Total pages in book: 128
Estimated words: 119011 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 595(@200wpm)___ 476(@250wpm)___ 397(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 119011 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 595(@200wpm)___ 476(@250wpm)___ 397(@300wpm)
Zolt didn’t recognize his own voice when he screamed at the sight of Atilla’s tiny body floating toward him amidst crushed glass. The lukewarm wave washed dirt off Trowley’s boots and then Zolt's hands before spreading farther, until the whole floor was damp.
“Why?” he choked out, reaching to pick up the twitching fish, but before he could have touched it, the boot stomped on it, splashing liquid into Zolt’s face. He watched in horror as Trowley grinded his ribbed soles into the damp laminate, turning the tiny body, and the beautiful veil Zolt liked so much, into raw meat.
Zolt could barely hear the laughter coming at him from all sides like needles pushed into his aching flesh. Trowley bent his leg and looked at the mess of white flesh and blood before scraping it off the groves by rubbing the sole against the glass jewelry counter.
“You know what’s gonna happen to you if you try to fuck with us again. You’ve got access to those drugs, I know it. You just got cold feet because they roughed you up. You’ll have much worse coming your way if you don’t deliver on your part of the deal. You’ve got until tomorrow, Zolt.”
Before Zolt could have answered, a kick from the back sent him face-first into the floor that smelled of the fish tank. At this point, the sound of breaking glass was only an afterthought. He dragged himself up and stared at what was left of Atilla, and while the other fish had to be somewhere, he knew their death was imminent anyway. He had no neutralizer left, and maybe a quick death would be mercy in comparison to the long suffering in tap water.
He wasn’t prepared to see Trowley jump across the counter and approach his door. Approach Leo.
“Pack up whatever looks expensive,” Trowley said, stopping just inches away from the entrance to the apartment. Zolt’s skin covered in sweat within the brief moment Trowley took to pick up the rifle hidden close to the cash register. “You are prepared for all that might come your way. Smart man. Though if you welcomed us with this baby, you’d be in worse shape than your fish.”
Zolt’s hands tightened into fists, and he discreetly looked back at Vince, who was plundering the jewelry. The guns were in the far corner, and even if he found an excuse to walk up to them, none were loaded. There was the old lady’s saber mounted on the wall, but how was that supposed to help against seven armed men? He was fucked. Fucked.
Breathing in air that felt icy inside his burning body, he let his gaze drift to the holster at Vince’s belt, where a handgun stuck out from under his leather vest. It he managed to get his hands on it, maybe he could create a diversion, at least alarm Leo of the danger. And if he died? Well, he’d had it a long time coming.
Trowley was about to enter the apartment when Zolt’s gaze lifted from the broken pieces of the tank to what was left of the base on the pedestal. Between the plants that were now sadly flopped to the sides lay the treasure chest and the pirate ship.
He couldn’t let them find Leo.
“Wait. I can offer you something extra if you give me more than just one day. I will deliver you what you need, but that’s too little time,” he said, even though he was positive he would break that promise one way or another. At this point, he would have said anything to get Trowley away from that damn door.
The man’s hand hovered above the door handle, but he faced Zolt, followed by the other Jackals, who turned their attention back to the man they’d come here to humiliate.
Zolt raised his hands in a gesture of surrender and approached the sad remains of the fish tank base, flinching with every splash of water dampening his feet through the flip-flops he wore. The burning gaze of seven pairs of eyes carved flesh off his back, but he now lived and breathed to keep Leo safe. He picked up both ceramic figures without unnecessary ceremony and dropped them to the floor. They broke into pieces, revealing two 100g gold bars.
Trowley’s eyes glinted just like the precious metal that cooled Zolt’s palms when he grabbed his Jackal bait.
"Take these," Zolt said, fighting the tremble in his voice. "Gesture of good will, okay? Just stop wrecking my shit. Please."
Trowley clicked his tongue. “Now that’s a surprise. But I gotta say, you know how to apologize,” he said, but Zolt only felt relief when the dirtbag rolled across the counter once more, forgetting the apartment door.
Vince pulled the bars out of Zolt’s hands. “Thank you very much,” he said in a parody of a polite tone that sounded alien on his chapped lips. A dull ache still spread in Zolt’s gut as his hard-earned ingots disappeared inside a duffel bag, but he remained meek and watched Trowley order his men back to their bikes.