Total pages in book: 110
Estimated words: 106090 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 530(@200wpm)___ 424(@250wpm)___ 354(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 106090 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 530(@200wpm)___ 424(@250wpm)___ 354(@300wpm)
“And then she lets us go?”
“Yes. That was the deal. She gets the diamond, we walk away, and when Kedrov comes looking—”
“He’d still be furious we stole it in the first place.”
“Yeah, but Kedrov’s been hunting us for the location. That’s why we’re valuable to him—we’re the only ones who know where it is. If someone else forces it out of us? We’re useless. He’d have to go after Marlena to get the diamond back, not us. We’d be off his radar.”
“You really believe that?”
“Revenge is expensive. Kedrov’s a businessman. He’s not going to waste resources tracking down two people who can’t give him anything anymore when he could focus on actually getting his diamond back.”
The logic is cold. Calculated. And so perfectly Liam that my throat tightens.
“So that was the plan,” I say slowly. “Get us kidnapped. Let Marlena scare the location out of me. And then we’re free because we’re no longer worth hunting.”
“Yes.”
“And were you going to profit? Selling the diamond with Marlena?”
He flinches. “I . . . I don’t know. Maybe. She kept implying there might be something in it for me, but the details weren’t—”
“Weren’t worked out yet.”
“I was trying to protect you. Get you out from under Kedrov for good.”
Knox moves so fast I barely see it. One second he’s seated, the next he’s got Liam by the collar, slamming him against the counter hard enough to rattle the pots overhead.
“You son of a bitch.”
“I didn’t know about the cabin.” Liam’s hands come up, not fighting. “The timeline, the death threats—none of that was the plan. She was supposed to let us go after a day. Two at most.”
“And instead?”
“She played me.” His voice cracks. “I thought I had leverage, but she was working her own angle. The second she had us both, she cut me out.”
Knox cocks his fist back.
It connects with Liam’s jaw faster than I can move. The crack of knuckles on bone echoes through the cabin.
But Liam doesn’t crumple. He surges forward, driving his shoulder into Knox’s chest, sending them both crashing into the table. My coffee cup shatters on the floor.
“You self-righteous asshole—” Liam gets a fist into Knox’s ribs. “You want to play judge and jury?”
Knox grunts, twists, gets Liam in a headlock. “You sold her out—”
“And what did you do?” Liam wrenches free, blood on his lip. “You followed her for months. Memorized her schedule. Learned her routes. Put a fucking tracker in her boot like she was a package you were shipping.”
Knox’s next punch goes wide. Liam catches his arm, uses his momentum to slam him against the refrigerator.
“You’re not her protector, Knox. You’re her stalker. The only difference between us is I had the balls to show up at her door instead of jerking off to fantasies about her every night.”
Knox roars and charges. They hit the floor hard, rolling, fists flying. The coffee table skids sideways. A lamp crashes.
“I did it to keep her safe—” Knox lands a blow to Liam’s stomach.
Liam wheezes but doesn’t stop. “So did I! That’s literally what I just said—”
“Bullshit. You did it to save your own ass—”
“I did it so Kedrov would stop hunting her!” Liam catches Knox’s wrist, twists. “You think I wanted to make a deal with that psychopath? I was out of options!”
“You had options. You could have told the truth—”
“Like you told her the truth? About the tracker? About watching her for months like some lovesick creep?”
Knox hesitates. Just a second. Liam uses it to flip their positions, pinning Knox’s shoulders to the hardwood.
“We’re the same,” Liam spits. “The only difference is you lie to yourself about it.”
“I never put her in danger—”
“You think obsessing over someone from the shadows is protection? That’s not keeping her safe. That’s making yourself feel better about wanting something you were too chickenshit to ask for.”
I grab the cast iron skillet from the counter.
I slam it against the stovetop so hard the clang reverberates through my teeth.
Both men freeze.
“Get. Up.”
They untangle slowly, breathing hard. Knox’s lip is split. Liam’s eye is already swelling.
“You.” I point the skillet at Knox. “Followed me for months. Tracked my movements. Learned everything about my life without ever saying a word. All to ‘protect’ me.”
I swing the skillet toward Liam. “And you. Made deals behind my back. Got us kidnapped. Lied to my face. Also to ‘protect’ me.”
I set the skillet down with a clatter that makes them both flinch.
“Here’s what you two need to get through your thick skulls. I don’t need protecting. I’m not some damsel waiting to be rescued. I survived ten years in this life before either of you decided to make me your pet project. I’ve outrun cops, outmaneuvered mob bosses, and stolen from people who would have skinned me alive if they’d caught me.”
I step closer, making sure they’re both looking at me.