Total pages in book: 102
Estimated words: 98121 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 491(@200wpm)___ 392(@250wpm)___ 327(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 98121 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 491(@200wpm)___ 392(@250wpm)___ 327(@300wpm)
“Jet, you don’t understand. You can’t take me back yet.”
“Amal.” I lean close to whisper the next part in her ear. “I can do whatever the fuck I want.”
Her fingertips are on my chest and when I draw back, we both look down at her hands. I wrap mine around her wrists shifting her hands into one of mine. I slide my thumb into her palm, the beads of the rosary hard between us.
“Do you understand that?” I shift one hand to her chest, laying it over her heart, remembering the last time I did that. “In here?”
I know she remembers the last time I did this. When I asked her if she trusted me with her heart and she said she did. Another lie.
Her breathing grows ragged as she tries to pull free. I don’t let her. Of course I don’t let her.
“You can’t force her,” Father Abernathy says, his voice carrying.
Amal looks at him then back at me.
“What is he talking about?” she asks me.
I let her wrists go and step out into the aisle.
“Do you remember the promise I made you, Little Virgin?”
“Stop calling me that.”
“Do you?”
She glances at the exit, at the two soldiers standing sentry, then up to the altar where two more flank Father Abernathy.
“What do you want with me, Jet?”
“What did I promise you the night you begged me to make love to you?”
Her face flushes red and she closes her eyes, mutters something under her breath.
“Now now. Nothing to be embarrassed about, Little Virgin.”
“Stop it!” she demands angrily, shoving at my chest. “Stop calling me that!”
Her fury is like an aphrodisiac. My angry Little Virgin. “Answer my question, Amal. What. Did. I. Promise. You?”
She turns, intending to stalk out of the pew from the other side, but I capture her arm and whirl her around to face me. Her rosary goes flying from her hand, clattering onto the wooden seat, then down to the floor.
“I’ll refresh your memory,” I say through gritted teeth because I’m only human and I’m pissed because I trusted her. I protected her and I trusted her and she shat on my kindness. So, no more kindness for her.
Now, I’ll take what I want.
“I promised I wouldn’t let anything happen to you. I asked you if you trusted me and you said you did.” I tug her closer. She flinches at my anger. “You said you trusted me, but that was a lie,” I say through clenched teeth. “Then, you stole from me. You fucking stole from me before you fucking disappeared.”
“Because you can’t protect me, not against Cassian Trevino. You won’t. You chose his side long ago.” She struggles against my grip. Poor thing, she’ll wear herself out. “What is this, Jet? You like being his little errand boy?”
I grit my teeth. “You have no idea what you’re up against, do you? I’m not the only one who tracked you down here, sweetheart. Just be glad I did.”
“What are you talking about?”
“What the hell are you doing here anyway? I didn’t think you were a coward, Amal. Hiding. Leaving your brother behind.”
“I spoke with Daniel every week.”
“Did you? Two little liars in the family then. Guess I shouldn’t be surprised.”
“Fuck you. And I’m not hiding. I just need—"
“Well, we’ll get to all of that.” I check my watch for the time. “But we have places to be. Time’s a wasting. What did I promise you I’d do before I let anyone lay a finger on you?”
She swallows hard looking up at me with eyes that once looked like a summer sky. Their brilliance has shadowed, though. It’s what life has done to her and I don’t like it. If she’d trusted me, I’d have made sure those shadows never touched her.
“What did I promise, Amal. Say it.”
Her forehead furrows as she glances at Father Abernathy who is resisting Malcom’s persuasion. “I will do no such thing. Not without her consent,” I hear him say.
“Don’t hurt him,” she says to me.
“I’m running out of patience.”
“This is you being patient?”
“Say the words. Tell me. I know you remember.”
“That you’d marry me yourself! You said you’d marry me yourself before you let anyone lay a fucking finger on me.”
“Verbatim. Very good. Now, let’s go. We have a flight to catch, and I have plans for the hours before we take off.”
“You can’t make me do this.”
“Actually, I can. I can do whatever the fuck I want. But I’ll give you a choice. Why not? Here are your options, Little Virgin. You either walk up that aisle with me, or I’ll carry you kicking and screaming. It’s up to you. But one way or another, when you walk out of here, it will be as my wife.”
10
AMAL
He means it. He means every word.
How he found me I don’t know. Is he lying about others knowing where I’ve been? The usual threats had been coming on my phone but that had been going on for a while. I guess I’d grown used to it. Become complacent.