Total pages in book: 118
Estimated words: 108563 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 543(@200wpm)___ 434(@250wpm)___ 362(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 108563 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 543(@200wpm)___ 434(@250wpm)___ 362(@300wpm)
After tossing my last knife aside, I rotate my cat-ear ring, hiding the sharp points on the inside of my palm. She comes for me, her fists already balled into weapons of their own. Excitement cracks like lightning in my chest, and I immediately spring on the defense, evading her with ease.
We trade punches, fists flying with skilled precision as knees and high kicks are brought into the mix. It’s a mesmerizing dance, and honestly, this is the type of shit I love.
I’ve gotta give it to her, she’s good. Better than good. She’s got strong punches with fast reflexes, and if this were nothing more than training, I’d keep her around simply to keep me on my toes, but she’s not better than me.
“You’re good,” I say, getting through her defense and landing a shot right at her ribs.
She grunts in pain, but it doesn’t slow her down as she hurls a punch toward my face. “Thanks, that means a lot coming from you,” she says in a chipper tone, switching things up and grabbing my wrists as I throw another punch. She yanks me forward and uses my momentum against me, letting me stumble right into the cold meat hanging from the ceiling, my face smacking right against it.
I whip around, not allowing her another chance to get the drop on me as I desperately hold back a gag. “Low blow.”
“I know, but you’re faster than me. I did what I had to do,” she says unapologetically as I ram my knee into her thigh with the power of a freight train. “Holy fucking shit.”
Eagle stumbles back, and I go with her, relentless in my attack, throwing a few more punches and knocking her off balance. I was more than happy to drag this out to allow us both to enjoy this fight before inevitably ending it, but I’m not a forgiving person, and after yanking me into a meat carcass, it was over for her.
Her ass hits the ground, and as I come for her again, I deliver the blow to her temple that has her tapping out. “Fuck. Shit. Stop, please,” she begs, knowing I could end her life in a matter of seconds.
I hold back and watch as she crumbles with exhaustion, tears filling her eyes. “I can’t . . .” she says. “I can’t die like this. This isn’t what I want. I . . . I . . . ”
I let out a sigh, glancing around the massive refrigerator before finding a chair, and as Eagle curls up on the floor, completely defeated, I grab the chair and drag it to the center of the room.
“Here,” I say, reaching for her and helping her to her feet before wrapping my arm around her waist. I walk her over to the chair, and as she hobbles, I take the majority of her weight. Reaching the chair, I lower her into it, and she lets out a heavy breath, in more pain than I had originally thought. “You okay?”
“Think you broke a rib.”
“Shit. Sorry.”
With Eagle barely able to move, I fetch all of my weapons, putting them right back into place as I keep an eye on her. Once everything is secured, I find heavy chains and drag them over to Eagle before wrapping them around her ankles and wrists. “Sorry,” I say, still feeling so heavy about all of this.
“I get it,” she says. “I’d be doing the exact same thing if roles were reversed.”
“Do you need water or something?”
She gives me a small smile. “So I can piss myself when I die? No thanks,” she scoffs. “Can I just ask one thing? No—wait. Two. Can I ask two things?”
“Like what?”
“My little sister,” she says. “Is there any way you’d be willing to check in on her every now and then? She doesn’t know what I do for work, and she’s going to be crushed when she realizes I’m gone. I just . . . I need to know she’s going to be alright. Both our parents are gone, and it’s just been the two of us for so long. She’s not going to have anybody.”
I cringe, not really sure about this. “I don’t know. I’m not a babysitter.”
“She doesn’t need babysitting. She’s not a child. She’s twenty-two. She just needs someone to check in on her every few months to make sure she’s not making any terrible life decisions, which she will. She does it all the time, and they mostly have something to do with stupid boys who only want one thing from her.”
“Okay, okay,” I say. “I can check in on your sister.”
Eagle lets out a heavy sigh of relief. “Thank you,” she says.
“Dare I ask what the other thing is?”
Her gaze darkens as she lifts her head, staring me right in the eye. “Gasoline. I want you to end that bitch’s life as though she’d personally wronged you. She deserves the worst kind of death.”