Total pages in book: 83
Estimated words: 76881 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 384(@200wpm)___ 308(@250wpm)___ 256(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 76881 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 384(@200wpm)___ 308(@250wpm)___ 256(@300wpm)
But I still risk a question to my former aunt, because it's been eating me up inside since I realized that she's betrayed me and is on Fabbri's side. “How could you, Heather? I know Uncle Walter wasn’t exactly an amazing man, but he was your husband. You’ve been together for almost as long as I remember.”
Fabbri snorts like my question is irrelevant.
“Walter was a dead end,” Heather says cooly. “Did I want him dead? No, but I’ve spent the past twelve years having to practically spoon feed him every decent idea the man thought he came up with himself. He was going to turn down the money! Can you believe that! He thought it was too risky, but I contacted Stefano and made sure we wouldn’t be left behind when the Fabbris established themselves. But he couldn’t even do that right. I told him to keep the business running as usual but he was too greedy and short sighted to understand that nobody with the brains God gave a chicken would be fooled by the way he let things go.”
Fabbri snorts again.
She looks at me through the rear view mirror. “And then you had to come back. The ownership of the business should have gone to Walter. You don’t even want to work there!”
“That's gross, Heather. Why didn’t you just leave him if it was that bad?”
“Sunk cost fallacy, dear,” she says sadly. “Even when you know you’re in it, it’s hard to break out. And what was I supposed to do? Get a job?”
In another world, she would be a brilliant crime lord, but in this one she’s just a sad, greedy old bitch. She turns off the highway, and I start recognizing the neighborhood. We're almost at the warehouse. Territory I know well too. Maybe there'll be an opportunity. Fifteen minutes of silence later, we pull up to the delivery bay.
“Go open the door,” Fabbri orders, stepping out of the car and looking around like he’s in a dump. “I'll keep an eye on the girl.”
“Yes, darling.” Heather gets out of the car and starts to punch in the code. She turns around as the door starts to open, but never makes it back to the car.
Fabbri pulls out a gun and shoots her in the head.
I scream as her body drops to the ground, lifeless. My breakfast comes up and I puke on the backseat floor between my legs. “Wh—Why did you do that?”
“The woman had the loyalty of an alley cat,” he growls. “She was useful for a time, but a man wants to know that the woman he allows into his life has at least a small spark of attachment beyond what’s in it for her. I don’t need her anymore. Now get out of the car.”
I do, staring at my ex-aunt’s body and unhappy to actually be in agreement with Stefano Fabbri. “Please don't kill me.” I know there's no way I can change his mind if he's decided, but I have to say it. “Please.”
“Oh shut up. At least for now, I need you in case your overprotective brutes figure out where we are. Behave yourself and I'll let you go.”
I don't believe that for a second.
He walks like he has a stick up his butt, but he’s holding his left arm close to his body like it pains him to even move. If the gun wound is worse than he's been letting on, maybe there's an opportunity there. One thing's for sure. If I don't figure out a way to deal with him, I'm going to be as dead as Heather.
“I know you are familiar with this place. Show me the way inside so I can take care of this wound.” He’s ordering me around like I’m his employee, not a hostage.
I hurry to obey, wanting him to get used to the idea of me being meek and obedient. If any of the guys saw me, they’d laugh, but Stefano is so used to being obeyed that it probably doesn’t occur to him that I’m being strangely cooperative.
Inside the delivery bay, a rancid odor still clings to everything. I can’t imagine what this was like when they found my uncle. Stefano coughs, but he can’t cover his nose, hold the gun and baby his arm at the same time. I cover my face with the bottom of my shirt and take a little pleasure in knowing he’s stuck breathing it in. On the other end of the delivery bay, I enter the second code that unlocks the door into the laundry. The air is stale, but cleaner here.
“You know where the first aid kits are?”
I want to say no, but he won't believe me anyway. “Yeah. I do.”
“Good. Let's get them out.”
I take him to the break room and grab one of the kits from the cabinet next to the sink. Fabbri peels off his suit jacket, only putting the gun down for a moment. Definitely not long enough for me to get my hands on it. If I survive this, I’m going to set up regular shooting lessons with Bonnie.