Total pages in book: 180
Estimated words: 182075 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 910(@200wpm)___ 728(@250wpm)___ 607(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 182075 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 910(@200wpm)___ 728(@250wpm)___ 607(@300wpm)
But Edward never really asked anything of her.
Urgh. But he wanted her to go alone.
Shit. Billy wouldn’t be happy. Which is why she’d wait to tell him.
No point upsetting his good mood tonight.
Tomorrow would be soon enough.
5
Indie stared out at the mansion in front of her.
She remembered the first day she’d arrived here.
She’d been in complete awe of the place.
A sigh left her lips as she saw a Rolls Royce Phantom sitting in the driveway.
Slade was here then.
Her nerves bounced in her tummy. She hadn’t seen any of them in months. Not since soon after she’d moved in with Billy and she’d seen Slade with that gorgeous brunette at the club.
And then Billy had moved them to Birmingham. Placing an even bigger distance between them.
Should she have come today? Edward never asked her for much, though.
He’d even helped her pay for university. So if he wanted her to turn up for Sunday lunch every so often, well, it wasn’t too much to ask, right?
Being around Slade was going to be hard, though. She missed him and the other guys so much.
What if Slade had brought his latest girlfriend? Indie placed her hand over her stomach. Did she actually feel ill at the idea of Slade with someone else?
What was wrong with her?
But she’d been getting nauseous a lot lately. It was hard for her to keep anything down. She didn’t know what was going on and she was too scared to go to the doctor.
Especially with the bruises on her arms.
Billy’s behavior was deteriorating. To the point that she was starting to worry that he might really harm her.
She needed an exit plan. It couldn’t be Maggie. She was scared that Billy might do something to her. And then there were the guys. Would Billy try to hurt them too?
The Uber came to a stop, but before she could open the door, a large man stepped up and did it for her.
She stared up into Rock’s face, drinking him in. God. It had been too long since she’d seen him.
He held out his hand to her and she slipped her smaller one into his.
A sense of safety and calm washed through her.
That was what Rock always did for her.
“I didn’t know you were going to be here,” she murmured to him.
She spotted his beat-up old truck sitting further away behind a big tree. Her mum hated that truck being seen in the driveway, but Rock had been driving it for years.
She knew they were doing well with their businesses. But it seemed that Rock preferred to drive his old truck than buy anything new.
Indie longed to lean into Rock’s wide chest. To let him take away all of her fear and pain.
He grunted.
He never spoke much. One time, she’d worked up the courage to ask Slade if there was something wrong with his voice.
Slade had told her to never ask him about it. That he had a slight speech impediment.
It didn’t matter to her, anyway.
No matter what, Rock was her friend.
When she hesitated to move, he shot her a look. Indie shrugged. “I don’t want to go in. I have a bad feeling.”
Rock nodded.
She guessed he had that feeling too.
He kept hold of her hand as he led her up the driveway and into the house.
It still looked the same as when she’d lived here. Like the place was caught in a time capsule.
Rock led her to her favorite reception room. It had large windows that led out to the gorgeous garden.
The others were already there. Slade was lounging back in an armchair with a glass of Scotch in his hand. Spencer was lying on the sofa with his arm over his eyes. She snorted quietly. Looked like he might have had a hard night.
But it was Quaid who saw her first. His gaze ran over her. It felt like he could see all of her.
Inside and out.
He can’t see the bruises on your arms.
Billy had apologized for grabbing her too hard after she’d told him about this invite to Sunday lunch.
“You found her,” Quaid said in a soft drawl.
He was always serious. But right now, he also seemed a bit angry. Had she done something?
Her hand twitched and Rock tightened his hold on her, leading her to an armchair.
She sat gratefully, her legs felt like noodles. But then her gaze met Slade’s.
And he didn’t seem happy either.
“Why are you so pale and thin?” Slade snapped.
Spencer sat up suddenly, running his gaze over her. “Fuck, does that dipshit not feed you or something?”
Indie sat up straight. She didn’t come here to be poked and prodded at.
And obviously she needed to apply her makeup better. She’d done her best to hide her pale skin and the dark marks under her eyes.
Sleep seemed to be eluding her lately. Which might also be the reason she felt nauseous all the time.