Total pages in book: 32
Estimated words: 29845 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 149(@200wpm)___ 119(@250wpm)___ 99(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 29845 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 149(@200wpm)___ 119(@250wpm)___ 99(@300wpm)
I call Bobby over. “I think they’re in there. Don’t make a sound. Just watch.”
We stand beside the building, my heart slamming against my ribcage, and finally, the door opens just a crack. Ramone sticks his head out and looks around then calls to Cassidy, “Get over here. We’re going right to the car. You try anything and I’ll fuck you up.”
I could have waited for them to come out into the open. In hindsight, that was the smartest thing to do, but hearing him threaten Cassidy turns my vision red and causes a deadly rage to bubble through my veins and into my skull. I step around the corner and watch as his skin goes pale.
He fumbles to pull the door closed, but I kick it open before he can secure the lock. He flies backward into the wall behind him and reaches for his gun.
He pulls the weapon from his holster. I could have done the same but I want to put my hands on him. I want to feel his blood run cold from the force with which I lay assault on him. He aims at me and fires, clipping my left arm. I don’t care. The wound does nothing to stop me.
His eyes grow wide when he sees that even a bullet won’t stop me. He lifts the weapon again and tries to aim, but I’m too close now. I smack the gun out of his hand and slam his arm into the concrete wall, hearing his bone crack in the process. He cries out in pain and I smile before unleashing an onslaught of lefts onto his face and torso, feeling his blood splatter onto my knuckles.
“Chris,” Cassidy calls to me. I turn and see the horror on her face. She shouldn’t be seeing me this way. I don’t want her to see me as a monster. I turn back to the beaten and broken man I have pinned to the wall and try to control my rage.
“You shot me,” I say.
“Yeah, good. I was aiming for your head.”
I laugh and tell him, “You can’t do anything right, can you?” Then I pull out my weapon and shoot him in the knee. “Crawl to your car and go tell your daddy how badly you fucked up.”
I turn back to Cassidy who leaps into my arms. “I knew you’d come for me. I knew it,” she cries.
“Did he hurt you?” I ask her, knowing that if she says yes, I’ll probably finish him.
“No. He didn’t.”
“Alright. Let’s get you home. Bobby, round everybody up and leave before the cops arrive.”
“You got it, boss,” Bobby answers and rushes inside the hotel.
“You’re hurt,” Cassidy says, seeing the blood pooling on my shirt.
“It doesn’t matter. Let’s get you home.” I kiss her forehead and wrap my arm around her,
Back at my place, Cassidy insists that I let her take a look at my gunshot wound. I grunt my disapproval then take off my shirt to reveal the hole in my shoulder just under my collarbone. I inspect my shirt and smile. “See the hole in the back of the sleeve? That’s from the exit wound. It went right through me.”
“So, you have two holes in you instead of one and that’s a good thing?”
“Yes, baby girl. That’s a good thing. It means I don’t need somebody to go digging around in my arm to pull out the bullet.”
“Well, I’m still going to clean it and patch you up. Come up to the bathroom.”
I follow her to the bathroom and sit down on the commode. She steps in front of me with a bottle of alcohol and some gauze, but I put my hands on her hips and pull her close enough to kiss. Her lips taste even sweeter now. I loosen my grip on her so she can work on my arm. When she’s satisfied with the job she’s done, I pull her onto my lap.
“You don’t know how crazy I was when you were gone. I would have burned that casino down with everyone in it if it would have helped me find you.”
“I know. I never doubted it for a second, but I have to tell you something.”
“What?” I ask as my blood pressure rises.
“I almost went with him willingly. He lied to me and told me that my father sent him. He said he was on his deathbed and wanted to see me.”
“And, what? You snuck out on me?”
“No, I said I almost went willingly. After I thought about it, I realized that you wouldn’t keep me from my father if he was dying. I knew that if I told you I wanted to see him, you would take me, so I told that man ‘no’ and he kidnapped me. I just wanted to be honest about it, that’s all.”