Total pages in book: 189
Estimated words: 174749 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 874(@200wpm)___ 699(@250wpm)___ 582(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 174749 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 874(@200wpm)___ 699(@250wpm)___ 582(@300wpm)
"Ha! You're out of your fucking mind, Carter. Are you really interested in seeing the unemployment rate spike to unprecedented levels? People will be out on the street—families decimated. Are you really thinking about what it means to not bring a paycheck home for your family? To have to fill your bathtub up with water because you know your water is getting shut off for non-payment. No, you wouldn't know anything about that. You've been wealthy from the moment you took your first breath. So you can go fuck yourself if you think I'm falling for any of your nonsense."
"Watch yourself," I growl, flashing my teeth. "You're the one not thinking. You're so narrow minded that you can't think about tomorrow— about future generations. It's not all black and white Liam."
“No, it’s all about black and white with you, Carter,” Liam says, snarling at me. “What the fuck are you doing here with Vivian, anyways?”
I'm trying to not let Liam get under my skin, but his presence is causing my pulse to quicken, and I find myself clenching my jaw. He isn't hearing a thing I say, and he better watch how he talks to me.
“My relationship with Vivian is something you won’t ever understand, Mayor Jeffries,” I tell him coldly. “You don’t have the patience to deserve a woman like that.”
"You better watch yourself Mr. High and Mighty Governor," Liam says, a spark of pure anger in his eyes. "You think you have it all, don't you? You think you've got the new legislation and the Senator behind you, but let me tell you something asshole. That cute blonde you're trying to impress here today? Well, I've already slept with her, so I hope you enjoy my sloppy fucking seconds."
That's it. Now he's really overstepped his bounds. I don't care who's watching. It's my instinct to reach back and throw my fist right into the middle of Liam's face. It hits him with a sickening thud and I see a thin line of blood leak from his nose. The punch catches him off guard and he stumbles back into the table behind him. There's a husband and wife dining at that table, and their drinks are knocked over, the contents spilling into their laps.
"Hey, watch it!" they say, raising their arms in protest.
But before anyone can respond, Liam flies into me, throwing a punch that grazes my jaw. Our arms are now locked together and we tumble onto the dining room floor. The outside world is a blur, but I vaguely hear shouts and murmurs coming from fellow diners. People have their cell phones out. Are they recording us? I can hear security trying to break us up, but Liam isn't slowing down and neither am I. I refuse to let him get the best of me. I have my knee on his chest and I hit him again, but now there are two police officers yelling in our direction, "Break it up!"
Liam and I let go of each other, and one officers yells for us to get on our knees with our hands up. We both comply and as soon as we go, they walk over, pull our hands behind our backs and place them in handcuffs.
"Do you have any idea who you're handcuffing?" I ask.
"Save it for the judge, tough guy. We've seen enough from the two of you. We're taking you in."
"To the county jail?" Liam asks. "You've got to be kidding. I'm the Mayor of New Kingston. You can't do this."
The officers aren't listening and they begin reciting the Miranda warning, "You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can be used against you in a court of law…"
Liam looks over at me and shakes his head in disgust. "Great, now look what you've fucking done."
"What I've done? You're the one who came marching in picking a fight."
"Knock it off, both of you," one officer says. "You can both cool off in county."
15
LIAM
I
know I probably shouldn't have approached Carter like that in the middle of the Harvard Club, messing up his brunch date and all, but you know what? Fuck him. He didn't need to take the first swing, did he? Fuck him and his liberal agenda—putting fucking owls before jobs. Fuck him and his plotting with Vivian. If he thinks he can steamroll me like that, he has another thing coming. Let him watch me as I fuck Vivian and then shoot his fucking owl. Then chop down his goddamn tree. And set fire to the whole fucking forest.
At least the people will have jobs.
I'm pacing back and forth in the holding tank like a caged tiger. I can feel the frustration of the situation coursing through my tense muscles. Carter has already been bailed out of this fucking place and here I am. I'm waiting for my lawyer to show up. Where is he? He should've been here by now. I don't even have a watch to look at, but it feels like I've already been stuck in here for an eternity.