Total pages in book: 54
Estimated words: 53428 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 267(@200wpm)___ 214(@250wpm)___ 178(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 53428 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 267(@200wpm)___ 214(@250wpm)___ 178(@300wpm)
Earlier today when Leonardo and I rode the airplane near the Coffin Cheaters’ valley, I did not get as much information as I had hoped.
Even though it was daylight, the valley depths were unnaturally dark. The most I could make out was that the surrounding mountains had gigantic trees that cast large shadows on the massive space. In some areas, I made out simple houses and small buildings, but the area appeared more like a shack-filled village than a modern city.
I need to know more.
I ran my fingers along Kashmere’s silky braid. “Have you ever been in the Coffin Cheaters’ valley.”
She shivered against me. “Yes. Once.”
I placed my hand to her chin and lifted her view to me. “Tell me about it.”
She swallowed. “Gypsy wasn’t supposed to bring me there, but we were both hard-headed teenagers who didn’t care about rules.”
“So you got to see one opening to the mountains?”
“No way. Even though Gypsy broke the rule of bringing me there, he still blindfolded me when I got close.” She sat up. “When we finally arrived and he took off the blindfold, I thought I was in some sort of shanty town from the past.”
“Not modern at all.”
She shook her head. “Back then, I understood why the Coffin Cheaters wanted a piece of the pie in Paradise City as well as land. They had to figure out plumbing which was not up to par when I was there.”
“What about electricity?”
“A few lights here and there, but the Coffin Cheaters are not on our level in the city.”
“Yet, they have weapons?”
“Tons of them. My father and brother never figured out who they were buying from, but it wasn’t the Four Aces. Lei and his family looked down on the Coffin Cheaters.”
“Due to the cannibalism?”
“You must admit that most large groups of people can’t agree on a lot, but cannibalism is one of those things that almost every human is disgusted by.”
I studied her. “Why did Gypsy take you to his village?”
She looked away. “It was. . .umm. . .well, we needed privacy.”
I gently grabbed her chin and put her view back to me. “Privacy for what?”
“It was the day he took my virginity.”
My entire body began to tremble with an anger so deep I could barely contain it.
Still, I held in my rage, knowing I couldn’t be mad at her. Every muscle in my body was coiled and ready to explode with fury. It was just the thought of this filthy piece of shit cannibal thrusting inside of her that made me want to rip his head off his body.
She widened her eyes. “Santino?”
I stilled myself. “Did you two have sex only once?”
“Do you really think that this is important information for killing him?”
“Sometimes I’m a caveman and want to know the things that I shouldn’t.”
She frowned. “It was more than once.”
I won’t kill him quick. It will be several days of torture just because he got to taste her before me.
She sighed. “Either way, I ended it.”
“Why?”
She gazed out of the window. “Once Pedro and Kashmere were set to be married, my family found out about Gypsy and me. My father and Grandma thought it would be strange for me to continue dating him.”
“Hold on. You two dated while the Coffin Cheaters and Killer Crows were at war?”
She didn’t look back at me. “Yeah.”
“How did that happen?”
“One night, I was out with Merik at the movies in this town outside of Paradise called Glory. We were supposed to be doing some gun training bullshit with Romeo, which is why we were hiding in the movie theater miles away, sipping on a bottle of whiskey I stole from his office.” She turned back to me. “Anyway, Gypsy happened to be at the movies with some chick and a few of his bikers. At the time, we’re both teenagers so. . .it wasn’t like we were going to blast each other.”
“You didn’t have guns then?”
“I did, but I hadn’t killed anyone yet. And honestly, I never got the whole war thing between the Coffin Cheaters and Killer Crows. I was a teenager who thought it was all bullshit.”
“Gypsy approached you first?”
She nodded. “After the movie, he stepped up to me, leaned forward, and whispered that I was the most beautiful girl he’d ever seen.”
I felt like I had tasted something disgusting on my tongue.
“I rolled my eyes and pointed to the chick Gyspy was with. And he did something crazy.”
“What?”
“He called the chick over and told her that I was the most beautiful girl he’d ever seen and that she would need a new ride home.” She shrugged. “I know. He was not Prince Charming when we met, and because of that, I left with Merik, laughing the whole ride back to Paradise City.”
“But then you saw Gypsy again?”
“Chanel always let me drive one of her cars to school. Anytime, I left the West, Gypsy was zooming behind me on his bike and following me around.” She gave me a sad smile. “He pretty much stalked me for three months, waiting outside of my school and never saying anything, just smoking a cigarette and leaning against his bike.”