Total pages in book: 62
Estimated words: 61942 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 310(@200wpm)___ 248(@250wpm)___ 206(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 61942 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 310(@200wpm)___ 248(@250wpm)___ 206(@300wpm)
“He’s down.”
I reached for the gun to shoot the first one in the face, but it was knocked away.
It was Lucas.
The man I hated second most.
He sneered, and he twisted the knife with mirth. “Doesn’t feel good, does it?”
The butt of a gun hit me in the back of the head—and I was out.
I didn’t know how long I was out for, but it couldn’t have been more than a few minutes because I was on the ground floor of my apartment, in the center of the grand entryway where one of the tables had been.
My shirt was gone, and I was bleeding everywhere.
I pushed myself up on my elbows and ignored the screams I wanted to share.
“Good morning, sunshine.” Leonardo stood there, dressed in all black, a false smile plastered on his face. “Glad you could join us.”
He would draw this out as long as I was alive. That’s what I would have done.
The room was full of a dozen of his men, all holding guns. I was on my own, bleeding out, weaponless. My eyes turned to the man in the corner who didn’t belong there.
Bleu.
If I’d had a gun in my hand, he’d be the first to go.
He avoided eye contact.
Coward.
Victor was there too, standing behind Leonardo. His voice was devoid of emotion, unlike the rest of the guys.
“Get on with it.” There was no way out except with a bullet in my head, so the sooner I made that happen, the sooner this shit would be over.
“Get on with it?” Leonardo stepped forward, breaking out from his line of men. “You ostracized me from my own dealers and squeezed me out of my own business. No, I’m in absolutely no rush, Bartholomew.”
“I hate to rain on your parade, but I’ll probably bleed out before you can really enjoy yourself. Lucas blew his load too quick. I bet that happens with Catherine too.”
Lucas launched forward and pulled the knife out of the sheath.
Victor grabbed him and yanked him back.
“You fucked me, Bartholomew,” Leonardo said. “Now I’ve fucked you. No one is coming to your rescue. They’re no longer loyal to you.”
“Because I saved your daughter.”
“You shouldn’t have gotten involved with her in the first place. That was low.”
“I was involved with her because I loved her. And I still do.”
Leonardo hesitated, but it was within the span of a blink, and then he was back to normal. “I hope you don’t think I’ll spare you on her account. My wife was raped, but I still put our business relationship first.”
“And they say chivalry is dead…”
Leonardo stepped forward again. “You won’t be laughing when I bust each of your kneecaps.”
“Well, you better do it now because I won’t be around much longer.” I felt my body slip away. It was a slow descent, but it was coming, getting faster all the while.
A scream erupted outside, and that was enough to make us all look.
The door flew open, and Laura ran inside.
No.
Her eyes locked on mine, and she immediately shed tears. “No! Stop this!”
Now I lost my cool, because I couldn’t keep it together with her in the room. “Victor, take her out of here.”
She pushed a guy aside and tried to run to me.
Victor snatched her and pulled her back.
Leonardo was ice-cold. “She can watch if she wants.”
“Please.” She fought Victor’s hold. “Dad…please.”
The name didn’t pull on his heartstrings at all. He faced me again and pulled out his gun.
“Stop!”
I couldn’t think about her now. There was nothing I could do but die with honor. I didn’t look at her because it would be too hard for me—and too hard for her.
Leonardo raised his gun and pointed it at me—and then blood sprayed from his skull. The gunshot echoed off the walls in the grand entryway. Another bullet fired, and he toppled to the floor.
Laura pressed the gun to Victor’s head next. “Leave—or I’ll shoot him next.”
All the men remained still, their dead boss on the floor.
“Leave!” She slammed the gun into Victor’s head.
They finally moved, filing out the front door.
Victor stood there with his hands in the air.
When the last one was out the door, Laura released him. “Help me!” She sprinted to me where I lay on the floor. “Get up.”
It took a moment to look away from Leonardo, to process his unexpected death.
“Get up, Bartholomew!”
I tried, but I slipped on my own blood.
“Victor!”
He slid his gun into the back of his jeans and walked toward us.
She had one of my arms over her neck.
To my surprise, he grabbed the other arm and helped me to my feet.
Bleu came forward. “Bartholomew—”
“Shoot this motherfucker.” I reached for Victor’s gun.
Bleu raised his hands. “He said he would kill Benton and his family if I didn’t cooperate.”
I stilled.
“I did what I thought you’d want.”
“Come on, help us,” Laura said.
Bleu took her place, and the guys carried me outside.