Total pages in book: 159
Estimated words: 149148 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 746(@200wpm)___ 597(@250wpm)___ 497(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 149148 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 746(@200wpm)___ 597(@250wpm)___ 497(@300wpm)
“I’m not a fucking baby, Athanas.”
Kellion said, “We all know that, President, but you’ve been, ah, how shall we say it? You’ve been emotionally sensitive since you and your girl brat broke up, so it’s understandable we worry about you.”
Helios flipped him the bird. “Just make sure you’re all back by Monday night. I know you still have a race on Tuesday, and the rookies need at least one officer present for support.”
“Aww shucks,” Andreus drawled. “You still know our schedule. You miss us that much, President?”
“Don’t start on me, Economou. Or we can talk about that person you miss all the time.”
Andreus colored as the other men laughed. “Fuck you. I hope MJ makes you bleed some more,” he muttered before stalking off.
“I better go after him before he explodes,” Kellion said with a shake of his head. “Stay safe. We’ll do our best here.”
When he and Yuri were left alone, Helios asked, “Have you heard any news about MJ’s father and Manolito Chavez?”
Yuri’s face took on a somber cast. “Not a thing, and that’s what’s keeping me on edge. By now we should be hearing any signs of movement, but – nothing. It’s either they’re laying really low – which I hope – or everything they’re doing right now is meant to be hidden from us.”
Helios started at Yuri’s words. “He knows we know about them then?”
“Possibly. Chavez has his own connections, too.” Yuri checked his watch. “You better go now. I’ll make sure to stay on top of things here, and I’ll keep you posted if I hear anything about MJ’s father.”
Helios and Yuri thumped each other on the back. “Thank you,” Helios said gruffly.
Yuri smiled. “MJ’s really changed you, President. You wouldn’t even have thought of saying that before.”
Helios graciously acknowledged the words with his middle finger.
Inside the club’s private jet, Helios waited for the plane to take off and stabilize in the air before taking out his phone. For a long while, he stared at it, knowing there was no way he could escape the truth now.
In a way, he had welcomed the need to put aside his problems with MJ while visiting his old home. The scars he had suffered from the past had long healed. When he had looked at Dahlia, not even resentment had flickered to life. All he had wanted at that time was to get as far away as possible from her and everything that was connected to the Andreadis clan.
But now, it was time to face his problems.
As easily as that, the memories came flooding back in, reminding him of the footage he had obsessively watched, replaying the moment MJ had allowed the other man into her room over and over.
Had they done it? Of course they fucking had. No sane man would do nothing when allowed inside the room of the girl he liked.
Imagining MJ in the arms of another man left him sickened and enraged, but he did his best to control it. Had MJ felt the same all those times she had been confronted with the sight of another woman in his bed when she was just a volunteer at the club?
Helios switched his phone on.
Finding out about Rick’s disappearance out of the blue felt like the ground he had been standing on had suddenly caved in. It had made him think of MJ and how she, too, could so easily disappear from his life. He didn’t want that to happen, nor did he want for another day to be wasted with him clinging to his stupid pride.
If MJ had given herself to another man...then so be it. But it wouldn’t fucking happen again because he would never let her out of her sight after this. He loved MJ, and he would do whatever it took to keep her with him.
MJ WAS OUT AT THE SCHOOL’S soccer field, taking photos of the varsity team and cheerleaders in action and hoping to sell it to the yearbook committee and the college paper, when her phone rang. She froze when she saw who was calling and after another second’s hesitation, she slowly put her camera down on her lap and reached for her phone.
This was the first time he had called since the other night. Since that happened.
“Hello?”
Helios closed his eyes at the sound of her voice, which was more than enough to replenish his tired spirit. He heard the noise in the background and asked, “Are you outside?”
She gripped the phone tighter, a silly part of her imagining it as a way to hold on to Helios longer and to keep him talking to her. Barely two days had passed since he was gone and she already felt like she was dying from withdrawal symptoms.
A part of her wanted to get mad at him. Was this what being normal meant to him? No normal guy would just up and fly to Greece in a freaking private jet to find out who were spreading rumors about him. Actually, no normal guy would have someone freaking spread fake rumors about him. Because that was what Helios had wanted her to believe, wasn’t it?