Total pages in book: 130
Estimated words: 129571 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 648(@200wpm)___ 518(@250wpm)___ 432(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 129571 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 648(@200wpm)___ 518(@250wpm)___ 432(@300wpm)
“Fine.” I smirked. “Jasmine, do me a favor and look at Benny’s face.”
She leaned forward and stared at him. Once she realized what I was talking about, she gasped and took a step toward me.
“How many red dots are on that devil’s face?” I asked.
She didn’t even hesitate. “Five.”
“Five red dots.”
Benny moved his face from side to side, searching out the snipers.
“Go ahead and show yourselves, guys,” I said. “The jig is up and I have a ride to catch. And by the way, Benny, this is by far my favorite part of the plan.”
In the coffin-like beds at the center of the room, my five men took off those blankets that covered them and rose. It was a long shot that the plan would work. Anything could’ve happened. Benny could’ve walked into the doss house’s space and got nervous. No tour entered a building, at least not any that my men had checked.
But his craziness for Ripper would be the perfect cheese to lure him into the cage.
The snipers kept their target’s lights on Benny’s face.
“So,” I rubbed my hands together. “Jasmine’s counting says that we’re done here. I have two guys at your side and five at your face. Not even Houdini could escape those bullets. Even worse, I made this a little competition among my guys. Anyone who kills you gets a million dollars in cash.”
“They’ll die before they’ll see that money.” Benny glared at the snipers. “You’ll be in a casket before you spend it. You don’t want my kind of trouble.”
“Oh shut up, old man, and accept defeat for once.” I checked my watch. “Okay, tesoro. Let’s go.”
Jasmine took another step away from the wall, but she didn’t come my way. Instead, she went toward him. “No.”
“Jasmine?” I raised my eyebrows.
This is not the plan. What is she doing? Is she going to try and save him?
She didn’t answer, and the stress of the room reached an all new height. None of my men expected her to move closer to him. Even a few of Benny’s guys stirred in their position.
Benny laughed. “Jasmine is very smart. She understands that I won’t give up.”
She closed the distance between Benny and her. “He’s right, Chase.”
Another step.
Her hands shook. “You don’t know the things I’ve seen him do.”
Barely a foot lay between them and I almost screamed,
until ...
In a blur, she raised that pocket knife and slammed it into his chest, and then she ran. Jasmine raced away. Blood spurted from Benny’s chest. He screamed, grasping at the handle of that little knife. And my tesoro sped right to me.
I stood there in shock, but not for long.
Because the shots came next. I didn’t know who pulled the trigger first, but bullets began to fly as Benny sank to the floor, tears spilling out of his eyes while he tried to yank that knife out of him.
“Let’s go!” Jasmine screamed at me.
“What?” I nodded my head like a crazy man. “I mean yes. Fuck. This way.”
I held her hand and we rushed away, crouching somewhat as more people shot. And then darkness came. Either some genius had shot the lamps out or stray bullets got to them, but now we couldn’t see.
Please, God. Get us out of here!
I tightened my grip on Jasmine’s hand and dragged us forward. Someone grabbed my arm. I punched them in the face.
“Mr. Stone! It’s me, Thomas!” The guy grabbed at my arm again. “I can take you to the helicopter.”
I had no idea who the hell Thomas was, but if he knew about the helicopter, then he was one of my men. “Let’s go.”
Somehow we made it out into the back stairwell, which was the way I’d come in. Jasmine remained silent and kept up with us as we dashed up the stairs. I wasn’t surprised. She ran every damn day like it was some sort of religion. She probably could get up there faster than me.
“You stabbed him.” My eyes widened as I panted.
“Yes.”
“And holy fuck, I think you got his heart.”
“I aimed for it.”
“That was goddamned fantastic!”
“I hope he’s dead.”
“Hell yes. Me too.” I almost doubled over with laughter, if not for the pain shooting up my legs. We continued up to the third floor. Booming blared below us. The gun fight went on, and I doubted anybody else would make it out of there alive.
And then a door slammed downstairs and footsteps boomed below us.
“Someone’s coming,” Thomas announced.
“You’re a goddamn genius. Get behind us and shoot at them.” I made sure Jasmine got in front of both of us. “All I care about is getting her to this helicopter.”
Someone shot up at us, right as we made it to the roof’s entrance, but it no longer mattered.
Cool air hit my face. Jasmine ran right with me, hand-in-hand toward the helicopter. She climbed in, and I followed. So close. So fucking close. Thomas got in next to the pilot, reloading his gun and preparing to shoot if he had to.