Total pages in book: 181
Estimated words: 171979 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 860(@200wpm)___ 688(@250wpm)___ 573(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 171979 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 860(@200wpm)___ 688(@250wpm)___ 573(@300wpm)
“Me? Why? Because she found out Glory is gravely ill? How did she find out? That’s why I paid to keep a separate residence from Glory so Victoria wouldn’t be able to use how ill she is against her if we have to go back to court.”
“Victoria was jealous of you before the fire,” Creed told her, weaving his fingers sensuously through her hair. “The night of the fire, she came over because she was furious Glory and Denny had chosen you to keep the girls, despite her asking for them.”
Finding out Victoria was so sick as to be responsible for her son’s death because she hadn’t been asked to babysit showed the level of obsession Victoria was capable of.
“I was hoping, when I talked to her, I would be able to frighten her enough not to make another attempt on your life.”
“But you don’t think so?” The level of fixation Creed was telling her that Victoria felt toward her was scary.
“No, I don’t. I hope I’m wrong, but I think Victoria won’t stop until she succeeds. What makes me even more worried is that, eventually, she’ll become so frustrated at not eliminating you, she might decide that if she can’t have the girls, no one can.”
Horrified at what Creed was saying, she began shaking. “You think she would actually hurt the girls?”
“I wouldn’t put anything past the woman I met. I’ve had to deal with psychos before, but that bitch takes the cake. The security in this development is top notch; there are alarms throughout the whole home, which a security company monitors twenty-four hours a day. Delivery trucks have to be scheduled in advance; packages can’t even be delivered to the door. Two guards take turns delivering the packages twice a day. All the guards who work here are highly trained and have previously worked in the police field or in the military. When you want to leave, you need to let me know. I hired a private security detail to provide a bodyguard to accompany you when you do.”
“I don’t want a bodyguard,” she protested.
“If you had seen Victoria yesterday, you wouldn’t argue with me. I also want to make you aware that, on my side of the room that I didn’t show you, there is a mock wall, which hides a safety room that is double-locked. There’s a code to open the room electronically—a manual lock above eye level. There are two gun safes in the room, too, which will be kept locked at all times. The children may have access to the whole house, except our bedroom suite.”
Sage stiffened on his lap. “The gun safe; I want to make sure it’s inaccessible to the children.”
“It will be completely secure twenty-four hours a day, and if they stay out of our room, it will be inaccessible,” he assured her. “I don’t take children’s safety lightly.”
She believed him where that was concerned. The two times they had taken the girls out, Creed had been as vigilant about watching them as she had been. Where the bedroom was concerned, she could understand he would want a child-free zone. He had made sure to take care of all their needs in selecting a house; it was only fair he was given the only need he asked for.
The gentle stroking of his fingers had her alarm bells going off. Finding herself about to lay her head on his shoulder, she forced herself off his lap.
“I’ll clean the table and put the food away.”
“I’ll come help.”
She almost argued that she preferred to do it herself but decided it would be quicker to escape his company if she accepted his help.
The cleanup only took twenty minutes. Self-consciously, she was aware of him climbing the steps behind her after they finished.
“I’ll just grab a pair of shorts and something to wear tomorrow, if you don’t mind,” he said, following her into their bedroom.
She went to turn down the bed as Creed disappeared into his section of the bedroom. She folded the thicker part of the comforter at the bottom of the bed and was heading to her closet when she heard her cell phone ring.
No one called her except Tayla or Glory. Frightened something might have happened, she rushed back to the nightstand, where she had left her cell. Concerned, she automatically answered despite not recognizing the number. Tayla’s husband constantly had to switch providers for their cell phones, so the unknown caller could be her.
“Hello?” she rushed out. “Is everything all right?”
“No, you slut! Everything is not all fucking right!”
FORTY-FIVE
Livvy’s venomous voice was instantly recognizable. Sage didn’t even have to wonder how she had gotten her number. Livvy had texted her numerous times when she had worked under her at Hollingsworth.
“I’m not going to talk to you.” She pulled the phone from her ear but could still hear Livvy’s loud voice as she started to press the end key.