Total pages in book: 147
Estimated words: 148949 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 745(@200wpm)___ 596(@250wpm)___ 496(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 148949 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 745(@200wpm)___ 596(@250wpm)___ 496(@300wpm)
Groaning in annoyance, she remained on the bed. “So many rules.”
“What do you want, Lunita?”
She turned to me. “There is no healing. This trip is stupid. Make her turn around.”
“What?”
“There is no getting rid of me, unless. . .”
“What?”
“Unless, she is dead too.”
Tendrils of unease began to unfurl within me. “Explain.”
Lunita pouted. “She is not in charge.”
I shivered.
“Tell her.”
“I will not tell her that.”
“You must. If you don’t, then she is going to feel really dumb later.”
“If she is not in charge, then you are in charge?” I leaned my head to the side. “Is that what you are trying to tell me?”
Lunita pointed to the door. “Can I smell Emilio’s neck? It always smells so good.”
My heart pounded in my chest. “You smell him sometimes?”
She frantically bobbed her head and then a giggle left her. “And I play with Paolo’s hair while he sleeps. I braid it.”
“What?” My hands trembled.
“Don’t tell her. She doesn’t want to share them with me.” Lunita tapped the side of her head three times. “I hear her thoughts.”
I gritted my teeth.
“Can we go out and—”
“Who is in charge, Lunita?”
Her voice shifted to a whine. “You are not going to let me have any fun?”
“No. I will keep you in this room until you leave and while you are in here you are going to answer my questions.”
She stared down at her hands. “All of you might as well turn back around. This trip will be so stupid.”
“What?”
“There is no healing in New Orleans.”
“I think you may be lying.”
“I’m not.”
“You are scared that Delphine can get rid of you.”
“It won’t be me that goes.”
“It will be you.”
She snapped her gaze to me and laughed.
I blinked. “What is so funny?”
She chuckled. “You know nothing, mean old lion.”
“What is funny, Lunita?”
“The Wiz.”
“What?”
She pointed. “That’s why I call you mean old lion. It’s because of the Wiz.”
“Who is that? I have no idea what you are saying.”
She leaned forward and whispered, “Ask Max.”
“You should tell me.”
“No.” She lay down. “I’m going back to the roof. You are too stupid to talk to now.”
“No, Lunita.”
She smiled. “Thank you for not killing his family. My Flower Man would have been so sad.”
It shouldn’t have, but rage roared through me. “Forget that and forget him, Lunita. Also, do not leave just yet. I want to know—”
“You won’t do it to me? It felt so good. I want more.”
I parted my lips.
She gave me an odd wink. “It felt really good. Better than in my head. Boom. Boom. Boom.”
I went speechless. But what could I have truly said? She was absolutely not making any sense to me.
Then, she closed her eyes.
“No, Lunita.” I grabbed her arm and shook it. “Lunita, what do you mean when you said that it would not be you that goes?”
I shook and shook, and she never responded.
Minutes later, soft snores left her.
“Lunita!” I shook her hard. “Lunita! Lunita! Lunita!”
Footsteps sounded outside the door.
“Wake up! Goddamn it!” I shook her some more.
The door opened.
Who the hell is coming in here?
I turned that way.
Maxwell rushed in with his gun pointed. His shirt was off, and his pants were falling down his hips. He held them up with his other hand. “I heard you yelling to Lunita. Where the fuck is she?”
I let go of her arm. “She left.”
“Lunita, right?”
“Yes. I was trying to wake her up, so she could—”
“Man, are you crazy? What is up with your obsession over her?” Maxwell set the gun on the bed, yanked his pants up, and buttoned them. “I’m putting Em in the cell—”
“The hell you will, and what is going on with your pants?”
“I was fucking this stewardess in the bathroom next to this room.” He went over to Emily as she slept and slowly closed her shirt. “Come on, man. Help me out. I don’t want to wake her as I put her in the cell.”
“She stays in here.”
Max let out a long breath. “Yo.”
“She stays. Lunita is not coming back tonight.”
“But what if she does?”
“Is Boris still outside the door?”
“Yeah, man.”
“He will wake us up.”
“Man, you’re tripping.”
“Then, let me. . .trip.”
“If you keep Em in here, then I’m about to put everyone by this door, including Tisha.”
“Fine.”
“When Em wakes up, she is going to kick your ass for letting her stay in here.”
“I can deal with the consequences.”
Maxwell shook his head, went over to the gun, and grabbed it. “Your ass is going to be in trouble.”
“You just fucked my sister’s stewardess. You will be in trouble too.”
Maxwell blinked and then frowned. “Whatever, man. Valentina won’t do anything. She won’t care about my fucking her stewardess.”
I smirked. “Do you not know my sister at all?”
“Yeah. Yeah.” He showed me his middle finger and headed off. “By the way, you got milk all over your chin. I bet that is breast milk. Freaky motherfucker. Get some help.”