Total pages in book: 230
Estimated words: 217798 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1089(@200wpm)___ 871(@250wpm)___ 726(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 217798 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1089(@200wpm)___ 871(@250wpm)___ 726(@300wpm)
No one got a say in his marriage except him and his wife.
He held his mother, the truth of his life sinking in and finally filling a place that had seemed hollow. “I don’t want you to die. I command that you not die.”
His mother smiled up at him. “Give me something to live for. You know I’ll hold on for a grandchild.”
He sighed.
“What is it?”
“I’ve screwed up so much with Day, I fear she won’t forgive me, Mother.”
Her hand slid over his. “Tell me.”
He grimaced. “Much of it is sexual, Mother.”
“Well, of course it is. It’s you. You know, Kashmir, the one thing I thought you would get right was the sex stuff.”
“Well, didn’t I prove you wrong?” Perhaps his mother could help. She’d already given him the perfect woman. Now it was up to him to figure out how to keep her. “I think I’ve messed up with Day.”
“Of course you have. You’re a man. You can’t help yourself. Tell me what’s going on.”
According to Day, it wasn’t like she didn’t already know. He was about to tell her everything when there was a loud shout from the hallway.
Startled, he slid from the bed. “Wait here, Mother. I’ll be right back.”
“Kash, you fucking bastard!”
That was a familiar voice. Weston had gotten Rai out quickly. Kash stepped out into the hallway where Rai was straining against the much larger Boomer. It was good to see Rai couldn’t do everything. His best friend often seemed far too competent to be believed, too fit and perfect. Now he looked silly because Mr. Boomer had put a hand on his head and easily held him at arm’s length.
“Uh, he wanted to go in without an appointment,” Boomer said. If holding back the other man was any strain on him at all, it didn’t show. “Si told me no one sees the queen momma without an appointment. Now, he didn’t leave me an appointment book or anything, so I think what he was trying to tell me was that the queen momma needs her sleep and no one should see her except her son. I don’t think he’s her son.”
While he found Mr. Boomer quite charming, he didn’t want to piss off Rai any further. “It’s fine. Please let him go so we can handle this here and now. And, Mr. Boomer, if he does hit me, let him. Unless he goes for my face. My face really belongs to the whole country, so you need to protect that.”
Boomer moved his hand and Rai nearly fell to his knees.
“Damn you, Kash,” he began.
“I would have thought letting you out of jail because I know, despite all evidence, that you would never harm me might put you in a better mood.”
Rai shook his head. “Not mad at you. Need to tell you. It was never you he was after. I figured it all out a few minutes ago. It’s Hanin. He wants to kill Day. He was always after Day.”
Fear flashed through Kash and he took off running for his room.
Nothing mattered if Day wasn’t alive. Nothing at all.
Day came awake to the sound of a door creaking open. She sat up, her head still cloudy from sleep. She glanced at the clock, the digital light shining, and realized her head was actually cloudy from lack of sleep. She remembered falling asleep in the car after the plane had landed. That had been a little over an hour and a half before.
She glanced around and realized she wasn’t in her room. Her suite was done up in light, airy colors, and this place was a darkened tomb.
Kash’s room. Had he brought her here? She suspected so.
She yawned and forced her body to move. Something was going on in the outer room of the suite.
She sat straight up in bed as her brain started to function, remembering exactly why they’d made that ridiculously long flight.
Her mother-in-law. Her sweet, lovely mother-in-law had taken a bad turn and they’d needed to get home in time to potentially say good-bye to her.
Day’s heart constricted. How would Kash handle losing his mother? He tended to shut down when things got too emotional. He’d been alone for so long and here she was sleeping while he was facing one of the hardest moments of his life.
Some partner she’d turned out to be.
She scrambled to get out of bed. How far was it to the hospital?
She moved to the doors that led to the outer rooms of the suite, opening them and finding the cause of the noise she’d heard previously. A group of neatly dressed servants were busy setting breakfast up on the table in the living area. It was the table where she and Kash typically shared their morning. Michael Malone stood inside the door, dressed in an all-black suit, an earpiece in his left ear. He nodded her way.