Total pages in book: 24
Estimated words: 22359 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 112(@200wpm)___ 89(@250wpm)___ 75(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 22359 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 112(@200wpm)___ 89(@250wpm)___ 75(@300wpm)
The ceiling light glints off the blade. I nod at the poor sap. “So you’re Tony’s last errand boy. You sure you wanna do this?”
Eliza is upstairs. There’s no way these goons are getting past me.
The man’s eyes flash, and he dashes in. He slices wildly at my neck. Rather than wait his turn, Tony rushes in from my side. They’re fast, but I’m faster.
I dodge the knife and kick my attacker hard in the ankle, breaking it. Wailing in pain, he falls to the ground just in time for Tony to leap over him and swing.
He actually does hit me, but it hurts him more than it does me. Laughing, I snatch him by the wrist as his face twists in pain and drive my skull into his nose.
The sound of breaking bone fills the air, and he tumbles backward, falling over his friend.
Bloody and ruined, they lie at my feet, defeated. And that’s when I hear the floorboards creak behind me. I turn and see Eliza standing at the top of the stairs, fully wrapped in a robe. She looks down at the mess, and at first, she seems horrified. But when she realizes what just happened, she manages to smile.
Like an angel, she floats down the stairs and over to my side. I wrap my arm around her and hold her close, kissing her gently on the neck. My life is hard, rugged. She’s everything soft and smooth. And as she stands beside me, both of us looking down at the fallen men, it feels like the last piece of the puzzle of my life clicks into place.
“You see, Tony? She doesn’t want you,” I state. “Do you, Eliza?”
She shakes her head. “Never have, never will.”
“You dumb chicks don’t know what you want,” he groans, trying to get to his feet. He fails and topples over onto his back.
“This is your last warning to stay away,” I growl at Tony and his men. I grab him by the ankle and drag him out the door and dump him in the driveway. “You ever come back here or go near Eliza again, and I’ll make you seriously regret it.”
“Keep running your mouth, boy. See what happens…” he mutters, finally getting to his feet. I should drop him just for that, but Eliza is waiting, and she’s more important.
His men stagger down the stairs toward his car, the one whose ankle I broke hopping on his one good foot. I wait until they pull away to go back inside.
Those idiots broke the lock on the door handle. Luckily, we have a deadbolt that I secure behind me. One of my knuckles has opened up again and is dripping blood. I grab one of my scarfs from the closet and quickly wrap it up.
Eliza stands in the center of the room, looking up at me like I’m her savior. But I realize she’s shaking, and after what happened to her at the club, I can’t imagine what seeing Tony again has done to her.
I take her hands in mine and lift them to my lips, kissing both tenderly. “It’s okay, baby,” I say softly. “He’s gone. No one’s going to hurt you.”
She lets her face fall into my chest. I hold her close for a long time, swaying gently like a slow dance. “You didn’t leave…”
“Of course not,” I reply.
“And you fought for me…again.”
Gently, I lift her chin and bring her eyes to mine. Such trust. Such vulnerability. “And I always will, baby.” A single tear falls from her eye. I brush it away with my thumb and kiss her. “Come on, why don’t we get you something to eat. Are you still into that ramen you used to love?”
She looks shocked as I take her by the hand and lead her into the kitchen. “You remember that?”
I laugh. “Of course I do. How could I forget? You used to eat it like every day. Twice every day.” I reach up over the fridge and pull one of the microwavable cups from the box. “Yup. Still got some left. Take a seat, I’ll make it for you.”
If the guys on the crew saw me doing this, they’d probably call me a sucker—making food for a girl? Who does that, right? Well, I do. And if they met a girl as amazing as Eliza, they would too.
I peel the top off the cup, fill it up to the line with water, then stick it in the microwave. “Three minutes,” I tell her, pulling some spring onions from the fridge. I grab a knife and start chopping them. Nice and thin. Just the way she likes.
About halfway through, I hear a giggle and look back to see her smiling. “I never realized how…nice your butt is.” She smirks. “But watching you cook with no clothes on…”