Total pages in book: 71
Estimated words: 70162 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 351(@200wpm)___ 281(@250wpm)___ 234(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 70162 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 351(@200wpm)___ 281(@250wpm)___ 234(@300wpm)
Rhys would be furious at me for thinking like that, but you had to be fatalistic to keep getting on bulls again and again. That or stupid as hell. I might have made a lot of idiotic choices, but I wasn’t dumb enough to think I could keep doing this for long and walk away whole.
I held Teddy’s gaze as I spoke. “The way it works is this. You hired me to hand off a product in exchange for payment. There was no payment, so I returned the product. If you find another buyer, I’ll consider doing the delivery for you, but I’m done with this transaction.”
“No, you’re not.” He pulled out a gun and aimed it at my chest. “You’re going to come with me, and you can tell the boss exactly what you’re going to do to resolve this issue.”
“I’m not going anywhere with you.”
“If I take out one of your knees, you’ll have a damn hard time staying on those bulls like you do.”
That was true. A gunshot wound to the leg could be a career-ending injury for me. “We’re not the only people out here. You’re not going to get away with shooting me.”
He shrugged. “My family is well connected. If someone is stupid enough to arrest me, they’ll likely lose their job, and I’ll be released before the night is over.”
“Bullshit.”
“You want to find out?”
Why had I thought working for the mob was worth it? It had killed my dad, and now I might go the same way. “What the hell do you expect me to do?”
“Get the money.”
“The assholes wouldn’t pay me when I had something to deliver to them. They sure as hell aren’t going to pay me for nothing.”
“Then you’ll have to pay up yourself.”
I made my move, kicking out and hitting his wrist. He dropped the gun and lunged for me. He was stronger than I expected, and he’d actually been taught to fight.
I held my own until Teddy shoved my head into the side of my truck. Stars flashed in front of me, and the world tilted as I fought my way back to my feet.
He slammed me into the truck again. That time my vision went dark. I blinked, trying to focus on Teddy. He was standing over me, laughing.
“You’ve got twenty-four hours.”
I managed to flip him off as he walked away. For several seconds, I lay there in the dirt, tears stinging my eyes, but I fought my way back up. I wasn’t going to die at the hands of the Carlottis. Being trampled by a bull was one thing, but going out the same way as my shit ass of a father… That wasn’t happening. I wanted to make the future better for Grant and Rhys, and finding out I was no different from our father would kill them.
As I pulled myself to my knees, I wished my brothers were there to help me now. Why the hell was I always the one who had to be saved?
2
GHOST
Undisclosed Military Location
I woke up the second I heard someone moving near my tent. Silently, I wrapped my fingers around the knife I kept under my pillow.
After several seconds, I heard another footstep. Whoever was out there probably thought they were being stealthy, but I could hear the fucker breathing. How the hell had someone gotten this far into our camp?
However they’d done it, they’d made a mistake, one they wouldn’t survive.
I heard the tent being sliced with a sharp knife. Whoever was out there wasn’t stupid enough to think they could just open the flap, which meant it wasn’t someone hoping for an easy capture or easy money—like I had any money. I did have a satellite phone, a knife that had been my grandfather’s, and a damn fine gun, but they’d have to take those off my corpse.
I didn’t like that the intruder was coming in at my back, but turning over would let them know I’d heard them. I tensed, knowing I was going to have less than a second to react.
As the person entered, I flipped over, knife in hand.
“FBI. Put your weapon down.”
I kept the knife in my hand and tried to make out who the intruder was.
“Put the knife down, Corporal. I’m here on FBI business.”
What the fuck did that mean? I’d played by the book since I’d arrived, and we were working side by side with a counterterrorism team.
My eyes began to adjust. “Special Agent Roth?”
“Yes. Now put the fucking knife down.”
“Not until I know what this is about. What are you doing here?”
He sighed. “They told me you’d be difficult.”
“You cut a hole in my tent in the middle of the night. What the hell do you expect?”
“You don’t need to worry about that.”
“Did you bring me a new one? I hope so. With a hole like that, I’ll be carried off by camel spiders in no time.”