Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 94686 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 473(@200wpm)___ 379(@250wpm)___ 316(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 94686 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 473(@200wpm)___ 379(@250wpm)___ 316(@300wpm)
“I-I’m sorry.”
“No, you’re not. If the girls hadn’t died, you would still be hammering numbers onto doors!”
“I never wanted to hurt any of you.”
“Peel! Peel!” Saliva dripped from my lips.
“Wendy.” Chase didn’t say anything else after speaking my name. What went through his mind? Was it our love? Memories of our best moments? We’d had so many. Would he miss me once I was gone? Would he even shed a fucking tear?
Would you?
“Can we make love before you take my life?” I asked.
He cringed. “No.”
More tears spilled from my eyes. “Don’t do it, Chase. I think I want to live.”
“You can’t.”
“Because of that poisonous woman?”
He said nothing else and gripped the gun harder like he was preparing himself to shoot.
“But I love you, Chase.”
“I love Jasmine more.”
And then he pulled the trigger.
My hollow chest exploded as the bullet bit into me and chewed on flesh. It burned with each inch, stabbed with every breath, and spread even further as I choked on my own blood.
You won’t help me either? You’ll just let him kill me?
His face was the last thing I saw, his hand the last softness I experienced as he picked me up and helped me to the bed. He held me. My tears blurred my view. Pain. So much. More than I’d ever experienced. It crashed into my core and consumed my soul. There’d be no coming back from this. My heart had already been so small and crusted with darkness. Yet Chase had found my heart with no hesitation. He’d lodged a bullet into it, and then shot again.
“Chase.” Blood leaked out of my mouth. I coughed with no relief. I wagged my hands and tried to get up, fighting for that last moment.
Will you come with me? I’m scared.
“Goodbye, Wendy. I’m so sorry for all that I’ve done to you in the past.” He sighed. “May God have mercy on your soul.”
No. May God have mercy on you.
And then there was nothing, but Chase’s light breathing as he rocked me back and forth in his arms.
Epilogue
JASMINE
Two weeks later.
The line of people started at Jasmine’s entrance and continued two blocks away. Gabe had kept his promise and named the restaurant after me, although dropping the hell from the title that Chase had added weeks ago. My name hung over the restaurant in silver and violet letters with lights outlining every curve. Gabe had taken his dreams even farther and gotten rid of Lan’s old menu. In its place was high-end Mexican cuisine, dishes that would blow Oshane foodies’ minds.
I can’t believe he finally owns a restaurant.
So many wonderful savory smells drifted out of the place and filled the surrounding streets with pure awesomeness. As usual, Gabe had outdone himself—crispy tortillas flooded with lobster drizzling in a passion fruit sauce and crème fraiche, chilies filled with Gabe’s signature mole, garlic-marinated Kobe beef, traditional Mexican doughnuts with five different dipping sauces. He’d gone crazy—chipotle-braised short ribs, queso fresco with bacon, and dots of truffle oil!
Clearly, Gabe had something to prove with this restaurant, and I’d be there for him with anything he needed.
And oh, baby, the cocktails!
He’d spent even more time with the drinks—jalapeño-infused tequila, chocolate bitters floating in Kahlua and cream, and gelled-bourbon served within a closed blood orange.
“Are you still browsing over the menu?” Chase helped me out of the limo and peeked at my bare leg as it exposed itself through my dress’s split. “Did you not read that thing enough last week and the week before?”
“Oh, leave me alone. Gabe put in some additions and e-mailed the new one to me this morning.”
“I bet he did.”
“What does that mean?” I tucked the menu in my purse.
“It means Gabe is finding every excuse in the world to talk to you.”
“He’s asking me for my advice.” I got out of the limo.
“He’s still trying to court you.”
“That’s ridiculous.”
“He’s still in love with you.”
“New topic.” I straightened out my dress and made sure it covered everything. Chase had been pulling the fabric up all night to caress my thighs. I’d been wet and ready for him, so bad that we almost took a detour. If it hadn’t been Jasmine’s opening night, we would have. ‘“Are you excited about the menu?”
“Sure,” he grumbled as the limo drove away.
“Which drink are you ordering? I plan on getting the orange, clearly. Gabe has refused to tell me how he even put the bourbon in gel form and got it into a freaking closed orange. He’s going to show me one day when the restaurant is closed.”
“I bet he will.”
“Stop that.” I plastered on a fake smile as news cameras flashed in front of us. Dawn’s death brought the media. According to the world, she and Wendy had died in a horrific plane crash. Benny handled that part and provided photos of an actual wrecked plane which he’d sent to Dawn and Wendy’s family, along with their belongings. The bodies had been said to be badly damaged in the accident. So far, neither family questioned their deaths, yet the media got excited. Not only had Chase Stone’s dear fiancé died, but now he’d been appearing a lot more in public with me, an unknown black woman who did not walk in any of his circles. News crews camped outside of my apartment all day, waiting for an interview. I’d said no comment so much that I couldn’t see those words without vomiting.