Total pages in book: 41
Estimated words: 37273 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 186(@200wpm)___ 149(@250wpm)___ 124(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 37273 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 186(@200wpm)___ 149(@250wpm)___ 124(@300wpm)
“What do you mean, took me out of the equation of getting killed again?”
She looked honestly perplexed by it all, and it made Joey realize even further that she was so fucking innocent and blind to everything that he truly did. He turned so he could face her, and gestured for her to have a seat in the chair in front of him. She was slow in moving, probably because she was so unsure of this whole thing, but she did finally have a seat.
“What exactly did you hear before that fucker grabbed you?” he asked with a deadly calm voice. He saw her throat work when she swallowed, watched the droplets of water land on her shirt from the tips of her hair, and noticed the way the white material became transparent.
Joey shifted in his seat, knowing he shouldn’t be feeling any kind of arousal at a time like this, but also knowing that when it came to Marra he tended to go against the grain.
“All I heard, and remember, was the man that was holding the gun said he wasn’t any use to Carlos any longer. The guy called him Mario, and that Carlos would have fun making Mario’s wife his whore.” She exhaled loudly and rubbed her hands down the length of her thighs. “He also said Kelly might have been innocent in ratting his crew out, but he’d dirty Kelly right up.”
Joey let her words play through his mind. It was clear that there was something up with Mario and the fact everyone in Joey’s crew thought Kelly had left him. Obviously that wasn’t the case. Was Carlos using Mario’s wife, Kelly, as leverage to get Mario to do what he wanted? That would make a hell of a lot of sense seeing as Carlos might be trying to get intel on Joey’s operations.
The problem was that Carlos was a dumb motherfucker because if he had been smart, or knew anything about the Bacelli crew, he wouldn’t have tried to get a made man to turn and instead gone after someone low on the totem pole.
“There wasn’t anyone else in that alleyway, or in that area besides the two men that are dead right now, and me.”
Joey pulled his thoughts away from finding Carlos and beating his skull in with a baseball bat. He stared at Marra and shook his head at how naive she was. “Marra, your cluelessness to the situation would be endearing if you weren’t right in the middle of what will be a war.” He was going to find that pathetic excuse for a gang leader, and show him what it meant to get involved with Joey Bacelli. He was going to show him that if he fucked with anyone Joey considered in his protection, his death would be slow and agonizing.
And Marra fell into that category.
“A war?” She shifted in her seat, clearly uncomfortable.
“I highly doubt the man that sent out the hit for Mario only had one guy for the job. Most likely there was a spotter, a man that was the lookout.”
“But I didn’t see anyone else,” she said with this tightness in her voice, and he could tell she was frightened at the reality of it all.
“A spotter would be there, but unseen, sweetheart.” He placed his arms on the back of the couch and watched her as she stared at the fire.
“I’ll leave town, find somewhere else that doesn’t have me in this fucked up mafia war.” She snapped her gaze to his right after she said it, as though she were afraid of the words she had just spoken.
He shook his head. “Not going to happen.”
She sat up straighter. “Why?” Her voice got harder, and he saw a spark of the fighter he knew she was.
“Aside from the obvious that I am the only one that can protect you?” he leaned forward. “You may or may not know some pretty vital information, things you shouldn’t know that could get you hurt.”
“You don’t even know if I was seen, or if someone is coming after me.” She was twisting her hands together in nervousness. “But yes, aside from all of that, why would you want me here, in your personal space, and wearing your clothes?” Marra picked at the shirt and stared at him as if in challenge.
“I want you, Marra, and keeping you here, knowing that I am the only one that can make sure you’re safe if, in fact, you are going to be targeted, just makes my need to have you even greater.” He was surprised when she didn’t blink, let alone flinch. “If you think I’m a bastard because I can and will keep you here, making sure you’re safe until all of this is taken care of, then so fucking be it.”
She shook her head, opened her mouth like she was about to say something, and then promptly closed it. Instead of saying anything she stood and walked over to the bottle of liquor on the kitchen island. Joey didn’t move as he watched her take a shot right out of the bottle, set it down, and brace her hands on the counter. She hung her head, and the desperation was clear in the way she held herself.