Free B0089ZO7UC EBOK by Jez Strider Page A

I gave a sleepy, unintelligible grumble before opening my eyes.  
    “Yeah?”   Sitting up slowly, I looked around the room.   “Is he gone?”   Lying made me feel like complete and utter crap.   And no matter what the reason, what I was doing was dishonest.
    He nodded as he walked into the kitchen then picked up his wallet and keys, putting them in his jean’s pocket.   “You should probably think about his offer.   He can protect you better than I can.” This obviously pained him to say, but it made me love him that much more.   I wouldn’t want to depend on Antonio’s protection even if we were a couple, but it touched my heart that Marcus would put my safety above what he wanted.  
    “There’s nothing to think about,” I said.   “I’m not going to be his girl just because of some crazy society that I don’t even know for sure exists.”     Casually, I walked over to the dresser and picked up my phone.  
    He followed me, pulling me tightly into his arms and hugging me.   “I just had to tell you it was okay and I’d understand.”   The words meant the world to me as he whispered them against my ear.   His lips pressed against my forehead in a soft kiss.
    I smiled.   The affection was great, but I wanted to get the address into the phone’s GPS before I forgot it.   “Go downstairs and work for a while.   I feel much better and I know you’re weeks behind.”   I gave him a playful shove toward the door, wanting to lighten his mood.
    The hesitation was evident as he looked at the door.   “I’ll tell the guards to keep an extra watchful eye and I’ll be right downstairs if you need me, okay?”    
    “Of course.   I’m going to call Ash and tell her I’m feeling better.”   My personality was bubblier than normal, but I guess he assumed it was just because of my health and the engagement.   If he had any suspicion of the plan forming in my mind, I’d never get away with it.   Heck, I didn’t even have a good plan, just a vague idea.
    Marcus was still reluctant, but I knew his business was at risk of failure if he didn’t get back to work.   My funds were low, too.   Becoming a veterinarian had been an expensive endeavor for me.   I’d had to pay for college, even falsify my documents to get into school.   Then the business cost and I didn’t turn much of a profit.     Much of the work I did was for free or reduced cost.   I couldn’t bear to turn an animal away that needed help, even if the owner’s couldn’t afford treatment.   So, I was in no position to give Marc much money.   Not that he would have taken it anyway.
    “I ’d wouldn’t work, if I could afford it.” It sounded like an apology, but he shot me that sexy, youthful grin.   “Nobody’s gonna say I can’t support my woman.”   He walked out the door and I couldn’t argue.   Besides, I needed to be supported at this point.   I didn’t particularly like that I was broke, but I was glad I didn’t have to worry about it.
    As soon as he was gone, I pulled up the navigation app.   I stared at the screen for a moment.   What was the house number?   Why was I so very bad with numbers?   My head felt like it was about to explode as my blood pressure skyrocketed.   I entered down the street name.   That much I could remember.   Surely I could find a mansion on a street without the exact house number.  
    Getting the address was the easy part.   Soon I had to figure out how to escape my little safety net.

 
    There was a computer and internet access in the apartment.   I wanted to do research before I embarked on my crazy plan.   Once I was finished, I cleared the history and brought up several websites about weddings.   If Marc checked the computer, I wanted him to think that’s what I had been browsing.   I couldn’t get what I needed by myself without raising suspicion, so I called Ashley.
    Ash was thrilled to hear from me.   She told me all about how her kids were