Total pages in book: 112
Estimated words: 112567 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 563(@200wpm)___ 450(@250wpm)___ 375(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 112567 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 563(@200wpm)___ 450(@250wpm)___ 375(@300wpm)
I was destroyed.
Broken.
Shattered.
So much so, that I snuck into the West, broke into Serenity Funeral home, and took Chanel’s body with me. That was the only way I could leave Paradise, hunt for my father, and avenge her death. Her body lay in a casket and rode in a van behind the Escalade.
At least, she’s with me in some way.
Before leaving, I assigned my other cousins, Fengge and Bolin to rule the East during my absence.
Fengge was my Incense Master. It made sense to leave him in charge. He already handled the Four Aces’ operations.
Bolin served as my Vanguard—my personal security and assistant. He would make sure no one questioned Fengge or showed any disloyalty.
Does it even matter? After my father’s gone, the East will descend into madness. They’ll never forgive me. And I don’t care. I don’t want to rule anymore. I don’t even want to live. . .
Chen cleared his throat, pulling me out of my thoughts. “Duck. . .perhaps you want to chime in with some. . .helpful knowledge for Lei, or even some. . .spiritual advice?”
“Nope.” Duck polished his sword.
Chen sighed. “Surely, there’s something you can add to this, brother.”
Duck nodded. “Well. . .I am wondering how long we’re going to have Chanel’s body in the van following us?”
Chen groaned. “We’re talking about one problem at a time.”
Duck shrugged. “I still think that is a priority. The West announced that a double funeral will be in a few days for Romeo and Chanel.”
My heart broke.
“Never mind, Duck,” Chen said. “Lei, I think that you should let Dimitri or Marcelo handle your father. They should kill him. It would be better for everyone involved.”
“You know what my father means to the East. If anyone else kills him, then it will be war. It doesn’t matter what I say to them. Blue Lanterns will rise up and rebel.”
“Yep.” Duck bobbed his head. “That is very true.”
Chen frowned at him. “Now, you have something to say?”
Duck shrugged. “I agree that only someone from the East can kill Uncle Leo without igniting war.”
“Okay. Fine.” Chen waved him away. “Then, let it be me or Duck that kills Uncle Leo. That’s all I’m saying. Not you, Lei.”
“I can’t do it.” Duck shook his head. “Uncle Leo is a god to me. I could never.”
“I liked it better when you were being quiet.” Chen turned all the way around in his seat and gave me a sad smile. “Uncle Leo loves you. With Chanel alive, you would have never left the Syndicate. Chanel’s blood ran with the West. She lived by the gun. He killed her so that you could move on—”
“That was not his choice to make.”
“Still, I want to do this for you.” Chen reached his hand over the seat and showed me his palm. “Get out your knife and let me take a Blood Oath to handle this.”
In the East, if a man thought another was treated horribly, then they did a Blood Oath for the person. They promised to kill any enemy for them. The oath was signed by both people cutting a line in their palm and rubbing their blood together. The person’s enemy was supposed to be gone by the time their palms healed. Depending on the deepness of the cut, the time frame would be a week or two.
If the enemy wasn’t dead by then, then the man failed the oath and had to kill himself in front of who he’d made the promise, too.
Chen sighed. “Please, Lei.”
I growled at him. “Put your hand away.”
“Seriously. Put it away, bro.” Duck shook his head. “You couldn’t kill Uncle Leo even if he was drunk, asleep, and lying in bed with broken ribs.”
Chen frowned and moved his hand. “Lei, when your mother died, you took it bad.”
“My mother is very different from my father. She was an angel. My father is a serial killer.”
Chen continued to speak, but I ignored him and looked out the window.
Chanel was lost to me forever. I could never touch her face, smell her scent, or hear her voice.
I would never heal from her death.
I would never be the same.
There would be no other women in my life.
The last image of Chanel hit my mind. My father had propped up her dead body and dressed her as a king. Money and jewelry surrounded her.
Anger for my father rose.
I hate you.
All of my life I’d believed that my destiny was entwined with Chanel. She was to be my wife one day. The mother of my children—beautiful caramel faces with her smile and my eyes, all outlined in waves or curls. We were supposed to grow old together—gray hair in a bun, sipping tea, and planting in our garden while our grandkids played around us.
There’s nothing left for me anymore. There’s nothing else to live for. . .