Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 78534 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 393(@200wpm)___ 314(@250wpm)___ 262(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78534 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 393(@200wpm)___ 314(@250wpm)___ 262(@300wpm)
"Alright, boys, in we go." Hellfire waves us forwards. “Let’s find this asshole and collect our paycheck.”
3
JESSICA
Anne and I huddle together on the floor of the safe room. I have an arm over her shoulder, and hers are wrapped around my chest, holding me tighter than she has in years. “I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry,” she whimpers.
“Shhhh, none of this is your fault.” I’ll never forget the look on her face when she saw her father punch me, the utter disbelief. She’s used to him being strict and uncaring, but with her, the whips he wields are his words and his attention. Victor won’t win father of the year, but he’s usually careful to keep her shielded from the cruel, brutal side of his life. Guess that’s changed.
Her grip is putting pressure on my bruised stomach, but I need the comfort as much as she does. This isn’t the first time someone has attacked Victor, but this is the scariest. As soon as the explosion hit, his guards split us up, taking Victor and Marissa one way, and us another. Rocco, one of the guards, is standing watch at the door, focused on whatever information he’s getting through his earpiece, and not on us.
“You’re okay, right? We’re going to be okay, aren’t we?" Anne asks, her voice thin with fear.
"I don't know. We need to stay quiet and do what we’re told. They probably aren’t here looking for us." I try to keep my voice calm. I can freak out later.
Shouts and gunfire carry through from the first floor, moving from room to room. The only tears I’d shed if Victor ends up dead would be from joy, but I can’t share that with his daughter, and right now my safety is tied to theirs. It would be ironic if Victor finally gets what he deserves, and instead of free, I end up dead in the crossfire.
"Why didn’t we go with Dad?"
Rocco glances our way. “They’re looking for Mr. Kane. He’s safer if we don’t have to split our attention.”
Safer for him, but what about us?
“Can they get in here?” I ask.
He shrugs.
Well that’s reassuring.
Apparently my lack of confidence is obvious, because his lip curls like he just smelled something bad. “If you’re not happy, then you’re welcome to go out there and take your chances. I’m here to watch the girl, not you. What’ll it be?”
“Don’t leave me,” Anne whispers into my neck.
“I would never.”
Someone knocks on the door. Two quick raps and then three more slowly. Rocco nods like he’s listening to someone, and opens the door. Two guards I don’t know slip inside, one with red hair and the other with dark neck tattoos. Rocco leaves without saying a word.
I pull Anne even closer. She’s practically sitting in my lap. "It's going to be okay. They’re here to keep you safe, right? There’s food and water, and I bet I can come up with some more math for you to work on if you get bored. Victor will deal with whatever is going on and then we can fly back to the city. You like flying in the helicopter."
She nods. “You think so?”
The guards look nervous, which doesn’t feel like a good sign, but I paste a smile on my face. “Absolutely. This will all work out for the best, promise. Hey, how about we see if there are any snacks in here? What Marissa doesn’t know won’t hurt us.” I untangle myself from Anne and pull her over to the small stash of shelf stable food.
There are bottles of water and a few cans of beer and soda. I consider it for a short moment, then grab cola. Anne's eyes light up when I give it to her. No cookies, but there are some granola bars, and I take two, handing one to her.
Anne takes a sip from her can and grins. “You didn’t really mean it about the math, right?”
“No. You think I would do that to myself?” I stick out my tongue and she laughs.
The danger isn’t forgotten, but the gunfire has died down and for a second we relax. Right up until another, smaller, explosion shakes the building.
“What the fuck was that?” the redheaded guard asks his buddy.
The walls of the safe room might be intrusion proof, but they're definitely not sound proof. More cracks that have to be gunshots sound like they're coming closer. I don’t know exactly what business Victor is in, but I know it’s not legal. Even if every single other sign didn’t point that way, he murdered my parents, after all. That’s not the work of an investment banker. It shouldn’t be surprising that it’s finally catching up to him, but it is. If they succeed, what will happen to Anne? To me?
I can’t decide if I’m excited or terrified. Both, I guess.