Total pages in book: 145
Estimated words: 136731 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 684(@200wpm)___ 547(@250wpm)___ 456(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 136731 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 684(@200wpm)___ 547(@250wpm)___ 456(@300wpm)
I allow the struggle a little longer and do it without flinching. The harsh reality of this situation is sinking in. If I need to, I will kill Alejandra myself.
I won’t like it, but I’ll do it.
The fear in Alejandra’s eyes is very real, and as they bore into mine, it radiates off her and into me.
My eyes narrow at her as I try to figure her out.
What the hell is her deal?
She has money from her own family. She didn’t need the dough. The short time I saw her with Dino, she looked happy. Tired, but still happy. Every person we’d spoken to told us that Dino and Alejandra were loyal to each other and happy in their marriage. Why would this little slip of a woman have her husband killed? I just can’t make sense of it.
A sudden thought crosses my mind.
Was Dino Gambino cheating on his wife?
Another thought.
What if Alejandra was cheating on Dino and the baby isn’t his?
The latter makes more sense to me.
My voice low, I lean in close. “I’m gonna let you go now. And you’re not gonna scream, are you?”
Desperately gasping for breath, face purple, she gurgles some more, shaking her head vigorously.
The second my hand eases on her throat, her shaking hands hold onto mine at her collarbone. I hold her up, supporting her, as she coughs and wheezes, taking in much-needed oxygen. Her forehead beaded with sweat, she closes her eyes in relief and the small action turns me vicious. Gripping her collarbone, I growl, “Do not make me do that again.” Her eyes open and blink weakly, her bottom lip trembling. My eyes focused on her lips, I grind out, “I did not enjoy that.”
“Fuck, Julius. Move your ass. We need to get out of here,” calls Ling, the clicking of her heels echoing throughout the parking lot.
Absently rubbing my thumb against her collarbone, I look down at this frightened and hurt woman, and in one night, I’ve become everything I hate in a person. I soften my features. “Don’t run from me.” An order.
Rather than responding, Alejandra closes her eyes and leans her head back on the brick wall, panting. As her shoulders slump, some of her fire fades. I’ll take that as an okay.
I grip her upper arm and walk her to the car. Ling opens the door for me, but before I put her inside, I reach into my pocket, turning her to face me. I lift her hands, place them together and pull the black cable tie around her wrists as tight as it can go without cutting off her circulation. Ling steps forward and duct tapes her hands together. As I walk back to the driver side, I hear Ling close the back passenger door and join me in the front.
“What if the car rolls?”
My brow furrows. I start the car and look at my guest in the rearview mirror with an assessing gaze. She lifts her taped and bound hands. “What if the car rolls?”
Her big doe eyes don’t leave mine. After a short while, I deepen my look of boredom and respond a cool, “Then you’re well and truly fucked.”
She blinks back at me, showing no emotion. Then she shocks me.
Alejandra Gambino smiles. A soft smile. A secret smile. And it hits me right in the cock.
Fuck her for being so beautiful.
Leaning back in the passenger seat, she closes her eyes, and within half an hour of driving, her breathing steadies as she falls asleep. I feel Ling’s eyes on me. I turn to look at her before narrowing my eyes. “What?”
Her small, manicured hand reaches out to squeeze my thigh. “Told you it’d be okay.”
I remember doing this alone. I remember never needing someone. My partner in crime was Twitch, and after he died, I didn’t want anyone else. Losing people hurts, in body or spirit. But I am grateful for Ling. It’s nice to share the load.
I spare her a quick smile. “You called it, Ling Ling.”
She returns the smile, and we drive on in companionable silence, her hand resting on my thigh.
When my eyes start to droop, I decide on a change of plans. “I’m in bad shape over here. I don’t think we’re that far from the loft.”
Blinking sleepily, Ling checks the GPS. “Around fifty-five minutes.” She turns in her seat, looking back at a sleeping Alejandra, before asking, “You sure you want her in your space?”
My space is very important to me. It’s my safe place, away from all the headfucks of the world. It’s my refuge.
But right now, I don’t have a choice. I can’t drive on for much longer. If I were a car, I’d be running on fumes.
“It’s one night.” I shrug lightly. “What’s the worst that could happen?”
Feigning sleep for so long is harder than it looks. Because you have little else to do, you find yourself submerged in what the people around you are saying.