Total pages in book: 78
Estimated words: 74575 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 373(@200wpm)___ 298(@250wpm)___ 249(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 74575 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 373(@200wpm)___ 298(@250wpm)___ 249(@300wpm)
“Ben?” I gasped. “What the hell? What are you doing?”
“I came to warn you.” He eased his hoodie back, revealing his unshaven face and tired eyes. It looked like he hadn’t slept or bathed for days. “These men you live with aren’t who you think they are.”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“They are dangerous. They’re criminals.” He grabbed my arm, tugging me closer as he warned, “You gotta get away from them.”
“Have you lost your mind?”
“I’m sorry I had to pull you in here, but it’s the only way I could talk to you.” He pointed his hand towards the door. “I couldn’t get close to you with those two friends of yours following your every move.”
“Okay. You have my attention. Now, tell me what the hell you want.”
“You’re in danger. You gotta come with me,” he pleaded. “I’ll take you somewhere safe.”
“I’m not going anywhere with you.” I gave him a hard shove. “You need to get the hell out of here and never speak to me again.”
“I’m not leaving without you, Elsie.” He inched his hoodie up, revealing the pistol harnessed at his waist. “You’re coming with me.”
Until that moment, I’d been too angry to realize that I was in danger and should be scared. There was no doubt about that now. Panic washed over me as I stammered, “You don’t... you don’t want to do this, Ben.”
“No, I don’t, but you’ve left me no choice.” His voice turned menacing as he growled, “There are questions that have to be answered, and you’re gonna help me answer them.”
“What the fuck are you talking about?”
“I don’t have time for this shit.” His tone grew fierce as he snarled, “You’re coming with me, and then you can answer all his stupid questions.”
This was bad.
This was very, very bad.
I knew the guys were right outside. I also knew the likelihood of Ben getting past them was slim, but he had a gun and he looked just rattled enough to use it. I needed him to settle down, so I kept my tone steady as I said, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“It doesn’t matter. We just gotta go.”
“But how? You can’t exactly walk out of here with a gun at my back.”
“That’s exactly what I’m gonna do.” He eased the door open and peered through the crack, checking to see if anyone was in the hall. My stomach dropped when he took hold of my arm and ordered, “Let’s go.”
“Ben, please.”
“I don’t have time for games, Elsie. Move your ass or you’ll make me do something we’ll both regret.”
My mind was racing as I stepped out in the hall. I knew I couldn’t leave with him, so I started looking around, searching for someone who might be able to help me.
There was no one.
Classes had already started, and the halls were clear.
It was just me and Ben, leaving me no choice but to try and talk some sense into him. “This is a bad idea, Ben. You have to know that.”
“It didn’t have to be this way.” He looked down at me with emotion-filled eyes. “If you’d just listened to me, I could’ve helped you. I could’ve prevented all this. Now, you’ll have to deal with him.”
The eerie tone in his voice and the second mention of him had me spiraling. My pulse quickened and my throat tightened, making it difficult to speak as I muttered, “Deal with who?”
He didn’t answer.
Instead, he opened the glass door and shoved me through it, then started forcing me towards the parking lot. We hadn’t gotten far when Stitch stepped up behind us. I’d barely blinked when he had his hand on Ben’s throat, squeezing it tightly as he pinned him against the building. “This is how it’s gonna go. The girl is gonna walk away, and you and I are gonna take a little walk out to my truck.”
“I’m not going anywhere with you.”
“I got a .45 that says different.” Stitch kept his hand at Ben’s throat as he rammed the barrel of his gun into Ben’s chest. “Elsie, go. Torch and Alto are waiting for you.”
Without any hesitation, I did as Stitch ordered and stepped free from Ben’s grasp. Wrath was standing at Stitch’s side keeping watch, and he was quick to motion me in Torch’s direction. He was standing at the bottom of the steps and was talking on the phone.
As I made my way down to him, I was relieved to see that there were only a few students in the area, and they all were preoccupied with their phones or each other.
Concern marked Torch’s face as he rushed up to me and asked, “You okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine.”
“Good.” He took me by the arm and led me out to the parking lot as he spoke into the phone, “We got her. She’s good.”