Total pages in book: 137
Estimated words: 127201 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 636(@200wpm)___ 509(@250wpm)___ 424(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 127201 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 636(@200wpm)___ 509(@250wpm)___ 424(@300wpm)
Of course. The one time Miguel gave in and wanted to forget his reality, he’d have to stay sober.
“Couldn’t you wait till after we drop them off?” he asked through clenched teeth, all too aware of his hypocrisy. He flinched when Nero’s hand pushed into the back pocket of his jeans.
“You’re so tense. We’re in a zoo. Don’t you hear the monkeys?” Nero said, putting his free hand to his ear. And yeah, there was definitely a lot of whooping somewhere ahead, followed by sharp metallic bangs, and a male voice hollering at full volume.
“Shut the fuck or I’ll rip your heads off!”
Miguel groaned and peeled Nero’s hand off him, unhappy that his behavior last night had provoked Nero into thinking he could get away with whatever molestation he pleased. As if this situation wasn’t awful enough.
Miguel wore a vest over his top tonight, to better cover his gun, but if all went according to plan, he wouldn’t have a reason to use it. His gaze wandered to the sky, passing over the few stars visible so close to the city. He’d done many despicable things in his life, both for cartels and working against them, and while his end goal was about ridding the world of Raul Moreno, he could not call himself a decent man. His only care was that he wouldn’t get to cut the evil at the source if he now saved a few innocent lives.
It was the lesser evil.
Or so he liked telling himself to feel less guilty over his actions.
Nero walked past the lit door, and down a short corridor, which spat them out between massive aviaries full of different birds. Their screeches, however, were overshadowed by another loud bang as a stocky man with slicked-back hair slammed a pipe into bars surrounding an enclosure farther away. He leaped back to escape long arms covered by black fur.
Miguel scowled, but he was here to do his job then forget about it, not lecture some douchebag who aggravated animals for fun. Because what claims to morality did someone like him have?
The man turned toward them with a scowl. “You’re late.”
“I needed a little pick-me-up,” Nero said and draped his arm behind Miguel’s back. “Sue me, Markos!”
A massive chimpanzee grabbed the bars, showing its teeth to Markos while its companions kept back, making quieter noises, as if the perspective of a fight both excited and scared them.
Miguel shook his head. “Let’s fetch the cargo and get this over with.”
The smell of hay and animal piss was making Miguel nauseated, but maybe it was just a convenient explanation, when in fact it was the vile thing he was about to do that made him want to puke. His mother would have told him to grit his teeth and do what needed to be done. She wouldn’t care about other people’s kids when hers were dead in the ground and needed to be avenged, no matter the cost.
Many other cages and pens loomed in the duskiness of night, but in the creepily empty park, the chimps were among the loudest creatures, still agitated by Markos’s fuckery.
Nero stopped a few paces away from the large ape. It was the largest male of the bunch, and the tip of its head was level with Nero’s chest. When Nero crooked his head, so did the chimp, as if they both understood one another without words.
“I can see why you find him handsome. Many would kill for arms this thick,” he said, staring at Markos.
Markos bared his teeth, his dark eyes flashing with fury as he pointed the pipe Nero’s way like a lion trainer attempting to keep away a big wild cat. “Watch it. I won’t be tolerating any of that gay shit here!” he said as if someone low in the cartel hierarchy could stand his ground against the boss’s son, just because he disapproved of his lifestyle.
One of these days, this man’s empty confidence would bite him in the ass so hard there would be barely anything left.
Miguel urged Nero forward. “He snorted too much. Ignore him.”
Nero spun around and grabbed Miguel around the waist with a wide grin. “Nonono, don’t you see Markos has fallen in love? That’s why he’s awkwardly teasing that poor monkey—”
“Ape,” Miguel mumbled, trying to get away without causing too much fuss. But Nero ignored him and kept wagging his stupid tongue.
“I don’t judge, Markos. We’re all such good friends here.”
Miguel scowled as if he disapproved. No one needed to know a part of him enjoyed seeing bad men lose their temper. And Markos took the bait.
“I’m not fucking a monkey!”
“Not yet, but maybe if you have the right approach—”
“There you are,” another voice roared, and when Miguel glanced toward it, he spotted a familiar face. Oscar had been at the villa twice since Nero and Miguel arrived in town, and Miguel still couldn’t get over his uncanny resemblance to Jesus. A much older Jesus, since the man was past fifty and had dense, long hair that was completely gray. The bastard looked more like an older male model than a career criminal, but he wouldn’t be the first person to use his handsome exterior as cover.