Total pages in book: 78
Estimated words: 76309 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 382(@200wpm)___ 305(@250wpm)___ 254(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 76309 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 382(@200wpm)___ 305(@250wpm)___ 254(@300wpm)
“I told you, Burian isn’t going to let you go.” He leans back in his chair, studying me, hand on his chin. We’re set up at a table near a large window overlooking downtown Dallas. Glass towers sparkle in the sunlight. I wish I could enjoy it. “At this point, I’m your best option.”
“I could call the cops,” I point out. “Tell them about the body. Tell them the whole damn story.”
He shrugs. “You could, if you want to go to jail. And like I said—”
“Right, jail would fuck me up.” I rub my face with the heel of my hand. “Why are you so sure I’ll be the one they throw behind bars? You helped too.”
“Good point, but I don’t exist.”
“I’m not even going to pretend like that makes sense.” I rub the spot between my eyes where a headache is forming. “What do you want from me, Lanzo?”
“It’s nothing obscene, don’t worry. I’ve been chasing after Burian for a while now, and you’re the only person in the world I know can positively identify him. All you need to do is either find me a picture of him or point him out, and that’ll be enough. I’ll stash you somewhere safe until Burian’s dead.”
I mull that over. “You have a lot of safe places?”
“I have some powerful friends here in Dallas. Good people that will help you, if you let them.”
I snort. “I don’t even know you or what you do, why should I trust your alleged friends?”
“Because what other choice do you have?”
I shake my head, frustrated. He’s got a point, but I don’t like it one bit. “Give me a little while and I’ll think of an alternative.”
“What if I offered you money?”
That gets my attention.
Despite everything, I still need cash. I can groan and moan all I want, but the reason I started this whole mess is still out there. Grandpop’s still sick, still can’t work, and I still need to pay his home nurse and his medical bills.
“How much?” I ask cautiously. Feeling like an idiot.
He gestures in the air like the amount doesn’t matter. “Two million? Does that work? I could go higher if you want.”
I nearly choke on my coffee.
Two million dollars would change my life in immeasurable ways.
Two million dollars is more money than I ever dreamed about.
“How much higher?” I ask, trying not to panic. Because hell, if I’m extracting money from this guy, I might as well get as much as I can.
“Three million. I think that’s fair.” He shrugs casually.
“Three million,” I repeat with a sharp laugh. “You don’t have that much money. I saw your truck.”
“I’ve been living rough for a long time now, but I have money. Plenty of money.”
“You have three million you’re willing to throw at me.” I lean back, afraid I might pass out and hit the floor. “I find it hard to believe.”
“I can’t blame you, but here we are. Come help me. I’ll protect you and when this is all over, I’ll give you all the money you could need. And if it eases your mind at all, Burian’s a real piece of shit, and the world will be better without him.”
So says this guy. Burian could be a real gem, while Lanzo’s the actual devil, for all I know.
I close my eyes, processing.
He’s offering more money than I ever thought possible. Safety from a very dangerous man. A future for myself and for Grandpop.
All I have to do is put myself in this psycho’s hands and trust that I’m not aiding the wrong person.
If this Burian guy is half as bad as Lanzo says, then I want to help get rid of him. That’s not the issue.
The real problem is Lanzo.
I don’t trust him. Not even a little bit. He’s keeping things from me, a ton of things, and I’m worried that once I find everything out, I won’t want to be involved with him anymore.
“I need transparency,” I say, sitting up straight as something occurs to me. If Lanzo’s been chasing after Burian for five years, that means he’s desperate. That means I have leverage, and I can use that against him if I’m smart about it. “I want answers.”
He tilts his head. “I told you, the less you know—”
“I don’t care what you said. From where I’m at, you need my help. Like you said, I’m the only person in the whole world that knows what Burian looks like, so you’d better start playing ball, or else I walk and I take my knowledge with me.”
His eyes light up. I expected him to get angry, but instead he looks excited by the challenge, which only confirms my suspicion.
Lanzo is a grade-A freak.
“You really would, too,” he says, shaking his head, astonished in a good way. “All right then, if you agree to work with me, I’ll tell you what you want to know. Within reason. There are some things I can’t say.”