Total pages in book: 87
Estimated words: 84871 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 424(@200wpm)___ 339(@250wpm)___ 283(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 84871 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 424(@200wpm)___ 339(@250wpm)___ 283(@300wpm)
“You can’t do this forever,” I bite out. “You’ll get caught sooner or later. Maybe you’ll get rid of me, but there’ll always be someone out there looking to stop corruption and uncovering the truth.”
“That’s me, woman. I’m the detective with the impeccable record and a favorite among my peers. Even you liked me and you don’t like anyone.”
“Where’s my nephew?”
“Oh, he’s around. I promised a lead and I led you right to him. We have a plan for your delinquent nephew. He has your blood on his hands.” He makes a gesture at the back of his head. “And he’ll have the murder weapon on him. I’ll have to shoot him in the head, of course, for killing my colleague and friend. If only I’d gotten to you sooner.”
His sarcasm makes me grind my molars together. “You won’t get away with this.”
“Oh, but I have. Tanaka’s stupid ass thinks it’s you—that you’re the problem in our department. He thinks you’re covering for your nephew murdering Lenny. Prez cut Lenny’s throat and later sent Trevor home. You both played beautifully into our hands.”
I was wrong about Tanaka all along.
We were looking for the same person and were too focused on our dislike for each other.
What a waste. I feel like an idiot.
And now, because I didn’t figure this out quickly enough, my nephew is going to die. We’ll both die. I’ll never see Dempsey again.
A lump forms in my throat. Crying won’t help me. Grieving over a future with a man I love that I’ll never go on to have isn’t going to get me out of this situation.
“You were supposed to die weeks ago, but you were too slippery then,” Bishop says, jerking me back to his villain speech. “You’re not slipping away this time. I’m being paid a lot more to get my hands dirty to make you go away.”
The mayor is dishing out the cash to have me murdered all because I was digging into the Ghirard case?
“You’re going to kill me yourself, Bishop?” I bark out a harsh laugh. “They’ll catch on. They’re not stupid. Your DNA will be all over this place.”
He rises to his feet and clucks his tongue. “Like I said, Thurman, me and Prez have worked out a deal. He gets to kill you, we frame Trevor, and everyone walks away happily ever after. Well, except for you. You’ll be dead.”
Without another word, he strides off. Someone else approaches and swings at me. I barely have a chance to react or move and take a fist to the jaw.
I see lights again and then nothing.
“Aunt Sloane.”
“Go to sleep,” I murmur. “Night night.”
“Wake up,” Trevor croaks out. “Please.”
I jerk fully awake with a massive migraine. In one of the now-muted light slivers, I find my pale nephew shivering with snot running down his lip. Adrenaline courses through my veins, the need to protect Trevor pushing past the pain in my head.
“It’s okay,” I rasp. “We’re going to get out of here.”
How? I have no freaking idea. But we have to. We can’t die like this.
Light enters the barn again, this time dimmer, like maybe just the moonlight. It makes me wonder how many hours I’ve been trapped in this barn and unconscious.
People will be looking for me.
Aisha knows I went with Bishop.
They’ll piece it together. They’re cops.
But will it be too late?
Considering they have Trevor in here with me, I’d say my time is running out. Quick. The scent of body odor and whiskey invades my nostrils, making me nauseous. Whoever is here is the person who knocked me out before.
“Lookie, it’s the bitch pig who shot my fucking friend.”
Prez.
“He deserved it,” I spit out and brace for him to hit me.
Nothing comes.
“Andre says I have full rein. I can do whatever the fuck I want to you.” He kicks some hay toward me. “Blondie, there’s a lot I want to do to you, but we’ll start by making you squeal like the pig you are when my dick is rammed up your tight cop ass!”
“No!” Trevor cries out, launching himself at Prez. “I won’t let you hurt her!”
Prez easily body slams Trevor to the barn floor. Something cracks—which sounds like a bone snapping—and my heart is crushed. Trevor wheezes, giving me renewed hope that he’s still alive. Prez drags Trevor to where I can see him in a ray of moonlight and then begins strangling him. Trevor is too weak and no match for the burly guy on top of him.
“Stop,” I cry out. “Please, Prez. Just do what you have to do to me. Get this over with. I can’t watch this.”
He rains punch after punch down onto Trevor’s face and then finally abandons him to look my way. My nephew’s blood spatter is on this monster’s face.
The monster who’s coming for me next.