Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 77118 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 386(@200wpm)___ 308(@250wpm)___ 257(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77118 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 386(@200wpm)___ 308(@250wpm)___ 257(@300wpm)
That made sense.
Chet, desperate, picked up Nyx to try to torture the location out of her.
Erion felt… if not guilt—because I wasn’t sure he was capable of that—but something like responsibility for her not being able to hand half of it back.
So he stepped in.
“I went and handled the gang, got myself flush with supply, and grabbed this useless shithead,” he said, waving toward the car.
“Why take Chet’s body then?” I asked, confused.
“Partly because this was my mess to clean up too. But also, figure showing up with Donny alive—he’s the nephew of the boss of this crime family—,” he explained. “And the corpse of the real problem might be enough.”
“Enough for what?”
“Them to go ahead and move out of Shady Valley. Take their operation somewhere else.”
“So you can operate from here,” I said, nodding.
It all made sense.
He’d been lying low, likely checking out all the operations in town, then deciding that going after the Novikoff brothers was likely not the smartest move.
Not when this other empire was all but falling in his lap. Sure, it looked like he’d needed to murder at least ten people, judging by all the blood, but he was the kind of bastard who was okay with that sort of collateral damage if it meant he got what he wanted.
“Apartments are decent enough, especially after a cell for so long, but I got my eye on one of those mansions on Millionaire’s Row,” he said, smirking.
“Looks like you’re on the way there,” I said, nodding.
“Yep. Well, don’t worry about the body. I’ll deal with it after tossing it at the Bulgarians. Oh, and when your girl is well enough, tell her to drop the other few bricks off to me. We will consider ourselves down with each other by then.”
Some part of me wanted to object.
But, really, none of us had any use for drugs.
And we definitely didn’t want to be sitting on it either.
“Got it,” I agreed, nodding.
“Alright. I’m out,” he said, sighing when he looked back at Donny who was crying quietly in the backseat. “Oh, for fuck’s sake,” he said, face twisting up in disgust. “It just me or are criminals not what they used to be?” he asked, but he was speaking to himself.
Then he was in his car and driving off, leaving me standing there watching him go.
“What was that about?” Judge asked, coming out.
“That was Erion Kadare somehow managing to solve this entire fucking clusterfuck of ours and come out on top himself,” I said, shaking my head.
“Should we be worried about being even indirectly aligned with him, considering the shit with the Bratva?” Judge asked.
“He doesn’t want the old business anymore. He decided to chase out the Bulgarians and take over that trade instead.”
“That works out for everyone, am I right?” Sway asked, brows drawing together.
“It does. And it doesn’t cost us anything but the bricks we want to get rid of anyway.” Despite what he said, though, I wasn’t quite ready to take his advice about lowering our guard.
I was going to need some kind of confirmation of all that shit first.
Little did I know that the confirmation would come by way of Nyx’s phone ringing mid-morning.
Nyx was still passed out after a second dose of drugs in the wee hours of the night.
Sliding my finger across her shattered screen as best I could, I answered to hear the automated voice from the prison call system.
“Czar,” I greeted after accepting.
There was a slight pause, him likely expecting Nyx. “Is she okay?” he asked.
“No,” I said, honestly. “If you thought she looked like shit when she came to see you, she looks about ten times worse now.”
“Motherfuckers,” he hissed, voice tight like he was talking out from between gritted teeth.
“Yeah,” I agreed. “But they won’t touch her again,” I added, tone heavy, since I couldn’t say the words, what with prison calls being screened and shit.
“Yeah,” he agreed. Almost as if he had already heard somehow.
“Word is… the comic book collectors are moving on to more… profitable areas.”
Comic book collectors.
Nyx had mentioned referring to the drugs as comic books when she’d visited him.
“I got word that might be happening,” I said, nodding.
“I wanted to confirm the rumors. I know how much Nyx was worried about the collectors wanting her comic books.”
“I appreciate it,” I said, glancing over at Nyx.
A woman we both clearly loved.
And I got to count myself lucky until the end of my damn days that she’d chosen me.
“What’s it mean for you when you get out?” I asked.
“Got at least another year before that,” he said. “But things are… in flux now. I don’t know what the future is going to look like.”
“Get that.”
“But if you’re asking about my intentions toward Nyx, I can accept that I lost here,” he said, and there was a mix of resignation and disappointment in his voice. “So long as you take care of her like she deserves. You don’t…” he said, letting the threat hang.