Total pages in book: 126
Estimated words: 115400 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 577(@200wpm)___ 462(@250wpm)___ 385(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 115400 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 577(@200wpm)___ 462(@250wpm)___ 385(@300wpm)
“Let’s go,” I tell Chiara.
She doesn’t skip a beat as I storm through the chaos, my men having my back and taking out every threat before it even becomes a problem, all while I watch as Ezekiel desperately tries to get through the crowd.
He knows what’s coming for him.
Purchasers are slaughtered left, right, and center, and I watch as women who were being carted away are suddenly freed and falling into the arms of my men. They run, desperate to get out of here, and I can’t help but notice the way Chiara’s spirits seem to rise.
It’s as though she doesn’t even see the blood pooling on the ground, doesn’t feel the weight of the death within the room. She’s here with a purpose, and despite the exhaustion that claims her, nothing else matters. It’s fucking beautiful.
Ezekiel breaks out through a side exit that leads deeper into the maze of tunnels, and without hesitation, we follow him in. His feet pound against the concrete floor, leaving an audible trail for us to follow, and I shake my head at his pathetic attempt at escape.
“Is he for real?” Chiara asks, still clutching the gun.
“Unfortunately, for people like Ezekiel, stupidity comes naturally. It’s why their businesses are so easy to obtain and corrupt.”
Ezekiel runs into an office, and as we step into the open doorway, we watch him scramble through his desk drawer. “Ezekiel, how nice to see you again.”
He holds up a gun, his hands shaking in fear. “Don’t fucking touch me,” he spits. “I’ll kill the bitch before you even take a step.”
I laugh. “Oh, I believe you’ve met my wife,” I say, indicating to the blood-soaked warrior beside me. “Isn’t she gorgeous?”
His putrid gaze flicks toward Chiara for barely a second, but it’s a second too long. He looks back at me but doesn’t respond. It’s the first smart move he’s made all day.
“Ezekiel, do you know what happens to men who put their hands on my wife?” I ask, so calmly anybody would assume I’m here for a lunch date.
His eyes fill with panic, clearly not knowing how to play this, but there’s no hand he could possibly play to win. Every move he makes, he’ll lose. And as if knowing that, he raises his gun just a little higher, aimed right between my eyes.
BANG!
Chiara shoots, and her bullet goes wide, penetrating the wall behind his head, but it’s enough to startle him. He drops his gun in his panic, and all I can do is let out a heavy sigh as I stride deeper into the small office. “I asked a question,” I say impatiently. “What do you believe happens to men who touch my wife?”
Ezekiel flashes his gaze between me and the door and seeing no way out, he backs up against the wall. “Just kill me now, you piece of shit,” he spits over the horrendous noise coming from the main floor, dropping to his knees in surrender. “DO IT! FUCKING DO IT.”
I laugh. “You think I will do you the honor of putting you out of your misery? Of giving you a simple bullet between your eyes and calling it even?” I ask, leaning toward him and holding his stare as he wets his pants. “You put your hands on my wife, you had your men hold her down while you took turns fucking what is mine. You scarred her body, left her broken and bruised, and then sold her for profit. You dared to touch the woman I love. So no, a simple bullet will not suffice. You are about to experience the full wrath of the DeLorenzo Mafia.”
I inch away from him, and on cue, three of my men pour into the small office to collect Ezekiel, cuffing his hands behind his back and pulling a black bag over his head. “Sir,” one of my men says, pausing beside me. “We have the other two guards in custody.”
“Good. Take the three of them back to my private cells. I’ll be there shortly.”
He nods and with that, he leaves with the others.
Alone with Chiara, I move back into her, taking her waist and forcing her stare to mine. “You good? We have what we came for. We can leave out the back door or return to the main floor and finish what we started.”
“The girls?” she questions, fear in her eyes. “Have they got them all?”
“No. I don’t believe so.”
A profound determination comes over her and I realize in an instant that she is about to dedicate her life to helping girls just like her, girls who have suffered at the hands of unlawful men, girls who have been tossed aside and disregarded as nothing more than a toy for someone to use and abuse. And however she decides to do that, I’ll be right there, helping her along.