Total pages in book: 75
Estimated words: 74655 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 373(@200wpm)___ 299(@250wpm)___ 249(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 74655 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 373(@200wpm)___ 299(@250wpm)___ 249(@300wpm)
My mouth drops open. “Scarlett!”
Malakai chuckles. “Make a good point. Guess it’ll be a scream off between Scarlett and Amalie. Better up your game, brother,” he says to Maverick.
Maverick snorts. “No challenge. Not even close. My girl moans just lookin’ at me.”
Scarlett giggles, and I roll my eyes. “Oh, puh-lease!”
Maverick grins at me. “Don’t think it’s possible?”
I look at Scarlett, and she shrugs, blushing.
“He’s really that good?” I ask her.
She nods. “Oh, he’s that good.”
I grin. “Lucky woman.”
“Plenty more to go around here,” Malakai says, and I glare at him.
But I can’t help it, my eyes skitter to Koda, who is watching me with an expression on his face that I can’t quite make out. I don’t know if it’s lust, or disgust, or just pure confusion. Like he’s trying to figure out who I am.
“No, thanks,” I murmur, glancing back at Malakai.
He’s grinning at me.
Yeah.
Jerk.
“Why don’t you tell us somethin’ about yourself, Charlie?” Boston pipes up, inhaling a cigarette.
He doesn’t say much, and I glance at him, taking him in. Gorgeous, no doubt. But he is so incredibly quiet. It makes you wonder why. What made him that way? What’s he like beneath it all?
“There isn’t really much to tell,” I say, taking a big sip of my drink.
I know where this conversation will lead.
And that’s okay.
I’m ready to share with these men. Maybe it’s the alcohol, or maybe it’s purely the fact that I’m sick of being scared. I have to trust someone eventually. And maybe it will put them in danger, but in the end, they’re not going to stop until they find out my story, and they’re going to take my father on, no matter what. They’re better off having me on their side.
I have information they’ll never hear about.
Or find.
“A girl that’s got a million-dollar hit on her head, there’s somethin’ to tell,” Boston says, and his voice is gentle.
Not at all mean.
I swallow and glance at Koda, who is watching me intently now. He wants this story. Maybe more than anyone.
I sigh.
“Ask away. You guys need to know what I know, which means, eventually, I have to tell you. Better now than never, right?”
Malakai looks at me, and his eyes are kind, too.
And I know I can trust them.
“Don’t have to speak until you’re ready to speak ...”
I smile at him, and shrug. “You’re going to find out eventually anyway, and I’m not afraid of my story.”
“Then what are you afraid of?” Maverick asks.
“I’m afraid of you all getting hurt because of me.”
All their heads kind of swing in my direction.
“What makes you think that?” Malakai questions, narrowing his eyes.
“Because I know what you’re dealing with, and you don’t. Not yet, anyway.”
“Dealt with some pretty bad shit in our time, darlin’,” he informs me. “This is just another thing ...”
I bite my bottom lip, then take a big drink.
“It’s not really about bad shit, it’s about the sheer size of what is being run,” I tell him, drinking more and handing my glass to Scarlett, who immediately refills it.
I need alcohol for this.
Lots of it.
“Keep them coming.” I smile to her.
She nods.
“Not about manpower, it’s about how smart you are,” Malakai says, his voice a little gruff.
I’m not trying to offend him.
I glance at Koda. “That’s what he said.”
“Why don’t you tell us,” Maverick adds, crossing his arms and stretching his legs out, “and we can decide. Yeah?”
I glance at them all.
And then I nod.
“Yeah.”
So, I start telling them the story.
~*~*~*~
NOW – CHARLIE
“I’m sure you’ve figured out by now that the person who put a hit on me is my father.”
Scarlett makes a little gasping sound beside me, and Amalie’s eyes bulge. I guess the girls hadn’t guessed that part.
“Had an idea it was family, maybe an ex, but didn’t know it was your father,” Malakai says, sipping his beer and watching me with eyes that tell me he’s taking in every single piece of information I’m about to tell him.
I nod. “Well, he’s my father. Benjamin Masters. That’s his name, though you’ll rarely hear him being called by that.”
“What will you hear him being called?” Koda interrupts, his face angry, hard.
Why is he so angry?
Because I didn’t tell him first.
I glance back at Malakai and hesitate.
“Can trust us, darlin’, I promise you that.”
Scarlett taps my knees, and I look to her. She nods.
I exhale. “Mostly, they call him Shanks. I don’t know why. I never found out. But I just know only very few people knew him as Ben, or Benjamin. After my mom died, I didn’t often hear him getting called by his name.” Koda makes an angry sound, and I glance at him again. “Why are you so angry?”
He shakes his head. “Not. Just keep tellin’ the story.”
Malakai watches him for a few moments then looks back to me. “Keep going. Start from wherever you think we’ll start gatherin’ information.”