Total pages in book: 160
Estimated words: 151097 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 755(@200wpm)___ 604(@250wpm)___ 504(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 151097 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 755(@200wpm)___ 604(@250wpm)___ 504(@300wpm)
Protect my wife.
I reached under my pillow where my Sig was hidden.
After I had accepted his offer to act as Coby’s bodyguard, Ocean had given me some new and pretty toys to play with, which Coco kept mistaking for chew toys.
The floor was ice cold under my bare feet when I quietly climbed from the bed and pulled on my robe. Scooping Coco from the foot of the bed, I tiptoed to the door and peeked through the crack to see a man standing just a few feet away. His back was turned to me, but he still seemed annoyingly familiar. The blond hair, leather jacket, and cocky demeanor poked at my memory.
“Then wake her up, or I will. Her beauty sleep isn’t my concern. She knows what she signed up for.” I pushed open the door and slipped out with my gun aimed at the asshole’s occipital. As soon as I did, he cocked his head like a predator who knows there’s prey nearby. “Don’t you, Hunter?” The man turned to face me before I could react. “You really thought I’d let you get the drop on me a second time?”
I lowered the gun with a roll of my eyes when I saw his face. “You should have drowned.”
Kellan’s green eyes twinkled with amusement. “I’m an exceptional swimmer.”
I looked him over. “You look like shit,” I remarked.
“So do you.”
“You two know each other?” Coby asked.
“We’ve met,” I replied without looking at her. She was right. I was a coward. I stepped around Kellan with Coco in my arms and walked to the door to shove my feet in my slippers.
Coby made a terrified squeak in the back of her voice when she saw him. I rolled my eyes because here we go. “Hunter, what the hell is that? Is it…is it a rat?”
“It’s a Yorkshire Terrier. And from the looks of the pup, it’s a runt,” Kellan answered for me. “Don’t tell me you’re afraid.”
Coby, the vegan who was afraid of animals, shuddered out a breath.
“Wow. Yeah, I totally get the fear,” Kellan taunted. “A beast like that can totally gnaw your ankles to death.”
“Don’t tease her,” I warned, taking up for my bestie.
Kellan rolled his eyes. Coby fled to the bathroom. I took the puppy outside.
After Coco relieved himself, I put him in the room and yelled out for Coby, who was still hiding in the bathroom.
“What are you doing here?” I directed at Kellan. I had the same question for Coby, who was staring at me now and anxiously chewing her bottom lip. It wasn’t unusual for Coby and me to fight, but it was the first time it ever felt like it was the last one we’d ever have. Even while standing in the same room, it felt like there was a mountain between us.
“Your training starts today. Ocean’s orders.”
“Training?” Coby echoed before I could tell Kellan where to shove it. I guess Ocean never bothered to tell her about his job offer.
“The Strap offered me a job, and I took it,” I answered.
“Please stop calling him that, Hunter. Doing what?”
“Protecting you.”
Coby’s eyes flared with horror. “No.” She shook her head. “Absolutely not.”
“Coby—”
“I said no! You’re not doing it. It’s dangerous!”
I squinted. “I remember telling you the same thing. You asked me to trust that you could take care of yourself, so now I’m asking the same of you. You wanted me to stay, remember? I’m staying.”
“No, Hunter. I want you to want to stay.”
“Maybe I should come back,” Kellan said uncertainly. Despite being uncomfortable, he stayed where he was, his curious gaze swinging back and forth as Coby and I geared up for round two.
Instead of fighting with me again, Coby turned her fury on Kellan. “Where is he?”
Knowing exactly who she meant, Kellan answered, “In a meeting with the Boss.”
“I thought his father was in Ireland until the wedding?” I asked.
“They have cell phone reception in Ireland.”
“Take me to him,” Coby demanded.
Kellan looked like he wanted to say no, but then he nodded and started for the door. “I’ll be outside,” he called over his shoulder. “You both have ten minutes.”
“Hunter,” Coby said as soon as the door closed behind Kellan. “Please don’t do this.” She started to follow me into my room, but then she remembered Coco and stayed in the living room. “What if someone hurts you?” she called out.
“Then try to imagine why I accepted Ocean’s offer.” I didn’t know what constituted training, and I didn’t have much to choose from, so I started dressing in the same outfit I wore to the shooting range. “I’m terrified someone will hurt you. You’ve seen how busy Ocean is, how often he’s gone. You’re in a treacherous world surrounded by strangers. You need someone who can be there when he can’t. I was already willing to take a bullet for you, and I know you’d do the same for me, so what’s really changing?”