Total pages in book: 142
Estimated words: 134073 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 670(@200wpm)___ 536(@250wpm)___ 447(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 134073 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 670(@200wpm)___ 536(@250wpm)___ 447(@300wpm)
“Little?” I snap and want to take it back. Why did all my focus go to him calling me little? I’ve never been called little in my life, but I suppose compared to him everyone is.
“Yeah, little,” he grunts, glancing over at me. I notice where his eyes linger, and I realize my wet dress is clinging to my body. “Being stupid will get you killed.”
“What choice did I have? You might kill me.”
“Wrong, little bit. My mission is to save you.”
“Save me? From who? You already kicked Brock’s ass. Wait, do you work for my dad? Is this all a mix-up?” I say a silent prayer hoping this is some kind of stupid misunderstanding. One that includes high-speed getaways, shooting guns, and a possible drowning.
“I was hired by your father.” I start to relax, knowing it’s all going to be okay. “Your real one. I’m saving you from the Adairs.”
Chapter Four
DUTCH
“You’re lying.”
She scowls at me, and she looks like a grumpy kitten after a bath. I want to laugh, but it’s been so long since I’ve done it, I don’t know if I remember how.
“Why would I lie?” I make sure to keep an even speed so that I don’t draw attention.
“I don’t know, so maybe you can kidnap me.” She points to herself like it’s obvious.
“I’ve already kidnapped you.” I put the same emphasis on the word she does. “I have nothing to gain at this moment by lying to you.”
“So you might need to lie to me in the future.”
“Yes.” I look at her like she’s ridiculous, and her eyes widen in shock.
“This is crazy. Just tell me what’s going on.”
“No.” I put on my turn signal to merge onto the highway and curse the traffic.
“No?”
“Do you have water lodged in your ears?” I reach in the back for a towel and hand it to her. She jerks it out of my hand and wraps it around her. It’s a pity, because I could see her delicious curves around the wet dress.
“Tell me why you think my parents aren’t my real parents. Wouldn’t I know? I’ve been with them my whole life.”
“Be quiet.” I look into the lane next to me and see an opening.
“Be quiet!” she shouts, and I can feel her hysteria rising. “I was shot at!”
“If it makes you feel any better, they were shooting at me.” Up ahead there’s an accident that’s slowing traffic down, but they’ve got it pulled off to the side now.
“No!”
“Enough.” I turn to her and point a finger. “Enough shouting in this tiny car. You will be quiet and do as I say. My job is to deliver you to your real parents and nothing more. I’m not here to answer questions.”
I watch as her golden eyes begin to fill with water, and her bottom lip wobbles.
“Oh no.” I deflate, dropping my finger and letting out a long sigh. “Don’t cry.”
“I’m not,” she says, her voice breaking.
“Listen.” My patience is thin on a normal day, but seeing the traffic and slowing down has me even closer to the edge. “I won’t hurt you.”
She looks down at her hands in her lap, and I come to a stop on the highway. “You go by Iris, right?” I ask and she nods, still not looking at me. “Iris.” I try and make my voice less intimidating, but my size will always tell a stranger that I’m dangerous. Reaching out, I touch her chin, and to her credit she doesn’t pull away. “Once I have you safe, I’ll explain more.” I press my lips together, trying not to lie to her. “I’ll tell you as much as I can.”
“Okay,” she answers softly and nods.
Part of me relaxes, and up ahead I see traffic open up. I’m able to move over and get around the accident then hit the gas. The delay was only minor, but we’ve got a train to catch if I’m going to get her across the border before sundown. As it is, I can’t very well take her looking like I tossed her in a lake, so I’ve got to fix that.
“You need to change.”
“I’m sorry, I must have forgotten to bring my kidnapping bag with me. Can we turn around and go get it?”
I’ll take a smart mouth over crying any day of the week. “Lucky for you I planned ahead.” I use my thumb to point over my shoulder to the backseat of the car. “There’s some jeans and a T-shirt back there with some shoes.”
“They won’t fit,” she says without even looking at them.
“They will.”
She looks at me like I’m an idiot. “We’ll see about that.”
She grabs the bag and opens it up. I see her rifle through it and look at the tags, but she doesn’t say a word. Once she pulls the clothes out she doesn’t argue any more as she looks around the car.