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)
“If looks could kill,” Amal says. She noticed it too.
I move to block his view of her. “Ignore my brother.”
“I don’t mean just him. Look around.” She shrugs a shoulder. “Leave it to Malek Lombardi to fuck over every thug up and down the east coast and probably farther.” She goes to take another sip, notices her glass is empty and flags down a waiter for a second.
When he pulls up with his tray, I tell him we’re fine and he walks away.
“Really?” Amal asks. “I’m twenty-two, Jet. I’m allowed to drink. And even if I wasn’t, I’m not your responsibility.”
“I just don’t think it’s a good idea since you insist on driving yourself all over town.”
“Two glasses of champagne are not going to incapacitate me. And why do you care, anyway?”
“You don’t have to be afraid, you know. You’re under Cassian’s protection.”
“Yeah, I think we both know how that will end for me.”
“What does that mean?”
She draws a tight breath, shakes her head and turns away. “I need some air.”
She tries to walk past me, but I stop her. “Hey, he will protect you. He won’t let any of them get near you or Daniel.”
“Yeah? For how long, Jet? How long do—”
I cut her off. “And if he did, they’d have to get through me. I won’t let anyone hurt you.”
That gives her pause. Her eyes search mine and I get the feeling she wants to believe me. But she shakes her head and continues. “How long do you think he’ll be able to stand looking at me? At Daniel? He’s growing up, you know. He won’t be a boy forever.”
“Cassian’s not like that.”
“No?” she snorts and when she tries to walk away again, I capture her arm. She’s surprised and tries to tug free, but I don’t let her. “My own father would have sold me to a man twice my age, Jet. What makes you think Cassian would do any better by us?”
“Your father was loyal to no one but himself.”
“Do you really think I’m naïve enough to think someone who has no obligation to us will protect us forever? That’s not how the world works.” She pulls at her arm. “Let me go.”
“Educate me then. What do you know about the workings of the world, Amal? At the tender age of twenty-two, what do you know?”
“What do I know? You said you like the violence.”
“I said sometimes.”
Her eyes search mine. “Well, what if he asked you to get rid of me?”
“Fuck, don’t be fucking stupid.”
“Or Daniel.”
“Amal. Seriously? What the fuck?” I ask, anger building. Because seriously. What in the actual fuck?
She snorts, shakes her head.
“Hey. What the fuck?”
People are openly looking at us now. She notices. “Let me go.”
I draw her closer, step between her and them. “I would never hurt you or Daniel. Never.”
She turns her face away but not before I see the sheen of tears in her eyes. “I need to get out of here.”
“Did you hear me?”
“Let go. I can’t do this.”
“I’m not letting you go.”
“I can’t fucking breathe in here!” she snaps too loud.
I grit my teeth, feeling the eyes on the back of my head. “Okay. You need air? Fine. Let’s go get you some air.”
Holding onto her, I walk her across the room to the exit. Although I have an apartment here, this isn’t home.
“Where are we going?” she asks as I lead her outside. “I can’t leave Daniel.”
I slip my phone out of my pocket and type out a text. “There. Allegra will take him home. You’ll see him tonight.”
I signal to the valet who has the Porsche parked before us in a minute. I open the passenger door.
“Get in.”
“I can’t just leave.”
“Yeah, you can. You are. In, Amal. Now.”
3
AMAL
Forest eyes hold me prisoner. I hug my arms to myself. Day is turning to night, and the brisk temperature of earlier has turned outright freezing.
“My coat,” I say because I don’t know this new version of Jet. The one who admits to liking the violence. Sometimes.
That ‘sometimes’ is bullshit.
Without a word, Jet slips his jacket off. He’s pissed. I can see it in the way he’s moving, in his narrowed eyes, the set of his jaw.
He slides his coat over my shoulders. It’s warm and smells like him and there’s some part of me that wants to believe that it’s safe.
That he’s safe.
Wordlessly, I climb into the SUV. He closes the door and walks around to the driver’s side. We don’t speak as he pulls off the property. It takes a few minutes for me to realize we’re headed to the cliff road.
The drive is quiet, the cloudless night lit by stars as we get farther and farther from the lights of the city. He doesn’t play music and we don’t speak. I should say something. Tell him I didn’t mean it. Tell him I know he wouldn’t hurt me. I’m not sure that would be the truth though.