Total pages in book: 32
Estimated words: 30401 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 152(@200wpm)___ 122(@250wpm)___ 101(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 30401 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 152(@200wpm)___ 122(@250wpm)___ 101(@300wpm)
“Take cover. Get inside the gift shop now!”
Jessie finally rises to her feet, still clutching Macy in her arms. I cover them as they run across the patch of grass toward the gift shop on the other side. More bullets fly and one hits me right in the chest, which knocks the breath out of me.
“Oh my god!” Jessie screams.
“It’s okay. I have a vest.” I grunt from the pain of the impact.
I open the gift shop door and shove them both inside. “Stay here no matter what. You stay here until I come for you.”
I run back to the grass and take cover behind a tree. That’s when I see my men converging on the shooter. They exchange fire, then pull him from the side of a building to the center of the blacktop and throw him down. They form a circle around him, kicking him and shouting obscenities. I know there’s a small window of opportunity before the police arrive, and I want to be the one to finish him.
As I pull out my weapon and step out from behind the tree, another bullet flies by my head. I turn and see the shooter standing just five feet away. Without thinking, I sprint toward him. I dive at him and knock him to the ground. With the first kick, I knock the gun out of his hand. The second cracks his skull.
“You try to kill me in front of my girl? In front of the kid?” I shout and continue kicking.
Two of my men approach. One says, “You got to go, boss. The sirens are getting closer.”
“Let us clean up this mess,” the other adds.
I nod my head and walk toward the gift shop, but the idea that this guy fired in Jessie’s direction is too much for me to take. If something happened to either her or Macy, I’d have made sure to spend every single day making the shooter’s life a living hell.
With the pulse pounding in my temple, I raise my arm and fire as I walk by.
“You got ‘em, boss,” someone shouts but I don’t acknowledge him. I go into the gift shop, still feeling something acidic flare in my chest.
I know I live a dangerous life and my enemies are only waiting for the right opportunity to strike. But to go after a helpless woman and child? These bastards crossed a line today, and I won’t let that slide.
My girls mean everything to me now, and if something happened to them…
Fuck. And Jessie… If they think they can try to hurt her and I won’t run them to the ground and bury them alive, then they’re a lot more stupid than I give them credit for. Fury pumps hot through my veins, and I have to tamp it down. Not now. I need to secure my family first.
But later… I’ll flood the streets with the blood of whoever is behind this.
“Are you both okay? Any injuries?”
Jessie shakes her head, and I pull her into my arms for a quick hug.
They made a mistake coming after her and Macy. And they’re going to pay.
I pick Macy up and carry her back to the SUV. As my heart rate begins to slow, I shake my head. I got too comfortable and let my guard down. I can’t do that again. I can’t afford to do that again. The only way for us to live a normal life is for me to finish this war.
And I will win. And when that happens, only those who don’t value their life will ever dare to come near me or mine again.
10
JESSIE
“I don’t understand what just happened. Were they shooting at you?” I look down at my trembling hands in disbelief. I remember moments ago when the panic squeezed the air from my lungs and made me feel like someone was gripping my throat like a vise.
“Not now, not in front of…” Jack motions to the backseat where Macy is seated, wearing the saddest look I’ve ever seen on a child. Growing up in an orphanage, I’ve seen many.
I look out the window and realize that we’re headed east instead of west.
“Where are we going? Shouldn’t we go home?”
“You and Macy are going on a little vacation. I’m taking you to a hotel.”
“A hotel? We don’t have any clothes or her school books. What are we supposed to do?”
“Listen to me. Do you trust me?”
“Yes, of course.”
“I need to put you somewhere I know you’ll be safe. I’ll have someone bring you everything you need, and in a day or two, you’ll come home. When this is finished, there won’t be anything to worry about again.”
“When what’s finished?”
He gives me a stern look. “Don’t worry about it. I promise you. No harm will ever come to you or Macy ever again.”