Total pages in book: 114
Estimated words: 109368 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 547(@200wpm)___ 437(@250wpm)___ 365(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 109368 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 547(@200wpm)___ 437(@250wpm)___ 365(@300wpm)
Nick bowed over, coughing as he clutched at his now bruised throat. Wrath morphed his handsome features into something monstrous. But he was nothing compared to what I’d faced in this life. I’d sooner be afraid of Akiva.
“I don’t even know who you are,” he wheezed.
Silver pressed into my side, trembling with her anger. “This is the man who nailed Halston Cole to the wall.”
Nick straightened, his surprise evident.
“Yeah.” Silver nodded, eyeing him like he was a piece of shite on her shoe. “I know you’re the one who told Cole I wasn’t going to back down and you’re pretty much the reason I got stabbed.”
What the fuck?
I moved toward Nick on instinct, but Silver grabbed my arm, halting me. “This is me holding him back from fucking you up permanently.”
I bared my teeth at the prick.
Silver continued. “You don’t want to mess with him. And you really don’t want to mess with me, Nick. Not again. Trust me when I say that you’re just a big fish in a small pond. We will annihilate you if you ever try to contact London again.”
Like a switch, Nick’s eyes welled up as he turned his attention to London. “Baby, are you really going to stand there and let them treat me like this? I love you! I am the only one who really loves you.”
“Bullshit,” London and Silver said in unison.
Silver quieted, though, glancing at her friend.
London stared blankly at Nick. “You have taken the last you’re ever going to take from me. I left the engagement ring I didn’t even want in the safe.”
His nostrils flared. “The safe?”
“Yeah. I have my passport and wallet again. So, I’m leaving. Everything in that bag”—she pointed to the duffel Silver still held—“is everything I brought with me. Nothing you bought me. I don’t want anything from you. We’re done.”
His hands flexed at his sides as if he wanted to react physically, so I moved in front of her, raising a finger in his face. “Fucking try it.”
“This isn’t over.”
Aggravation writhed through me, but I kept a leash on it. Nick wouldn’t be a worry for very long. James had sent over information before we’d entered the building that promised as such. “Unless you want me to crush your throat, you’ll step back and let us pass.”
Reluctantly, the piece of shit did so.
I ushered London and Silver onto the elevator.
Then I looked back at Nick and grinned.
Like I knew something.
Because I did.
He had the good sense to look uneasy.
Silver and London were silent as the elevator descended. London lowered her sunglasses back down to cover her black eye. They didn’t speak as we walked out. London handed over the key card to Andrew who gaped at her in shock. The doorman pulled open the door, and she gave him a nod as we followed her out.
It was only once we’d made our way down the street that Silver’s best friend finally spoke. “This isn’t over. He won’t give up.”
“You don’t have to worry about Nick. He’s going to be preoccupied with other things very, very soon.”
Her head whipped toward me and though I couldn’t see her expression behind the glasses, I could feel the sharpness in her words. “What does that mean?”
“A friend of mine with resources.” I turned to Silver. “James.”
She nodded.
“Who is James?” London demanded.
“Like I said, a friend in a high place. The FBI are gathering evidence against Nick for insider trading. Apparently, he’s bribing tippers to provide him with information he uses for personal gain and for specific clients. By the end of next week, he’ll be so tied up in a legal shit show, he’ll not only not have time to follow you to Scotland, legally he won’t be allowed to leave the country.”
Silver let out a huff of disbelief and relief.
London staggered back against a storefront and Silver dropped the duffel to make sure her friend was okay.
She waved her off, sucking in deep, shaky breaths. “It’s … it’s over. It’s really over.”
“It’s really over,” Silver promised.
London looked up at her. “I won’t believe it until we’re in Scotland.”
“Then there’s no time to lose. Let’s go home.”
“I don’t know what home is.”
“It’s with me.” Silver pulled her into her arms. “We’re family, Spoon. I’ve got you.” She looked up at me over London’s head and mouthed “Thank you.”
I gave her a nod. “Told you. I’d do anything for you, woman.”
She smiled through wet eyes before squeezing them closed as she tightened her embrace around her friend.
47. Ramsay
I’d never liked the feeling of uncertainty.
Rarely did I feel deflation. Mostly because I always entered situations with managed expectations.
Yet as I let Akiva out of the truck, watching her hurry toward the porch, I experienced both sensations weighing me down.
The evening temps were dropping to low single digits now, though my house was protected from the coastal winds by the surrounding forest. Still, there was a distinct wintry chill in the air as I let us both into the house. And it wasn’t merely my mood.