Total pages in book: 94
Estimated words: 87961 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 440(@200wpm)___ 352(@250wpm)___ 293(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 87961 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 440(@200wpm)___ 352(@250wpm)___ 293(@300wpm)
I storm into the bathroom and search the cabinets, until—bingo!—my eyes land on a disposable razor. I smile as I snatch it from the shelf, running my finger over it. It’s not sharp, but it will do. I use the edge of the vanity to snap the plastic edge off, exposing the blade. It’s not much, but if he tries to attack me, it may well make a difference. At this stage, I’ll take all the help I can get.
An hour after I’ve left her in my room, I sit in my office with Marney.
He puffs on his cigarette, then twists it between his fingers. He says something to me, but I’m too lost in my own thoughts to process it, and I guess he can tell. Marney leans over my desk, his eyes set on mine with concern. “I know you don’t want to believe it, Jude, ‘cause I know you don’t want to kill another woman—”
“I didn’t kill the first one, you did.”
He rolls his eyes. “All right, but things aren’t looking good for her. You need to figure out what the hell you're gonna do, son.”
I clasp my hands behind my head and bend over my lap.
Marney huffs. I hear his chair creak, then I feel his hand rest on my shoulder. “I know, Jude. I know. It’s not a situation you wanna be in, but you are. If she were a man, you’d kill her. You wouldn’t question it, hell, you wouldn’t care if you were wrong or not, you’d just kill the bastard. A life is a life, regardless what’s between the person’s legs.” He pats me a few times and starts coughing.
I exhale and look up at him.
“David had the kid’s line tapped, and he’s been asking Joe when he can give you the money, Joe said he wants to give her a little more time to burn your face into her memory. Wise to it or not, that girl’s gonna cause your death.” He shakes his head; frail grey wisps of hair catch in the air and he quickly smooths them back out. “You gotta get her outta here. And I’m sorry to say, if you let her outta here alive, well…” He walks to the door, stopping to shoot me one last pitiful glare. “I guess if she walks outta here alive, Joe’ll have you killed in a matter of hours.”
The door shuts behind him and I’m left alone. This is the first time in a long time I’ve felt like I’m going to completely lose it. I think this may be panic. My pulse is going ninety to nothing; my thoughts are all jumbled, I can’t even make sense of them; my entire body is coated in a thick sheen of sweat; and all I want to do is break something.
So what if Euan is Joe’s nephew? And Marney had the dipshit’s line tapped and Joe mentioned Victoria to him. That doesn’t mean she knows why she’s here...does it? The fact that I don’t want her to be involved is concerning, to say the least, but what I really can’t handle is the fact that I’ve been set up. That is crystal-fucking-clear. I am no longer in control of this situation, and I do not like that.
I leap from my chair and pace, dragging my hands through my hair. All I can think about is how fucked up this all is. I’ve been set up by the man who killed my mother and sister. I’ve never been outsmarted, and that’s what Joe’s just done. That man ruined my life once, and he’s trying to do it again.
This stops right here. I need to know whether she’s involved with Joe. I know that as soon as I mention this shit to the other guys, all hell will break loose. I have to be certain she is working for Joe. Without a shadow of a doubt certain. That’s not going to be easy.
I stare through the thick nicotine haze. Each of my uncles’ eyes are wide and set on me because of what I just disclosed to them.
Bob runs his hands down his face, his fingers scraping over his short stubble. “Set up?” He shoots out of the recliner and paces the living room. “By a fucking woman?” he yells.
Shaking my head, I clarify. “No, by Joe.”
“Yeah, and a fucking woman!” He points toward the hall.
Caleb clears his throat. “You think she knows, Jude?”
Inhaling, I glare at him. What a stupid fucking question. “How the fuck would I know that, huh? I have no idea.” Now I’m pacing, and the more I think about it, the hotter I get.
Bob blocks my path, his jaw ticking. “Every damn person knows you got a soft spot for a female.” He pokes me in the chest. “You fucked up letting that be known. What better way for Joe to do you in than by a damn woman?”