Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 90085 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 450(@200wpm)___ 360(@250wpm)___ 300(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 90085 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 450(@200wpm)___ 360(@250wpm)___ 300(@300wpm)
“She’s fine. But you won’t be if you don’t fucking move,” Bane said.
“Go!” I urged. “Please.”
He didn’t say anything, but jerked his arm free of his brother’s grasp and shrugged off Bane’s grip on his shoulder before stalking into the house without another word.
“Linc said for you to go to his office,” Bane told me as Ransom followed his brother.
I nodded, but I didn’t think I could speak just yet.
Once he left, I made my way slowly toward the door. I wasn’t scared of facing Wayon. I wanted to know why he’d done it. His actions had caused me to turn to a man I hated for help, but they’d also led me to Than.
I couldn’t hate Wayon for that reason alone. If he’d never left those letters, then I’d never have met Than. He would never be a regret. He’d be my favorite memory.
Forty-Six
Montana
I stood alone in Linc’s office, staring at a random horse portrait, waiting. He’d been here when I arrived and told me that Wayon had made poor choices, but wasn’t a bad man. That I had nothing to be scared of and that he just wanted to talk to me alone. But he’d be right outside the door.
I didn’t tell Linc Shephard that his proximity gave me no security. I had just nodded. It didn’t matter if he was outside the door or in another state. He wasn’t on my side. He was on Jericho’s. I was not someone of importance to him. Merely a problem he had to handle. One he would send packing very soon.
The sound of the door opening caught my attention, and I realized that I was curious. Now that I had a face to go with the letters, I wasn’t as scared. The image of a man sitting in a basement somewhere with photos of me plastered all over while he talked to his fifty cats seemed ridiculous now. I’d watched too many crime shows. Not once had I come across an episode where the psycho stalker/serial killer looked like Wayon.
He entered the room, looking much like I remembered. Tall, broad shoulders, no tattoos, tanned skin, blond hair. Handsome. The all-American look that drew attention from females. His eyes stayed on me as he closed the door behind him.
“This is not how I imagined things,” he said with an apologetic smile. “I never meant to scare you.”
I let out a short laugh that held no humor. “Well, finding letters in places, especially beside me while I slept, would freak out just about anyone.”
He sighed heavily and nodded. “Yeah, I guess it would. My goal was to reach you through words. Get you to fall in love with me through my letters.”
I frowned. “Fall in love with you?”
The corner of his mouth tugged up as he walked over to stand across the room from me. He seemed to understand that I preferred he keep a distance.
“Yeah, well, I’m not very good at that, apparently. Females have always chased me. Claimed they loved me. But the one who took my breath away didn’t even bat her eyes, didn’t attempt to flirt.” He shook his head and let out a chuckle. “I walked away that night, knowing what I wanted and not sure how the fuck to get it. That was a first for me.”
I pointed at my chest. “Me?” I asked with disbelief.
He smirked and ran his hand through his hair. “Yes, Montana, you.”
I scrunched my nose. “We had dinner together. I’d not slept good in weeks because I was afraid to with Momma.” I paused, not wanting to remember that time in my life. “I barely remember anything that was said.”
He placed a hand on his heart. “Ouch.”
I hadn’t meant to be rude, but it was the truth.
“You can make a man do crazy things, and you don’t even realize your power.”
Maybe he was deranged but just came in a pretty package, so it was distracting.
“Do you love him?” he asked.
My eyes snapped back to him. “Who?”
He tilted his head to the side slightly. “You know who.”
I sucked in a deep breath. I barely knew this man. He had no right to ask me something like that. “I’m afraid I don’t know who you’re talking about, and even if I did, that’s a personal question.”
He nodded. “You’re right. It is. Forgive me. I forget that you don’t know me the way that I do you.”
That made me shiver—and not in a good way. There was a violation to privacy that he didn’t seem to understand was a big deal.
“Yeah, since I didn’t stalk you like a creep,” I snapped.
He winced. “It wasn’t like that. I was protecting you. You were alone. And I couldn’t stand the idea of you needing something and not having it.”
“I was doing just fine.”
He cocked an eyebrow. “Were you?”