Total pages in book: 93
Estimated words: 91243 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 456(@200wpm)___ 365(@250wpm)___ 304(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91243 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 456(@200wpm)___ 365(@250wpm)___ 304(@300wpm)
“I saw him. He lost his legs.” I tentatively put a hand on his shoulder. “I’m sorry your friend got hurt.”
He looks up sharply. For a second, I think he’s mad. But then he only nods wearily. “You’re right. My friend.” He lets out a breath. “Elias has been running his operation from here ever since that happened. If anyone found out, he’d become a target. A weak Dragon is a vulnerable Dragon. Elias is still clever and sharp, but he struggles physically most days. It isn’t only his legs he lost. So much of his vitality was sapped away. He sleeps for hours, sometimes days. It’s a miracle he’s still with us. He’s simply too frail to go anywhere else.”
I pull my hand away from him. Mass lapses into silence again. The tension and weight are still there, and I’m still angry with him for locking me in here and keeping Rosie away, but at least I’m starting to understand.
Elias is important to him. And Elias is extremely fragile.
Mass is going to extreme lengths to keep his friend safe and alive.
That’s why he reacted the way he did with me.
I don’t love it, but at least it was for a good reason.
“You know I’d never hurt him.” I surprise myself by meaning it. I don’t know Elias at all, but I can see that he means something to Mass. I’d protect him, if only to keep Mass from suffering. “His secret is safe with me.”
“I want to believe that.” He looks at me hard, his face filled with longing. “Elias wants to talk to you again. I’m afraid that’s not a good idea.”
“What could go wrong?”
“A lot of things. There are other aspects of our relationship I haven’t told you about.”
My heart flutters. “Like what?”
“He made me promise to let him tell you.” Mass sighs and slowly gets to his feet. “Do you want to hear it, Allie? The whole truth? The full story? You’re not going to like it.”
My mouth goes dry. I glance at Rosie and scoop her up into my arms. I can’t leave her behind this time, but I also can’t run from this. It’s clearly too important.
“I’ll talk to him.”
Mass nods, looking grim and hard. “Just know I did it for good reasons. I never planned for this.” I wait for him to elaborate, but he doesn’t.
Instead, Lucy shows up, and she nods for me to follow her.
ALLIE
Elias sits with his back propped up by pillows. He’s in a heavy button-down flannel shirt, his hair combed back, a pair of glasses perched on his nose. He looks almost like a grandfather who got into a terrible car accident.
But I know what those ugly knots of twisted scar tissue mean.
“You’re back,” he says as I take a seat beside him. The door slides shut, leaving me alone with the old man. I nudge Rosie on my knee, bouncing her up and down. His eyes slide to my daughter, and he genuinely smiles. “But you brought someone with you.”
“Elias, this is Rosie.”
“Hello, little girl.” He reaches a gnarled finger out for her. Rosie’s usually slightly shy with new people, but she happily grabs at him. “Strong grip for such a small thing, but I shouldn’t be surprised. You come by it honestly.”
I’m not sure what he means by that. I adjust Rosie as she starts squirming and let her climb down onto the floor. “I hope you don’t mind. She’s going to explore.”
“Not at all. The place isn’t exactly baby-proofed, though.”
“I’ll keep an eye on her.” I scoot my chair back to give myself a better view. Elias keeps staring at Rosie with a strange look on his face. It’s almost wistful and sad. “Should I have left her somewhere else? You seem unhappy.”
“Not at all.” He meets my gaze, smiling again. “She’s wonderful. I assume that’s Massimo’s daughter as well?”
“He’s her biological father, yes.” I don’t know why I have to specify that. Like I can still keep him at a distance or something.
Elias notices. His eyebrows raise. “But not more?”
“I don’t know. It’s complicated right now.”
He nods slowly. “Yes, family always is. Never easy.”
“You have family?”
“Everyone does. I had a daughter too. Your Rosie reminds me so much of my Maggie.” His smile goes distant as the little hairs on the back of my neck start to stand up. A chill tingle runs down my spine. “I did my best to take care of my family. I hoped keeping my distance would protect them, and it did for a time. But nothing’s ever perfect.”
“Where’s your daughter now?”
“Still alive, if that’s what you’re wondering.” He sighs and leans back into his pillows. “I’ll admit I was never a good father. Massimo would shame me if he knew how many nights I spent away from home without my wife and baby girl. Despite the way he comes off, he’s a traditionalist at heart.”