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)
Dad bit his cheek. “We have to. You know how much heat there’s been on us recently. It’s no secret what kind of cargo we’re pushing. We might have friends in the local force, but at this point, the higher-ups have them by the throats. If we implicate the Jackals, the cops should leave us be. So no, we can’t risk dealing with those bastards ourselves. We all need to be seen on the very day the Jackals are put to sleep,” he said, chewing on his own teeth in discontent.
“So it’s true?” Leo lowered his voice. “You’re hiring the Exterminators?”
Father’s slow nod was all the confirmation Leo needed. “They’re already here. We’ll have to move the drugs fast—they only accept payment in cash.”
Leo rubbed his face as his stomach dropped. “Fuck me. Do you want me to go back to Zolt’s and get them? How are we even supposed to move that much coke with the police on our backs?”
Dad shook his head. “Leave it until tomorrow. Kurt’s got something in the works, but it might take up to a week, and we’ll be losing out at a lot of profit. But at least we’ll have the cash needed.”
“And they’re here?”
“The people in black. Not very conspicuous, if you ask me, but they’re known to be effective. If they get rid of the vermin at our doorstep, it might be the best spent cash in my career,” Dad said and waved his hand.
Leo walked out of the office, more aware of the noise in the bar area where Mike and Rain sat with five buff men in a mix of black and camo. Leo could hardly believe it had come to this, but all was fair in times of war. And there was no avoiding it with the Jackals.
He spun around, eager to creep into his room and hide so he wouldn’t have to entertain important guests, but the sound of footsteps following him outside was like an invitation to a fight. He balled his hands into fists, gritted his teeth, and his back tingled as if he were about to push out spikes.
But it was only Rain.
“Hey, Leo! I was waiting for you to come out.”
Leo nodded at her, forcing down the sense of despair that burned him from the inside. It was so quiet out here, as if everyone was waiting for the storm and he’d just walked into its eye. “Hey, I didn’t want to bother you guys. It’s been… a rough night.”
She put her arms around him, offering a hug that lasted longer than a simple greeting, as if she somehow sensed the distress he so desperately tried to hide. “I’m sorry. You can relax now. You heard about the Jackals, right?”
The relief of her support flowed through his whole body, even if she didn’t know what he’d experienced in the past two months and had lost earlier tonight. “I have. They’ve crossed the line.”
Rain glanced toward the clubhouse, the smile she’d greeted him with gone. “It pisses me off that we can’t do this on our own, but I suppose it’ll be for the better. It’s a small sacrifice if it allows us to finally move the coke.”
“I can imagine Uncle Kurt and Kane complaining,” Leo said.
“You’d be surprised. Uncle Kurt actually agreed, and made Kane follow his example. It was hilarious.”
For a moment, they both smiled at one another, but there was a tension in her body language, as if she were waiting for the right moment to strike. Best get it out of the way already.
“You said you were waiting for me. Was it just because you wanted to say hello?”
“No. I know it might not be the perfect time, but we’ve talked things over with Mona. We think you will make an amazing dad, and I’m sorry I haven’t really thought about it when I first asked you. We will work out the details, but we’ve made up our minds. If you’re in, we’d like you to really be a member of our family. And I’m saying it now ‘cause…” She cleared her throat. “Mona’s ovulating, so it’s kind of a good time, if you’re here anyway.”
There it was. The one good thing in Leo’s life. A light at the end of a dark tunnel. So maybe he wasn’t exactly ready for sex after what he’d gone through tonight, but he could surely rise to the occasion if need be.
Leo took a deep breath. “Okay. Where do you want to do it? Do you want to… watch? ‘Cause that’s a bit weird.”
Rain stilled, but then her eyes almost popped out of their sockets. “Whoa! Wait… ew, no! I want you to come in a cup, not get amorous with her!” She couldn’t even force herself to say ‘fuck’ in this context, and that was telling Leo something.