Total pages in book: 161
Estimated words: 154882 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 774(@200wpm)___ 620(@250wpm)___ 516(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 154882 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 774(@200wpm)___ 620(@250wpm)___ 516(@300wpm)
“Stop!”
I slashed across Luca’s chest, cutting open shirt and skin. Roaring, he roughly yanked the knife from me, nearly tearing my arm from my socket.
“That is it!” Blondie slammed me against the wall. “I was good to you,” Luca bellowed. Blood dripped down his chest and soaked his waistband. “I would’ve made you one of my top girls. Given you a nice apartment. New clothes and shoes. Gotten your flea-bitten ass off the streets. You would’ve been my highest earner.” Luca slapped the knife on Blondie’s palm. “Now you’ll be an example. Cut her face, Kingston. Blind one of those doe eyes. I’ll let the mutilation-loving freaks pass her around, and work her sister’s pussy overtime to make up for the lost revenue.”
“Whatever you say, boss.” Kingston licked my cheek, then scraped it with the blunt edge. “Let me have a few goes before the freaks mess her up.”
“Be my guest.”
Kingston brandished the knife. A shot rang out in the factory.
Eyes widening, Kingston opened his mouth to say something, and the knife fell from his grip. His body followed the path.
Luca whipped around. He wasn’t fast enough, but I was. I shot out of the way as Sunny seized his collar, throwing him against the spot I was in.
“S-Sunny?” he bleated.
“How ya doin’, Luca?” Cheeks flushed and eyes bright with fever, Sunny’s hand was perfectly steady, training the gun between his eyes. “How long has it been?”
“I was— I was just—”
I stood pinned to the spot, mind whirling, making sense of the bleeding Kingston at my feet, and the mewling Luca before my eyes. I’d seen Digger angry, impatient, seductive, and falsely sweet. I’d never seen him scared.
“Oh, I remember,” Sunny sang. “We chatted a few months ago. During that conversation, I warned you what would happen if I found out you were forcing women to work for you again. Say it with me, Lu-Lu, I only employ the willing.”
“She— She was willing!” Luca’s eyes rolled in his head, searching for any way out. “That bitch chose to work for me, then she robbed me when my back was turned. You understand, I can’t let her get away with that. Everyone would think I’m soft. I’m only getting what’s mine.”
I found my voice. “That’s a lie. Luca posed as my boyfriend, playing the part of Prince Charming so I’d give it up to line his pockets—”
“Sunny, don’t listen to a word this bitch says. She—”
“Ah ah.” Sunny shoved the muzzle in his mouth. “It’s rude to interrupt. I heard your side of the story. Now I’ll hear Angel’s.”
“Mhh!”
“Then what happened?” Sunny prompted me.
I took a deep breath. “When I said no, he threw me and Sienna out on the street. He thought desperation would make me crawl back to him, but when that didn’t happen, he had his friends snatch me from a shelter on Halloween and lock me in one of his buildings. Then he sent in a customer. I broke the bedpost, smashed it over the guy’s head, and made a run for it. Sienna and I hid from him ever since. I knew what would happen if he got his hands on me again.”
“Well, you see,” Sunny said, swinging back to Luca, “I’m inclined to believe the lady. Her story sounds like ones of coercion and attempted rape I’ve gotten from other women. The same women we discussed. Is history repeating itself?”
“Mhh hmm hm!”
Sunny clicked his teeth. “I warned you what would happen if I got word you were pulling this shit again. You’re just so hardheaded, Digger. Matter of fact, that’s how you got the name, isn’t it? You keep digging till you’re six feet under.”
Face streaked with tears, Digger tossed his head, thrashing to get free. Sunny pulled the trigger.
My gasp sounded on the heels of a faint click. Luca’s legs gave out. He sunk to the floor, bawling his eyes out.
“Today’s your lucky day. I could only get my hands on a single bullet, which I wasted on your friend here. Matter of fact, it’s a lucky day for your employees too,” Sunny said. “You’re going to retire them all with a healthy severance package. If we have to have this conversation again, the gun will be fully loaded. Get the fuck out of here.”
Luca tore out of the factory, stomping on his friend’s body in his hurry to flee. He nearly took down Sienna on his way out the door.
“Wha— Hey! Digger?! Kenzie, it’s Digger.”
“Not anymore,” I said softly, gazing at Sunny in a new light. “Where did you get that gun?”
“I went out for a midnight trip of my own. Felt naked without some protection.” I believe he tried to meet my eyes, but his were crossing. “Got this too.”
He stumbled to me, holding a handful of crumpled twenties. I reached for him instead, grabbing Sunny as his knees buckled. The weight dropped us both to the floor.