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)
“They’d have to go through me.” He winked at Zolt and put his helmet back on.
“Well, that’s a relief,” Zolt said, chuckling as he shook his head. None of them wanted to address it, but Leo knew Zolt was afraid of what might happen—it was clear in the stiffness of his neck or the way his smiles stayed in the bottom part of his face. Still, instead of running off with his cash, he’d chosen to bet everything on a man who’d been a stranger only months ago. He could have given up Leo to the Jackals and kickstart his dream life in the Caribbean, but instead he put his trust in Leo, and agreed to let him gamble with Zolt’s life.
The gates were shut by the time they arrived, but Jeff, who was back up and running despite the bandages peeking out from beneath his T-shirt waved at them from behind the thick metal grates and let them into the yard.
Sheets of paper were carried by the breeze, and just as Leo was about to dismount, Mona ran between the two buildings flanking the empty space. With a stack of documents pressed to her chest, she chased down the stray pages and stuffed them into the pile she was already holding.
“Cops went through Dad’s office?” Leo asked Jeff with a scowl as he parked in the courtyard. He could already sense a storm coming his way.
Jeff sighed and slapped Leo’s shoulder in greeting. “They had a warrant and everything. Been here since six in the morning.”
Zolt nodded at him, but his gaze gravitated to the bandaged arm, which had been shot with a gun the Jackal Brothers had purchased from him. And Jeff had to be thinking the same thing.
“What’s he doing here?” he asked without even the pretense of politeness.
Leo got off the bike and removed his helmet. “He… I’ll need to talk to Dad about it.”
Mona waved at them as she carried the stack of papers back into the building, but Leo rushed to her side right away and took them from her hands.
“Aren’t those too heavy for you?” he asked, but she laughed.
“I don’t even know if I’m pregnant yet. It’s fine.”
Leo heard Zolt’s heavy footsteps behind him, and it only then occurred to him that Zolt had participated in the whole impregnation process, even if indirectly. And he’d never reveal this to Mona and Rain.
Dad’s booming voice was dulled by bad acoustics, but its harsh tone still made Leo flinch. The interior of the clubhouse looked as if a tornado had passed through, leaving fallen furniture, trash, and contents of cupboards scattered all over the floors. Even the posters hadn’t been left in peace and were now stacked in the corner.
A really, really bad moment.
Dad was in the middle of yelling at Jack about something when he spotted Leo and Zolt through the open door to the office. He stopped talking altogether for half a second, face red as if he were about to hyperventilate. “What are you doing here? Who’s at the pawn shop?” he barked, already heading their way.
Leo rubbed his face. “The Jackals hit us, it’s not a secure location anymore.”
Dad stopped mid-stride, scanning the bruises on Zolt’s face. “You brought the stuff back with you? Thank fuck it wasn’t an hour ago. The cops tore through the place as if they wanted to find the freaking entrance to Hell.”
“They probably won’t be back until tomorrow then,” Zolt said, but his joke fell flat, and both Dad and Jack stared him down in punitive silence.
The office was so white with paper and trash it looked like the nest of some giant spider, but in that metaphor Dad was the predator, and Leo had led Zolt straight into its lair.
“So…” Leo swallowed, fighting the sense of unease tightening around his throat like a noose. “Can we talk?”
Dad ran his fingers through his grey hair. “Yeah, yeah, I was about to call those who are around for a meeting. Zolt can stay, since he’s involved. We’ll need more guns.”
“No, Dad, I mean… I need to talk to you,” Leo insisted.
Dad groaned and pointed to the meeting room. “Sure, what is it? We can discuss whatever it is until everyone gets here.” But instead of waiting for an answer, he led the way toward the large table where they’d decide what to do next.
Leo followed and urged Zolt to do so as well, but they both knew Dad had no idea what was coming.
Zolt shut the door, leaving the three of them in the cramped space filled with the huge table and chairs. Out of his depth, he leaned his back against the wall, close to the door as if he were preparing for a hurried evacuation.
“What happened with the Jackals? Huh? Throw it at me. There’s nothing that can possibly spoil my mood any further,” Dad said, pushing his chair all the way into the corner when he sat and placing his feet on the wooden table.