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)
He picked up the remote on his nightstand, aimed it at the large screen across the room, and turned off the hunting show he’d had playing on DVR.
Silence. Crackling. The heaviness of his own breath…
Solitude. He hated it. And yet, he needed it. If he were still horny, there were over a hundred beautiful women he could call and they’d be at his home, butt naked, hot and ready to be fucked, and to suck him into la-la land in under thirty minutes.
But they weren’t her.
The love I had for you, Tina, was scary… You’d ask me to jump, and I’d ask you, ‘How High?’ We had some differences is all. Nothin’ we couldn’t have worked through. How the fuck dare you! You don’t walk away from your one true love. I would have set this entire planet on fire just to keep you warm…
He pushed another button on a remote. The television lowered into a sleeve within the wall, exhibiting now a large oil painting from 1827, of a countryside. He turned away dismissively, took a sip of his hot toddy, and fought his intrusive thoughts. He turned another page in the family album and was rather surprised… There was a photo of a family gathering, and in the background stood his precious Tina—just half of her, a shadow of a shadow. If you blinked, you would’ve missed her. He looked into her eyes as she cast a haunting glance at the camera. He could practically read her thoughts. Now, all of these years later, he could see the icy contempt in her eyes.
She bore a slight smile, but the eyes never lied…
If you hated me, you should’ve been woman enough to tell me. If you were miserable with me, you should have told me that, too. I would’ve tried to meet you halfway. Nobody else I would have done that for. I know we were at odds, but look at what has happened. Now you’re runnin’ all over the damn country, when you could have been at peace, and comfortable, right beside me. No tellin’ how many children and grandchildren we would’ve had. Lord knows I couldn’t keep my hands off you. I fucking adored you, lady! You could’ve spit in my face, and I would have stood there and took it! Kicked me in the balls, and I would’ve said, ‘Do it again, if it makes you happy!’ I ain’t never took no shit from nobody! BUT I WOULD’VE TAKEN IT FROM YOU, ALL DAY, EVERY DAY! You’re the only reason that I know for a fact I am capable of lovin’ another person. You taught me how to love! We would’ve been unstoppable.
He angrily tossed the album aside, fished out a pen and notebook from his black marble nightstand drawer, and opened the notebook to several pages in. There, on the page, was a handwritten list of his treasonous grandsons’ names: Lennox, Roman, Kage, Phoenix, Maddox, Journey and Ryder. Lennox’ s name was crossed off. Now, it was time for an update. With a sigh, he crossed off Roman’s name, too. Two gone, five to go.
Kage… my lone wolf. My grandchild who was charged with my attempted murder. Not many grandparents can say that their grandson tried to kill ’em. He burst out laughing and shook his head. No legal action was taken, of course, but you did it all the same. Your mama saved your life. I should have gutted you like a catfish. You’ve been a thorn in my side ever since that day. A long, long time ago, you were my favorite grandchild, boy. The oldest living grandchild I have, too. Age, nevertheless, is not on your side, son. See, you’re different from your other cousins.
With Lennox, I knew for him, family comes first. He’s a mama’s boy to his core. With Roman, money came first, but then he switched up on me. I honestly didn’t see that coming. Roman is crazy, for sure, but not Kage-level crazy. With you though, insanity comes first… logic comes in last. You have no clear direction and never have. You’re a loner. Shut all the light out. You’re physically strong and you’re shrewd. You’re amazing with your hands, can hunt in the pitch black of night, and you’re lethal… but also errant.
You show little motivation to change or improve. You don’t seem to care about much at all, actually. Nothing gets you up in the mornin’. That makes you vulnerable. A man without a reason to open his eyes will keep them closed during blessings, and miss the whole damn thing. You have no beating heart. You love nothing, and no one. You hate, you kill, you fuck. You smoke. You build. You destroy. That’s it. Like some wild animal… a lone wolf. Yes, sir… you have no pack. You’ll be easy pickin’s…