Total pages in book: 192
Estimated words: 182641 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 913(@200wpm)___ 731(@250wpm)___ 609(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 182641 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 913(@200wpm)___ 731(@250wpm)___ 609(@300wpm)
There’s a fire in her eyes that speaks to the devil buried in mine, and he wants to play.
To worship.
To possess.
There wasn’t much mentioned about her family when I looked her up, nothing but a squeaky clean, prim and proper social media account—or so it would look to the outside eye, but gray recognizes gray—linked to the school’s website. Now I know why.
Her pops isn’t just a man with more money and property than the Pope. He’s something more.
Someone big, and I bet she’s his pride and joy, his perfect princess.
My eyes narrow at nothing, my chin lifting into the night.
That’s all right.
Every pretty little princess needs herself a prince.
I’ll be her dark, daunting one.
I dare Daddy to try and stop me.
My phone rings in my pocket and I fish it out to find Hayze calling.
I hit answer on the FaceTime call, smirking when a waft of smoke is what I see first, his grinning face second.
“Sup, my boy?” He pulls a blunt to his lips again.
“Just letting you know the car’s out front.”
He nods, but the gleam in his eyes has me stopping.
“What happened?”
“Counted out the cash.”
“And?”
“Two hundred in counterfeit bills.”
My face falls, anger swimming in my gut as face after face flashes in my mind until I land on one. “What a brave little bitch, rats on one dude to try and cover his own ass,” I mutter. “No wonder you’re fired up.”
“Love making little boys bleed.”
I scoff and start walking again. “That sounds fucked up.”
“Nah.” He grins, dropping back on his sleeping bag. “Fucked up would be cutting off his dick and feeding it to him.”
A chuckle leaves me, and I shake my head. “Find him. Call me when you do.”
“You got it, boss.”
Boss.
I like the sound of that …
Chapter 12
Rocklin
There’s a soft knock on my door, and then it’s opened, and before Saylor can issue a warning with her wide eyes, my dad strides in.
Bronx slams her laptop shut, and Delta throws the pillow in her lap over the papers just as I drop onto my side over the stack.
“Dad. Hi. You didn’t tell me you were stopping by.”
His eyes narrow, his gaze slicing from one of us to the next, settling on me. “Daughter …” He trails off. “What are we up to this evening?”
“Studying.”
“Working.”
“Planning.”
We all answer at the same time, but thankfully, all responses are cohesive enough to be convincing.
“Uh-huh.” His lips pinch and he looks to Bronx. “Your father is still joining us for dinner tomorrow, I hope?”
“He is,” she confirms.
My dad nods and then it’s Delta’s turn. “Your grandfather said your mother has finally taken the hint?”
“No contact for a few months now.” Delta places a hand over her heart, sighing dramatically. “It’s bliss.”
My dad’s lip twitches. “I know the feeling.”
I frown but erase it as his attention returns to me.
“I wanted you girls to see this first.” He passes the folded paper from beneath his arm.
Accepting it, I unfold the simple sheet of printer paper, and the girls lean toward me, the three of us reading the print in silence.
Breaking News: Jacobi Randolph arrested after his brand-new, six-million-dollar building burned to the ground just five months after its opening. Randolph allegedly filed a claim with the insurance company early Wednesday morning, but officials have now stepped in. Sources said during a routine search of Randolph’s vehicle, the county sheriff seized a suit jacket suspected to be the same one Randolph was photographed wearing the night of the fire and is believed to have traces of kerosene. Now, authorities say they will be looking into the overnight success of Randolph’s financial firm as they suspect foul play …
I chuckle, shaking my head, not bothering to read over the last few paragraphs of the report.
It’s scary how easy running schemes can be sometimes.
Jacobi Randolph didn’t do his research. He fled a small city on the East Coast and thought he would come this way, reinvent himself and come up on a couple easy millions.
But again … he didn’t do his research.
No one steps into Revenaw territory without permission, not when tricks are to be played.
There’s an order and a hierarchy that must be followed, and Randolph will be the newest reminder of what happens when you do as you wish. Well, a warning of it anyway. This is what we call a “friendly” reminder.
You don’t bring heat to hell. You’ll burn before you even reach the gates.
This is my father’s territory, and if anyone is going to rob from the rich here, it’s him, not some wannabe who figured out how easy it is to swindle men worth millions out of a couple they won’t miss.
“This is going to print?” Delta asks, smiling up at my dad.
“Front page tomorrow morning. Be sure to take the girl to celebrate.”
I smile down at the fruits of Valley’s initiation efforts. “We will. Thank you for letting us know in advance.”