Total pages in book: 86
Estimated words: 81009 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 405(@200wpm)___ 324(@250wpm)___ 270(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 81009 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 405(@200wpm)___ 324(@250wpm)___ 270(@300wpm)
Shouts, then another one of the men with Lord went down. I sucked in air, frozen in horror. Looking down at my arm, I saw splatters of blood, and I wanted to scream, but nothing came out.
“Let’s go,” a now-familiar male voice said, and I lifted my gaze to see Lick in front of me.
I blinked up at him. “Did you shoot me?” My words came out barely above a whisper.
An offended look came over him. “No, doll. I shot the fucker who had you. That’s his blood. We’ll get it off.”
I swallowed and nodded, although he hadn’t asked me a question. My throat was so tight that I felt as if I couldn’t speak, so I didn’t try again.
“Take her out the back!” Micah ordered. “Have the others taken to the bikes.”
Lick nodded but kept his eyes locked on me. “Can you walk?”
I said nothing. I had on one heel. Where was my other? Where was Kendrix?
I turned then to look for Kendrix or my shoe. Not sure what I should be doing. Then a scream tore from my throat at the sight of Kendrix on the ground. Blood coming from his mouth and his eyes staring blankly. He’d been shot. Who had shot him? Why?
Arms scooped me up, and I started to fight back.
“Easy, wildcat,” Lick said and jostled me until he was carrying me close to his chest. “Gotta get you outta here.”
I stared up at him as he began to walk. Where was he taking me? Where was Pepper?
“He’s dead.” I said the two words aloud more for my sake than anything. Letting it sink in.
“Fucker shouldn’t have stolen whatever drug the Landiagos were smuggling through his art gallery,” he replied, glancing down at me. “You aren’t involved in that shit, are you?”
I shook my head, not understanding. “What shit?”
He did a survey of my face, then lifted his eyes back to see where he was going. “Good. Not that they’d get to you. I’d kill ’em first.”
Who?
“What’s the Landiagos?” I asked instead.
“Lord and his gang. They’ve been transporting drugs into the Miami port for years, but mostly stay out of our way. Until today.”
And Kendrix had been helping them? He was dead. His kids! Oh God, and Marlana!
“Get the women back to the bikes,” Lick said to someone. “Micah will get Dolly when we get to the front parking lot. He’s going out that way.”
A door opened, and we went through it. There was a chill in the evening air when we stepped outside.
“Who has Pep?” a man asked.
“I have my own damn self, Country, and if you try and touch me, I will break your arm,” she replied.
Lick’s chest rumbled with a laugh. He was so relaxed as he continued to carry me. He’d just killed a man. There was blood on my face, dress, and arm, but he appeared as if nothing had happened.
“Who is Lick carrying?” a voice asked, one that I knew so well that it was embedded in my soul.
I sucked in a breath as relief sank over me. He was here. I needed to see him. He’d be able to tell me things. Explain all this. But as I scanned the area around us, I couldn’t see him.
Where was Rome?
16
Tex
I waited for someone to tell me who the fuck Lick had in his arms. That raven hair was too fucking similar to Salem’s.
“Salem,” Pepper said as a tiny smirk played on her lips.
I’d heard the gunfire. The blood drained from my face, and I felt as if ice had replaced my veins.
“She’s fine. Just a little shook up. Seems that Lord son of a bitch wanted to take her home with him.”
“Lord? That was the fucking Landiagos? Did he touch her?” I seethed as the ice morphed into boiling rage.
I hadn’t realized I’d stopped walking when Pepper turned around and looked back at me.
“Come on. You can’t go back and kill him now. Micah let them go with a warning. The warning being Hatter and some ugly dude with a tattoo on his face. The Hatter guy was the first shot you heard. He was holding Salem when Lick put a bullet in his head.”
I ran my hand through my hair, trying to get some grip on the spiral of shit in my chest and head.
Hatter was Lord’s motherfucking brother. His only brother alive. The older two had been shot three years ago. He’d want revenge. He’d wanted Salem.
My eyes swung back to Lick as he reached the parking lot where we’d left our bikes. Lord hadn’t taken her because of Lick. I should have been in there, but, dammit, I hadn’t known Salem was there.
“Oh, and her boss was killed. Seems the gallery owner was helping the Landiagos smuggle in drugs, and he kept some. That’s why they were there. For Kendrix. I’m going to go out on a limb here and guess she’s never seen anyone shot,” Pepper continued.