Total pages in book: 102
Estimated words: 96206 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 481(@200wpm)___ 385(@250wpm)___ 321(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 96206 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 481(@200wpm)___ 385(@250wpm)___ 321(@300wpm)
“Are you going to shoot me yourself? Is that your little revenge?” He sneered. “I doubt you have the stomach.”
Laila realized she could do it now. She had a gun. No one would stop her. Federico might be put out that he didn’t get to torture Victor before ending him, but ultimately the new drug lord wanted this piece of trash dead.
Still, killing Victor quickly would be too easy and merciful for him. And she refused to waste more time and attention on this scum. Besides, she wasn’t violent. Trees had shown her a path to happiness. Why taint her soul with vengeance when she could take his hand and embrace her future?
“You are right. So I will simply say good-bye—my way.” She stepped closer.
“Laila…” Trees warned.
“Hermana!” Valeria gasped.
She sent them both soft, reassuring glances. Then she released Trees’s comforting grip and faced Victor. Her smile turned cutting. And she spit in his face.
He blanched, his eyes shooting fire as he lunged for her. Zy and Kane held him back, each with an unyielding grip on one of his arms.
“Pipe down, motherfucker,” Zy growled, then turned to her. “Got more for him?”
“He deserves it. Go on,” Trees encouraged, pointing a gun in his face. “And if he tries anything…”
Of course her beloved would shoot him. Trees was protective, and he hated this bastard. But it was more. He wanted her to close this chapter of her life and not regret walking away without getting whatever justice she could.
“Just one thing.” Because she knew that whatever Federico had planned for Victor would be far more horrific and painful than anything she could dream up.
Laila braced herself on Victor’s arms. He trembled with rage. She ignored him completely—until she used all her might to drive her knee into his balls.
He groaned and doubled over, falling to his knees.
Laila stood over him. “You are a pedophile and a rapist and a piece of shit. You deserve everything coming to you.”
Behind him, she caught sight of Federico’s men returning. A new arrival in a suit hovered outside, looking very official and carrying a briefcase. The rest rushed in, heading straight for Victor with cuffs, old-school tools, and evil smiles.
“Mr. Ramos, what a pleasure to see you already on your knees.” Federico grabbed Victor by the hair and yanked his head back cruelly. “It is the perfect position for you.”
Then he motioned to two of his men, who took Zy’s and Kane’s places and dragged a struggling Victor across the room. They cuffed one arm to a decorative bracket under the counter. The other they restrained to the nearby door handle. When they were done, one thug whipped out a pair of pliers.
The man’s awful grin sent shudders down Laila’s spine—and left her no doubt that Victor wouldn’t leave here alive. “Give me your tongue.”
Federico motioned her and Valeria outside. They followed, as did Trees, watching as Chavez took the briefcase from the suit’s hands and handed it to Laila. “The money for you ladies.” He sent her an amused glance. “It is good to be the hero, yes?”
The words echoed exactly those she had exchanged with Montilla’s informant. “It was you I texted with.”
He nodded. “It is also good to keep your own best interests in mind.”
Those words rolled around in Laila’s head until she realized what he meant. “You told me where to find Kimber because you wanted Montilla weakened for your own purposes.”
“She did not belong there, and your lover nearly did the job for me when he shot the old man. But Montilla came out of his coma last week, forcing me to regroup. You and your sister’s perfectly timed message gave me exactly what I needed to wrest control for good. It is fortunate, indeed, that both of you want nothing to do with the organization.”
Or he would have killed them without a second thought. She suppressed a shiver. “Nothing at all.”
“Ever,” Valeria chimed in, clutching Jorge tight. “Neither will my son.”
“Excellent. This concludes our business, then. Mr. Edgington.” He nodded at Hunter, who exited the hospital and headed straight for them, Logan and Joaquin in tow. “You and your men have been admirable adversaries. I hope this is where we part ways?”
Hunter scowled. “I fucking hate what you do for a living, but it’s not my job or my crusade to put you down, especially since, if I did, another you would only spring up tomorrow.”
“It is wise to know the battles you cannot win. I wish you safe travels,” he murmured, as if he was a gracious host, not a criminal boss.
Before he could return inside, Laila grabbed Chavez’s arm. “I want to know how Ramos will die.”
The man smiled. “Bloodthirsty, huh? If I did not have a wife I loved with all my heart, you would be a very interesting woman to tame.”