Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 79938 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 400(@200wpm)___ 320(@250wpm)___ 266(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79938 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 400(@200wpm)___ 320(@250wpm)___ 266(@300wpm)
“Oh, fuck right off with that noise.” She pocketed the keys and looked around. “You didn’t kill them and throw their bodies in the dumpster, did you?”
He blinked. “Give me a little credit. If I was going to pull off a double murder, I’d at least stash the bodies somewhere that wouldn’t link back to you.”
Meg couldn’t decide if that was actually comforting or just downright scary. In the end, it didn’t matter. She let him drag her along to the street. “I need to go home.”
“Wrong. If they sent someone to your work, there’s no doubt someone at your place.” He flagged down a cab and all but shoved her inside, following her in and crowding her across the seat with his massive body. He took up too much space, and her body tightened in response to his thigh pressed hard against hers.
She could say it was the adrenaline messing with her mind, but Meg tried not to make a habit of lying to herself. There was no one to blame for her riding Theo’s cock all night a mere three days ago except herself, just like there was no one else to blame for her wanting to crawl into Galen’s lap and have him reassure her that everything would be okay.
You know better.
You can’t afford to let someone else handle your problems. You know how that ends.
She cleared her throat as he gave the address to the driver. “I’m assuming that you’re going to make a call and assure your father that I have nothing to do with either you or Theo, and then I’m going to go home.”
He didn’t say anything, didn’t look at her. The only response was a slight tightening in his jaw.
Fear curled through her stomach and slithered outward. “Right?” The strength bled out of her voice, leaving her sounding weak and scared. “Right, Galen?”
“I don’t have an answer you’re going to like.”
“Then give me the one I won’t like.”
Silence reigned for several blocks. “My father has certain goals in place, and bringing me back under his influence is one of those goals. He’ll use whatever—whoever—he can in order to make it happen.” He turned a dark look on her. “Right now, he’s likely decided that he can use you.”
Why?
But then, Meg knew why. Galen had warned her, after all, and she’d ignored that warning just like she’d ignored the little voice inside her that said she would regret giving in to her desires. Lust and logic never went hand in hand, and after a lifetime of clinging to logic, she’d let lust take the wheel.
Now she would pay the price.
She should have kept pressing him, but the events of the last however-long bled through her, sapping what was left of her argument. What if she demanded he take her home and then someone broke in during the night? She had a deadbolt on her door, but that wouldn’t keep out someone determined to get in.
To get to her.
The man had said he wanted to have a conversation about Theo, but that didn’t make sense if Galen’s father had sent him… did it?
She didn’t know enough. Meg might as well have wandered through a magic mirror for all she understood the rules here. In her world, men did not send muscle after women their sons fucked once or twice. They did not hurt people the way the man had seemed to insinuate they would hurt her if she didn’t give them the answers they sought.
She didn’t sign up for this.
She didn’t want this.
But Meg couldn’t help feeling like whatever mirror or wardrobe or method of travel she’d wandered into, the return path to reality was now closed to her. There was no going back, no matter how desperately she wanted to.
It took too long and nowhere near long enough to reach the apartment where Theo waited. Galen didn’t speak again and she had nothing to say. His answers were not answers, and if there was one person who would know how to fix this, it was Theo.
She hoped.
What if Theo doesn’t want to fix this? You’re a fly trapped in a web. Does it matter if it’s of Theo’s making or someone else’s?
You’ll be devoured either way.
Galen stepped out of the cab and pulled Meg after him. At this time of night, there was still plenty of street traffic—plenty of opportunity for his father’s men to blend in until they were close enough to attack.
They already had attacked.
He hustled her off the sidewalk, half carrying her in his rush. She cursed at him, but she could be pissed. At least she was still alive. He didn’t believe for a second that Dorian would order her killed, not when he would see her as a tool just waiting to be used. But he would attempt to take her, and that Galen couldn’t allow.