Total pages in book: 64
Estimated words: 59448 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 297(@200wpm)___ 238(@250wpm)___ 198(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 59448 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 297(@200wpm)___ 238(@250wpm)___ 198(@300wpm)
Leaning over the console, I grab the seat belt and click it in for her.
She stares at the buckle as if she hasn’t seen one before and it occurs to me that she’s probably not been in the front of a car in a long time. I don’t want to think about where else she’s ridden.
Reaching out, I tuck my hand around her cheek.
“Almost there,” I whisper, and she nods. Both of her lips rolling on to one another.
Backing out of my parking space, her hand frantically reaches for the door handle. Nerves prick the back of my neck that she’s going to jump but she doesn’t, she just holds on as if she was on a roller coaster.
Biting back a smile at how cute she looks afraid in a sexy dress and tennis shoes, I set out to the meat shop in the East Village. The owners needed a loan to get it up and going and they’re still paying us back so they’ll help me out if I need it. The last thing they want is trouble with the DeAngelos. My father is a prick and will up their payments if he so much as wants to.
Out on the main road, Luna looks up at the tall buildings, her eyes glossed over like a child seeing the big city for the first time. A group of people on bicycles, a homeless man fighting a stop sign at the corner, and the array of food aromas. We stop at a stoplight and a crowd of people walk across. A tall dark man walking a white poodle on a leash stands out.
“Have you ever had a pet?” she asks, still staring out the window.
“No. Have you?” I answer.
“No, but I want a cat.” She looks to me, her brows furrowed. “I feel like if you had a long day, coming home to curl up on the couch with a soft purring cat would make everything all right.” She looks at me as if she’s put deep thought into this.
“A cat? I think maybe a dog would be better,” I argue, and she shakes her head before looking back out the window.
“Nope, a cat. I want to hear it purr. Hearing a cat purr would make me feel like I’m doing something right.”
I don’t dispute, I just smirk and drive.
14
Luna
My eyes can’t focus on one thing as we drive through the city. There’s so many smells, and people, and cars. It’s as fascinating as it is scary. I want to get out and walk the sidewalk, go into the shops, and stare at the people. I’ve never been out in the day time, not since I was a teenager anyway. Things in the city have changed so much. We pass a little shop that is spray-painted on the side “Smoke Pot. Eat Twat. Smile A Lot.” I can’t help the little smirk that pulls at my lips. Some of the graffiti is horrible around here, and some is really artistic, and some like this one just makes you laugh. I feel sorry for whoever has to scrub that off though.
Romeo takes a left, and I look out the windshield at a light blue building with two big windows on one side, and a glass door on the left. A big sign reads “RisingStar Meats.”
“Are we getting food?” I ask, a little confused why we’re at a meat shop when we’re supposed to be target practicing. I want to learn how to take care of myself. I need some independence, and learning to shoot a gun was the first step.
“No. I know the people here, and in the back they have meat culturing, it’ll be the closest thing to actually shooting a human. Plus, me going to a shooting range will spark questions.”
That makes sense. He is in the mafia, him showing up with a woman days before a slew of bodies are dropped on the police department would make eyes turn. He opens the door, getting out and my hand grazes my own handle. My heart beating so fast I feel like I may pass out. I’m so excited to be out here seeing everything, I’m terrified too. The door suddenly opens, Romeo opening it for me. Inhaling a sharp breath, I take a step out onto the concrete. I’m assaulted with so many smells, I don’t know which way to look. I smell cooked meat, garbage, Romeo’s scent, and fresh air. It’s so noisy out here too. Cars zooming by, people hollering, a horn honking, and some kind of emergency siren down the way.
I’m glued to the asphalt, overwhelmed by so many things happening around me. I could be tackled and thrown into a trunk at any second and I wouldn’t even see it coming.
“I got you,” he whispers into the back of my ear and I blow out a steady breath. Romeo’s here.