Total pages in book: 112
Estimated words: 112567 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 563(@200wpm)___ 450(@250wpm)___ 375(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 112567 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 563(@200wpm)___ 450(@250wpm)___ 375(@300wpm)
Another boom came.
Chloe and Jo better not be fighting!
I rushed to the door, opened it, and bumped right into Jo hurrying to the hallway, too.
Wait. Jo is right here.
Chloe was also in the hallway, but she was holding TT. “Someone’s breaking into the front door.”
Jo frowned. “Dad probably owes somebody else money.”
“Fuck.” I hurried to my bedroom. “Jo get your gun and take them out through the fire escape. We’ll meet at Sal’s for breakfast as usual.”
Another boom came.
Jo’s bottom lip quivered. “I can’t leave you.”
“Go!”
“But, Moni—”
“Now!”
TT rushed my way and gave me the wooden dagger. “Use this. It will protect you.”
“Okay.” I took it. “Go.”
TT tried to hand me her teddy bear. “And take Snuggles, too.”
“TT, what am I going to do with him?”
“He has a black belt in karate!”
My eyes watered. “Then, take Snuggles with you. I’ll be okay.”
“But—!”
“Let’s go!” Jo dragged her away.
Chapter three
The Debt
Monique
My sisters fled.
I stuffed the wooden dagger in my back pocket, grabbed the old shot gun from my closet, and made sure it was loaded with shells. When things really got bad—tips were low, some surprise bill showed up, or food assistance ran out—Jo and I would go to Serenity Forest with our guns. We did some small game hunting—rabbit and birds. Anything to put some meat on the table. Anything to help us survive.
I’d gotten pretty good at mushroom foraging as well, managing to always bring back a pound of wild mushrooms along with a few psychotropics on the side.
Another boom sounded.
I rushed into the living room, took the gun off safety, and aimed the barrel at the door. I didn’t want to put my finger on the trigger yet. I didn’t know who the hell would be coming inside.
All I needed now was to shoot a cop or some drunk idiot slamming into the wrong apartment.
God, when I asked for a change in my life. . .I didn’t mean people breaking into the apartment.
I placed my non-firing hand on the stock, roughly in the middle of the grip and cradled it. With my firing hand, I held the grip of the gun.
The door burst open. Wood cracked. The door frame shattered.
A massive, bald-headed man barreled through. Dressed in jeans and a T-shirt, he was 6’8, pale, and must’ve weighed over two hundred pounds.
He put those blue eyes on me and shrugged. “My bad, Moni.”
I widened my eyes. “Snow, what the fuck?”
Snow cracked his neck. “Your father fucked up.”
Damn it. How much does Dad owe now?
His brother, Dutch stepped inside, taking up most of the doorway. While he was just as tall as Snow, he didn’t have his brother’s muscle. He wore a black tailored suit with no tie.
Ever since we were kids, Dutch had this odd fascination with this actor named James Dean. I had no idea who the actor was, before Dutch. On the playground, he would spend hours telling me all about him and showing me old black-and-white pictures.
Today, his blonde hair was just like James Dean’s classic pompadour. In the front, the long strands were swept up and back at the top. Both sides were shaved.
Bits of wood fell from the frame and landed on Dutch’s shoulder. He brushed it away and looked at my gun. “Why is it, that every time I come here, someone is always pointing a gun at me? First your father, and now you.”
I took a step back. “Dutch, what are you doing? Why didn’t you just knock or—?”
Ignoring me, he pointed to Snow. “Remember long ago when her father pointed that gun at me?”
Snow chuckled. “I remember. You shit your pants.”
Dutch glared. “I didn’t shit my fucking pants. I wasn’t scared at all.”
Snow blinked in confusion. “But your jeans were all wet and brown in the back. Remember? We had to sneak in the house through the back so Dad wouldn’t see us and beat our—”
“Enough!” Dutch turned back to me. “Put the gun down, Moni.”
I kept the barrel pointed at him. “What did my dad do now?”
“He came into the casino last night. I invited him into a high roller blackjack game.”
I trembled. “Why would you do that? He didn’t have any money.”
“He was drunk,” Snow said. “He offered you guys up.”
I raised my eyebrows. “What do you mean?”
Dutch smiled. “He offered you and your sisters up as collateral.”
“He can’t do that.” I shook my head. “He doesn’t own us.”
“Yeah. I found the whole thing comical.” Dutch gazed around the living room. “I never took him seriously, but I let him play anyway.”
Three guys entered, dressed in jeans and T-shirts.
“Okay.” I focused the barrel on Dutch’s head. “Tell your people to stop coming in or I’ll shoot.”
“Do you know that I fell for you because you’re such a bad ass?” Dutch winked at me. “That shit is so sexy, but put the gun down, Moni.”