? It’s just a horse, for God’s sake. No, actually, it’s just the cowboys who are this stupid.”
I open my mouth to ask her about the rest of the Graysons, but she gets there first. “And Marsden is dealing with something in town. I heard Haven say that to Axton. And I don’t know where your husband is except he’s not in the house.” Then she adds, “Well, technically my husband but whatever.”