Total pages in book: 69
Estimated words: 64366 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 322(@200wpm)___ 257(@250wpm)___ 215(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 64366 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 322(@200wpm)___ 257(@250wpm)___ 215(@300wpm)
As I sat there in the back of the Range Rover limo, listening to Aldo report to someone on the other end of a phone call— “I’ve picked up the package. What do you want me to do with it?”— it occurred to me that maybe I should have fucking listened all those times Kage called me clueless. Because I was. God help me, I was a fucking idiot, and now something bad was going to happen to me. I just knew it, especially when Aldo ordered me to surrender my phone to Aaron.
By the time we arrived at the warehouse where I’d seen Kage fight for the first time, I was trembling like I had a fever. My teeth were chattering. All I could think of was how I’d seen this coming. The last time Aldo and Aaron had driven me out to the very same spot, I’d had terrible fantasies of being murdered mafia style and dumped in the desert. The irony of it made me want to laugh, if I hadn’t been about to throw up.
“Where’s Kage?” I finally managed to ask.
“He’s at his apartment waiting for you,” Aldo said. “But here’s the thing. You’re not going there.”
“Where am I going?” I squeaked.
“Well, that depends on you. Whether you decide to be smart for once, or be a little shit disturber like usual.”
“Smart sounds good,” I admitted without thinking. Because it did. Being smart sounded really freaking good right now.
“Maybe this is gonna be easier than I thought.” Aldo glanced over at Aaron, who was running a hand absently over his buzzed head while he perused my phone. The two of them looked so much alike, with their caps of stubble and nondescript faces. It was no wonder my landlord was unable to give a good description of the man who had complained about my blinds being open. I imagined guys like these could easily slip in and out of a crime scene leaving witnesses with only a vague impression of what they’d looked like. Just a couple of guys in suits. For a hired goon, being unremarkable probably looked good on a resume. I filed that bit of information away, just in case I made it out in one piece and wanted to turn to a life of crime.
But I still wasn’t sure which one of them had complained. Knowing that would have helped, considering the complaint had felt like a friendly warning. If one of these guys was a friend, I sure as hell needed to know which one.
“Here’s the deal, Jamie.” He over-enunciated my name, as if he found it— or me— distasteful. “Mr. Santori doesn’t like you. Actually, I’m sure it will come as no surprise to you that he hates your fucking faggoty little guts.”
“Ooh, colorful insult. Did you come up with that all on your own, or did Santori tell you what to say?” The sarcasm spilled out of me, confirming that I had in fact not suddenly become smart. I was about to be killed, and here I was taunting my would-be murderer without as much as a stutter. Definitely not smart. But Aldo surprised me. Instead of backhanding me across the jaw or putting a bullet in my forehead, he just smiled.
“I ad lib sometimes. Keeps the job fresh.” He pushed a chair in front of me and indicated that I should sit down. “The sentiment is all Santori’s, though. He’s the one pulling the strings, and he’s the one who says who gets to live or die.”
I swallowed and sat down, glancing over at Aaron for… anything. But he was just fiddling with my phone, probably looking at the naked selfies I’d sent Kage. Like the stalker hadn’t seen enough of my ass. Jesus, why did that man even exist? I’d never seen him actually do anything. He didn’t drive, he didn’t speak. If he’d done any less, he’d have been dead.
“So, do I get to live or die?” I asked, wondering if my stupidity had bounds, or if it could keep increasing indefinitely.
“Live.” Aldo said without hesitation, and all of the breath came out of me in one long sigh of relief. “Kage is the one who’s going to die.”
And suddenly I was floating, in danger of losing consciousness, because of all of the things I could have imagined them threatening, Kage’s life was not one of them. It shocked me to discover in such a tangible way that I actually placed more value on Kage’s life than I did my own. The fear that settled over me at Aldo’s words was mentally debilitating. All sarcasm had left the building.
“Why?” I breathed, fearing the answer.
“Because of you. His uncle can’t control him anymore, and just between you and me, Santori’s got no use for somebody he can’t control. He’s been training that boy practically since he was in diapers, and now he just won’t cooperate with the plan. Not since you came along.” Aldo shook his head as he regarded me. “I don’t know what it is about you that he thinks is so damn special. He could have anybody. That model is in love with him, always has been, but you know that. It ain’t no secret. But Kage has always been about the D, you know? Always chasing the dick. We’ve seen a lot.” He chuckled and shot a meaningful glance in Aaron’s direction, but the other goon declined to react. “If you’d seen the shit we’ve seen, the messes we’ve had to clean up…”