Total pages in book: 65
Estimated words: 63565 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 318(@200wpm)___ 254(@250wpm)___ 212(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 63565 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 318(@200wpm)___ 254(@250wpm)___ 212(@300wpm)
I can deal with Mex, but I don’t know if the rest of the club will be so inviting.
They know I had someone destroy their chances of getting closer to Marek. You don’t just walk in and take a man like him down, you have to dig in deep, slowly, inch by inch, until you reach the top. I knew throwing a spanner in the works made things difficult for them, but mostly, it just made them angry. They want revenge because I pissed them off.
Like, a lot.
So, they’re not going to be very welcoming.
Still, it’s my only option.
I can’t make it obvious, though.
If Mex gets ahold of me again, I can’t just cave, give him what he wants and be on my merry way. No, I need to get an in with him, like a real one. I need to get close to him, have him trust me just a smidge, and then I need to find out exactly what it is they’re planning. To do that, I’ll need a little time. If he suspects it’s an act, he’ll have my head and I’ll be done for.
So, I need to be smart.
Exhaling, I push open the door that leads to the dark, gloomy office in the underground fighting ring that my mother operates. She’s usually in here, looking over the ring, twisting the bracelet on her wrist as she stares down at the bloodshed below. This is only one of the operations she has running; she also sells drugs, guns and anything else you can possibly come up with. Alongside of that, she works with Marek in human trafficking, so that’s wonderful.
She’s dangerous, she’s scary, and she’s not the kind of woman you’d double cross.
People have tried, oh, have they tried.
A woman simply cannot be more powerful than a man, and because of that, many have tried to dethrone her, so to speak. They learned very quickly that while she might be a woman, she has the soul of a snake and a heart of stone. She has more blood on her hands than an ancient king. Of that, I’m sure. Not to mention the army of men she has behind her – you don’t get to take her down and walk out alive.
The door creaks as I push it farther open, stepping into the quiet, abandoned office. She isn’t here, and people are starting to get frantic about that. They want to know where she is, they want to keep their business, their deals, and they want their money. I’ve had to step in and take the reins but being away from this place while Mex kept me in his little container will have no doubt unleashed chaos.
I don’t even know where to start.
“Where the fuck is she?”
Turning, I see her second in charge and all-around terrifying partner, Death. I’ve always known him as Death; in fact, I couldn’t tell you his real name. He has been a fixture in my dark and terrifying life since I was a child. I’m certain he and my mother are somewhat of a twisted item. He carries out all the business dealings for her, hence the nickname. He is dangerous, he is horrifying, and he isn’t happy she isn’t here.
“I don’t know,” I say, pushing open the laptop on her desk. “If I knew, I wouldn’t be standing here dealing with all this shit.”
Death steps into the room, his eyes hard and unwavering.
I glance at him.
Once, I would shudder when he stepped into a room. Now I’ve become somewhat numb to it. With his eerie yellow eyes, dark olive skin, and raven-black hair, he has this look that is almost inhuman. His body is large, well built and covered in tattoos. They creep all the way up his neck and some even cover his lower jaw. He has scars on most parts of his body, and he’s always wearing a black coat that I know, for a damned fact, is loaded with weapons.
“Somethin’ is wrong, and I want to know what the fuck it is. She has never gone MIA for this long. She isn’t answerin’ my calls. I need to know whatever the fuck it is you know, Acacia.”
“In case you haven’t fucking noticed,” I growl, “I haven’t been here, Death. I have been locked up in some crazy person’s container because they were looking for her, too. So, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to try and stop a war from breaking out during her absence.”
“Who?” he growls.
“Don’t go trying to be all fatherly,” I mutter. “It is none of your concern.”
I know Death would have my back if I needed it. He has always been a presence in my life, and there have been times I’ve needed him and he has shown up. I guess you could say he is like a father to me, in some warped reality. I also know that if my mother wanted it, he would end me without a second thought. To him, she is all he lives for. I’ll never understand how he can love such a fucking monster, but here we are.