Total pages in book: 88
Estimated words: 81488 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 407(@200wpm)___ 326(@250wpm)___ 272(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 81488 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 407(@200wpm)___ 326(@250wpm)___ 272(@300wpm)
Another hit the ground, while the first one lay bloodied, now trying to crawl away. Slowly he moved… like a pathetic snail. He heard the third scamper away, leaving the other two soaking in their own bloody juices. Roman quickly climbed down the tree and hit the ground, giving chase. He was running on pure adrenaline. Pure revenge. Pure hatred. The same motherfuckers that stole my journal that the old fucker used to blackmail and extort me… the same motherfuckers that have helped the old man continue destroyin’ this family… You took my daddy’s voice? I’m gonna take your lives. Y’all gone learn today. If you ain’t a Wilde, you can’t pretend to be one. Here’s a message ol’ Grandpa will understand…
He raced like greased lightning through the brush, the branches whipping past his arms, sharp blades of grass grabbing at his ankles. Every bone in his body reminded him that he belonged there—that it was his forest, and these were trespassers. He heard the engine of the vehicle starting. The motherfucker was taking off—but then, he noticed the droplets of blood in the dirt, and on several rocks…
He ducked down behind a tree, and as the truck sped past, he managed to shoot two of the tires. A burst of air was heard instantaneously. The man kept driving, though he slowed down quite a bit after the blowout. Roman glanced at the two men on the ground about twenty feet away. One was clearly dead. The other barely hung on, clinging to the stomp of a tree. Clinging to life. They made eye contact. Roman winked at him, then aimed his gun…
“No… no, please!”
BANG!
…A bullet to the head.
He got in his car and gave chase to the one getting away. “IT AIN’T NO FUN, WHEN THE BLACK SHEEP HAS THE GUN!”
He didn’t have to go far. The bastard had been hit in the arm from gunfire and lost control of his truck, now in a ditch, turned on its side. Wheels spinning. Roman approached the wreckage and looked into the busted driver’s side window. Glass was everywhere, sparkling like tiny diamonds splattered with red wine. The sounds of Five Finger Death Punch, ‘Wash It All Away,’ played from the truck’s radio. The guy inside was breathing erratically, his eyes hooded. His shirt sleeve was soaked in blood.
“…Why?” the man managed to utter.
“You’ve been playing a dangerous game. I know that you know who I am. I saw you at the restaurant. That was your first and only warning. Now, here you are again. You are aware your boss is huntin’ down his own kin, his seven grandsons, flesh of his flesh, and you still signed up for this. You’re so blinded by greed, the money he’s payin’ you, that you follow orders like a dog.” Roman looked around. The birds had flown away. “There’s another reason. It’s the only way the old man learns. You have to take somethin’ away from him, or he’ll take you for a fool. Gotta take somethin’ he wants. Something he sees as fit to be used. He doesn’t see you as human—only a tool. A means to an end. You’re a sheep. He’s led you to slaughter, and now, you both gotta pay.”
Roman aimed his gun, blasted the man twice in the heart, and walked off the path, back into the forest…
“I said what?! I said no such thing. What do you mean, ‘What am I doing here?’” Grandpa handed his driver his golf clubs as Jasper stood in the parlor of his home, dumbfounded. Surely this was a prank, some practical joke.
Jasper appeared as if he’d seen a ghost. “So, you didn’t call me from church and ask me to send a few of the guys to meet you at The Big Thicket National Preserve? The Elk Trail?”
“No! I left to golf after church service was over and met up with the detective I told you I’ve been speakin’ to for a little golf game to blow off some steam. Why in the hell would I want to meet in the gotdamn forest?” Grandpa grimaced. And then, his blood froze in his body…
The text message… The damn weird ass text message from Roman about the woods!
“But I heard you, Cyrus! It was your voice. It was your number, too.”
“I didn’t call you—that was Roman! We have to go to The Big Thicket National Preserve right fucking now!”
Jasper snatched his phone from pocket and began making calls.
“Shit. None of ’em are answerin’ the phones!”
Jasper grabbed his rifle and snapped his fingers at Grandpa’s driver. Grandpa then raced to his study, grabbed a few things, including another pistol, and headed out the door…
CHAPTER THIRTY
Wedding Dresses and Combat Boots
The wedding shop hostess stepped away to answer the phone. Genesis stood in the ‘I Do’ bridal shop that smelled like cinnamon and sage, trying on various wedding gowns, accessories and veils. She took a deep breath, struggling to fill her lungs with much needed oxygen due to her girdle being a wee bit too tight. Despite her slight discomfort, she was on cloud nine and even suffocating shape wear couldn’t dampen her mood. It felt like everything around her was glowing in the same way that she was, and she marveled at the beautiful store swathed in shades of pink and white. Pearls, rhinestones, diamonds and gold were featured in the paintings on the walls, and a platter of vanilla and strawberry macaroons awaited them, sitting along off to the side with a couple of fresh red roses as accents.