Total pages in book: 158
Estimated words: 144832 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 724(@200wpm)___ 579(@250wpm)___ 483(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 144832 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 724(@200wpm)___ 579(@250wpm)___ 483(@300wpm)
“Do you think it will ever really be over for them?” Elie asked. “Benito has four brothers. In order to stop Benito from pursuing her, we’ve got to kill him. When he’s dead, aren’t the others going to come after her?”
“The hope is they will have no idea she has anything to do with his death, or the death of any member of the Demons,” Vittorio said. “Although the manner in which they were all killed goes back to the same way her step-uncles were killed.”
“That’s true,” Emmanuelle agreed, “but if they lose so many, and no one ever caught a glimpse of the assassins and lived to tell about it, I’d want to stay away.”
“Taviano and Nicoletta will always have to be careful, but then we all do,” Vittorio said. “In any case, we can hunt them if we have to. Elie, your family, in particular, has to be watchful at all times. It is rare to worry that shadow riders might come after us, but with the job your family has, that’s a very real possibility.”
The Archambaults were the only family sanctioned to kill other riders for breaking the laws of shadow riders.
Vittorio suddenly swung his head toward the highway. “I believe the Demons are close. Let’s see where they plan on heading.”
All three were immediately on their feet, stepping into the shadow that would hurtle them straight toward the Y in the highway that would determine which road the Demons would travel to fuel up on their journey, or if they would even stop.
Vittorio had taken the lead and Elie stepped in front of Emmanuelle. She hissed her ire at him as she emerged from the mouth of the tube, but he didn’t so much as turn around or acknowledge that he noticed. The two Ram trucks and Toyota 4Runner were the only vehicles approaching the Y. Traffic wasn’t busy.
The sun had already dropped, providing a purple and blue sky streaked with darker clouds. The vehicles pulled to the side of the road for a brief consultation, although no one got out.
“They’re so lazy, they’re using their cell phones instead of getting out and talking with one another,” Emmanuelle observed.
The truck in the last position sat in the remaining light, engine rumbling, with the shadow of the trees cast right over it. Emmanuelle stepped into it and instantly felt the pull. The tube took her body, flinging her straight down and across the distance at breakneck speed, sliding her right under the door and throwing her into the very back, just missing one of the men in the back seat as the driver put the vehicle into gear and set the truck in motion.
She breathed deeply, crouching low, making herself as small as possible as she tried to rid herself of the disorienting effects riding the shadows always caused in her body. There was no shadow to immediately dive into if one of the five men in the cab of the truck should suddenly turn their head and spot her. As they drove down the highway, shadows occasionally striped the cab but streaked past and couldn’t be counted on to hide in. She remained silent, slowing her heartbeat, breathing slowly and evenly, using calming meditation breathing to let her muscles relax and be ready to spring into action.
There was silence in the truck for the first few minutes and then one of them spoke. “Can’t you put a little lead into it, Brio? Either that or pull the hell over.”
Brio had to be the driver. Emmanuelle locked that into her memory.
“You had your chance, Cruz,” Brio snapped. “You can hold it until we get to the diner. What are you, two?”
Cruz was sitting in the back seat directly to her left.
Cruz squirmed, and the man sitting directly in front of her shoved him. “Stop it. It’s fucking close quarters in here. I told you to quit drinking, but you just kept it up anyway.” He sounded annoyed. Frazzled even.
They’d come a long way, and riding together in the back seat probably hadn’t been very comfortable. They weren’t small men. She risked a look, just tipping her head up enough that she could see the backs of their heads.
Cruz swore in Spanish and elbowed the man. “Shut the fuck up, Eber, I’m tired of you.”
Eber retaliated, slamming his elbow viciously into Cruz’s jaw. It was hard enough to snap Cruz’s head to one side. Eber didn’t stop. He hit him two more times and then turned in the seat, facing slightly away from him.
The man to Emmanuelle’s right snickered. “Hell, Eber, you just tore him up.”
“What the fuck is going on back there?” Brio demanded. “Lon, what did Eber do?”
“Nothing, they’re just going at it like always,” Lon lied.
“Well, stop,” Brio demanded.
Emmanuelle could see him peering into the rearview mirror, searching suspiciously to see what was going on. The front passenger turned to look as well.