Total pages in book: 64
Estimated words: 59738 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 299(@200wpm)___ 239(@250wpm)___ 199(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 59738 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 299(@200wpm)___ 239(@250wpm)___ 199(@300wpm)
My thoughts drift to Archer, and it fractures me to acknowledge that this might be it. After tonight, he won’t have a mother. Conor will take care of him, I believe that. It’s the only thing I can take comfort in. He cares about him and he will do right by him. But it won’t be the same. Archer needs his mom. He needs the softness only a mother can provide in this world.
“I know they did you wrong,” I forge on. “They humiliated you. They treated you like crap. And I’m sorry for the way things went down, but it doesn’t have to be this way. I can get you money. I can get you whatever you want.”
“I don’t want your money.” Slick scowls. “This isn’t a negotiation.”
I take a deep breath and plan my words carefully. There’s only one thing left to say. One thing that could possibly convince him, even if it’s the lie that hurts me the most.
“I’m not just Conor’s girlfriend, you know. I’m his wife.”
Slick stops fiddling with the rope and looks up at me. “Bullshit.”
“It’s true,” I say. “And if you do this, you will have your revenge for two seconds, but the wrath you will face after ensures you won’t live to see next week. You know it’s true.”
His eyes drift to my hand and he shakes his head. “You’re a lying bitch. You don’t even have a ring.”
“We custom ordered them. I don’t have it yet, but that doesn’t mean we are any less married. You can look it up if you don’t believe me. Check the court records.”
Slick hesitates for a split second, and I think I’m getting through to him until he snorts. “He has no idea where you are, and he never will.”
The worst part is that it’s probably true. I have no idea what Archer will say to Conor when he gets home, but he will be so scared it will be difficult for him to say anything at all. Conor will assume it was the Locos, and by the time he does come looking for me, I’ll be long gone.
When Slick finally manages to get the rope wrapped around my wrists, I wiggle against it and he snarls. “Stop fucking moving.”
He disappears down a hallway to make a phone call, speaking in a hushed tone that lets me know he’s not too far away. We’re in a part of the city that looks eerily run down from what I was able to see outside the windows. Slick made me lay back in my seat and told me to shut my eyes the entire ride here, but there’s something oddly familiar about this building. The smell, or the peeling paint, or the dread. I can’t be sure why I feel that way because I know I’ve never been here.
We’re in a rented office space. Except there is no office. It’s just an empty room with a desk, a couple of lawn chairs, and a twin-sized mattress in the corner. On top of the mattress, a pile of tiny bags waits to be distributed. Cocaine, from the looks of it. And that isn’t the only place I see it either. On the desk, there are residue lines left behind from what I would guess is Slick.
He mentioned the locals which must mean we are in some kind of gang territory. That doesn’t bode well for me, especially if he’s running drugs for them. Chances of anyone helping me here are slim to none even if I do manage to escape.
Still, my eyes bounce around the room in search of potential weapons while I try to loosen the rope, but there’s next to nothing that I can see. I’m in the middle of trying to edge my chair closer to the desk when Slick returns and shakes his finger at me.
“You aren’t very smart, you know that?” He leans down and breathes into my face. “But you do have some spirit, and I’ve always liked a spirited woman.”
I choke back the sickness I feel even looking at him, and he strokes my cheek with a level of creepiness I can’t handle. “On second thought, I think I will go back and get your son. If what you say is true, then it’s probably best I don’t leave any witnesses.”
I start to thrash, shaking my head violently as I plead with him. “He didn’t see anything! He won’t talk!”
“I’m not a monster.” Slick pulls away and checks his watch. “If you do everything I say, I’ll make sure the kid goes easy.”
“Fuck you!” I scream. “You fucking piece of shit, motherfucker! I will murder you myself—”
His hand cracks across my face, and it feels like my cheek has exploded. The rest of my words die off as his fingers move to my throat, squeezing in warning. “Be quiet you little bitch, or I’ll shut you up permanently.”