Total pages in book: 70
Estimated words: 65682 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 328(@200wpm)___ 263(@250wpm)___ 219(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 65682 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 328(@200wpm)___ 263(@250wpm)___ 219(@300wpm)
“Oh my God, shut him up,” Aria shouts with tears streaming down her face.
The rest of the MC converges on the once-fancy sitting room, each of them leading with their firearms. They sweep the room for any other threats. I rush to Lucky and ask, “You all right?”
He nods.
“I’m fine,” Aria shouts. “Thanks for asking.”
I roll my eyes and pull out my blade to cut them both free of their plastic ties. “The words you’re looking for are thank you, sweetheart.”
“Thank you,” she hisses at me before turning to Lucky. “Are you okay, Lucky? Where’s Coco?”
Fuck. The Dog.
Ace and Arturo walk into the chaos, wearing matching frowns. “You guys started the party without us,” Ace deadpans.
I turn to him and rake a hand through my damp hair. “It couldn’t be helped. Lucky and Aria were tied up, and he had a gun aimed at them. He’s alive, just in a bit of pain.”
“You are dead, motherfucker,” Emiliano shouts through tense breaths. “Papa, they shot me. Kill them. Kill them now.” Emiliano laughs maniacally. “You’re all dead now.”
“Emil, hijo,” Arturo says, stepping forward with a pained expression on his face.
I glance at Ace with a question in my eyes. Is this shit about to go extra sideways? Because Valentina might not mind if I kill her brother, but killing her father might be the one obstacle we can’t overcome.
“Papa, they shot me.”
“Good thing you’re high.” Arturo’s voice is gentler than I’ve ever heard it, and the rest of the room is tense as fuck. We’re all quiet and barely moving, too fucking anxious to see how the next thirty seconds will play out. “You probably don’t feel much.”
“I feel enough, Papa.” His breaths are harsh and shallow, his blood pooling out all around him, and too quickly at that.
“It will go away soon, hijo.” Arturo bends down and presses a soft kiss to his son’s forehead, taking his time to push himself back to his feet.
And then, lightning quick, Arturo snatches Lucky’s gun from his back holster and aims it at Emiliano, squeezing the trigger three times. Two in the chest and one in the head, the classic assassin’s trio.
Arturo crosses himself and hands the gun back to Lucky as if he didn’t just kills his own flesh and blood. He casts one final look at his son’s lifeless face and shrugs before turning to Ace. “I pray you have men that can make this mess go away.” He motions to Emiliano.
Ace nods, and Lucky, Shades, and Preacher get to work. “Done.”
“That’s another mess he made that won’t clean up as easily,” I inform them as my gaze connects with Banger.
Ace’s nostrils flare, and he squares his shoulders, preparing for another wave of bad fucking news. “What?”
“Emiliano connected with Banger’s old gang. Gave him up in exchange for them taking out Willow. She may be safe since he’s off the board, but I doubt they’ll let him go so easily.”
“Fuck,” Ace spits out, shaking his head as if that act alone will make the problem go away. “Banger, take Nova and get back to the clubhouse and make sure the women are safe. We’ll take care of this.”
I nod and look at the lifeless form with blood pooling around it in a growing reddish black circle, wondering how in the hell I’m gonna tell my woman that her father murdered her brother in cold blood.
“A minute, Dix?” Ace nods, and I follow him out front of the Morgan mansion. He waits until Banger and Nova are on their bikes before turning back to me. “What the fuck was that?” Ace demands, his voice low and dangerous.
I shrug, trying to stay calm. “It’s what had to be done. I’m just glad the old man was the one who did it.”
Ace shakes his head, his eyes narrowed. “I don’t buy it. There's something more sinister going on here. We need to keep a closer eye on Rojas. He’s a loose cannon, and we can't afford to let him run wild.”
I frown, unsure of what to do next. “What if he’s genuinely worried that Emiliano was trying to take over? That’s really why he killed his own son?”
Ace and I fall into a thoughtful silence, but it’s short-lived. “If that’s the case, he’s crazier or more ruthless than we thought.”
“Maybe both.” I mutter, already thinking ahead to our next move. “We got this, man. We’ve faced worse before, and we’ve always come out on top.”
Ace nods, his expression serious. “You are right about that. Let’s get to work then. I’ll get Wild Man on intel; you go back in there and figure this shit out. We can’t have the law hanging around Morgan. That man could put us all away for life.”
Fuck that. I’m not going back to prison for anyone.
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
Valentina
“You’re back.” I say and turn over in the bed, smiling at my man standing in front of me. “Finally.”