Total pages in book: 137
Estimated words: 127201 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 636(@200wpm)___ 509(@250wpm)___ 424(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 127201 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 636(@200wpm)___ 509(@250wpm)___ 424(@300wpm)
At his side walked a kid with short bleached hair.
“Long time no see! We need to celebrate,” Nero said, leaning some of his weight on Miguel.
“You know I’m always in the mood for a party!” Oscar smiled as the kid who couldn’t be more than sixteen watched them with eyes wide as saucers.
If the Correas were to be believed, Oscar’s parties usually involved services from girls he’d trafficked, which made Miguel struggle to shake his hand whenever they met. Being known for his lack of good humor played in his favor.
Miguel cleared his throat. “There’s no time for that. We only came for the cargo.”
Something flew through the air, and Miguel froze when the stench of feces reached his nose. Nero roared with laughter even before Miguel’s eyes zeroed in on Markos, who stared at the front of his white shirt, now spoiled with a brown splatter.
The chimp danced behind the bars, making a sound reminiscent of laughter.
“Oh no. Too bad there’s no time to change,” Oscar said as Markos’s face grew dark.
Miguel sucked in air as the dumb bastard pulled out a gun and shot at the cage. The bullet hit the ground, but the apes scattered, raising an ungodly noise. He stood closer to Nero, just in case things got out of hand. “That bullet could have ricocheted and hit someone.”
“They’re also Raul Moreno’s property. Do you think you have the money to replace that chimpanzee?” Oscar asked as he grabbed Markos’s wrist and made him lower the firearm.
“Dumb, dumb, dumb, so fucking dumb,” Nero hummed, wiggling his body next to Miguel’s.
“Hey,” Markos snapped, shoving Oscar back as he dashed toward Nero.
Miguel tensed, convinced he’d have to intervene, but Nero leaped out of his way ,letting the idiot stumble closer to the cage.
This was exactly the kind of bullshit Miguel hated dealing with, yet Nero reveled in mayhem and wouldn’t stop even in a moment so inappropriate. If Miguel ever needed confirmation that getting involved with Nero in any intimate way would be a bad idea, this was it.
The kid sniggered. “I told you to leave the chimps alone.”
Markos spun around, his face the color of pomegranate seeds. “You? You can’t tell me to do shit!”
The whooping of the apes got louder and they crept back from hiding as the three men Miguel and Nero were supposed to take the transport from locked in an altercation that might soon turn physical.
The boy scowled. “Oh please, at least I have enough brains to avoid getting covered in monkey shit.”
When Markos charged, Oscar shifted his weight as if he intended to stop him, but he ended up stepping back, probably unwilling to touch the feces, and the two other men clashed.
“Shut the fuck up!”
Metal screeched, and a flashing red light illuminated the scene from the side. When Miguel looked that way, a black silhouette dashed through the dusky evening in the winking glow of the security lamp mounted on the cage.
Markos, who stood above the boy’s sprawled form, about to deliver another punch, was suddenly flat on the asphalt, and long, furry arms descended on his head in rapid succession.
Miguel’s stomach dropped when he saw that the cage was open, and Nero stood next to its metal door, cackling as if he were one of the chimp’s females, celebrating his triumph with happy barks.
“What the hell?” Miguel snapped, pulling his gun out in case one of the other apes followed its leaders' example. His temples pulsed as he looked around, ready to protect Nero from his own stupidity.
“Get it off him!” Oscar roared, but it was unclear who he was giving this order to, because the kid ran off, leaving him to face the ape on his own.
The trafficker froze, staring at the chimp as if he had no means of protecting himself. Surely, he had a gun on him? Who the fuck worked in this business and walked around without one, as if they were untouchable?
Nero chuckled when Markos’s skull sank under the continuous assault of chimpanzee fists. “Good boy. Daddy is proud of you.”
Whether the animal understood him or not, it finally got off its tormentor and tugged him along, leaving shiny traces of blood on the asphalt.
The other apes stayed in their enclosure but whooped in the victor’s honor as if they were witnessing a gladiatorial spectacle.
Miguel’s muscles hurt from the tension as he watched the chimp drag the body back into its enclosure. The odor of fresh blood and urine stabbed his nostrils, but when the dangerous beast was back behind bars, he felt himself slump with relief that it had attacked only Markos instead of going on a bloodthirsty rampage. He’d shoot it if he had to, but every creature had its breaking point, and Markos had got past the chimp’s.
He took the safety off and peeled his sweaty T-shirt away from skin. Oscar remained still as a statue, his eyes pinned to the pulp of bone and brains left where Markos’s head had disintegrated. Something pale moved in the dark, but when Miguel stiffened, he realized it was just the boy, who slowly moved back their way, wiping blood off his nose.