Total pages in book: 71
Estimated words: 68166 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 341(@200wpm)___ 273(@250wpm)___ 227(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 68166 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 341(@200wpm)___ 273(@250wpm)___ 227(@300wpm)
Anger built inside me. “That ‘weak kitten’ pushed on despite being scared and made a life for herself. She is anything but weak. Her biggest mistake was trusting, loving, the man she thought of as her brother.”
He shrugged, clearly not caring. “I only put up with her for my grandmother’s sake. She held the keys to my fortune, so I played along.” Then he narrowed his eyes. “What is Taliyah to you?”
“My wife,” I snarled. “And now under my protection. You’ll never get a chance to hurt her again.”
He laughed. “How droll. The little bitch married a narc and cried the blues, so you came to bust me. What a joke.”
He stopped moving, and I aimed my gun. “Not a narc, asshole. I’m your worst nightmare. You won’t see dawn or any of your drugs or fortune again. I’ll make sure she gets it.”
His rage filled the room, feeding the already heavy atmosphere.
An evil, twisted grin curled his mouth, his eyes practically glowing. “I’m going to watch you die and enjoy it. Then I’m going to go after your wife and kill her slowly. Or maybe I’ll follow through with my threat and give her to a gang to enjoy. She’ll wish for death by the time they’re done with her.”
The anger became fury, obliterating everything in its course. “You fucking piece of shit.” I cocked my gun, any thoughts of leniency gone. “You better prepare to say hello to the devil. I hope you rot in hell.”
There was a sound behind me, and a violent, red-hot pain tore through the top of my left pec, the burning and tearing of my flesh knocking me forward. The room wavered around me, and I struggled to stay upright. I glanced down at the bullet hole just as another gunshot rang out and tore through my bicep. Agony twisted my gut as I spun, shooting blindly. A woman screamed, slumping to the floor, the gun in her hand landing on the cement. Dean had lured me into the perfect spot for the hidden woman to shoot me, and I had let him. I had let my personal anger override my training and thoughts. She twitched, and I shot her again, not taking any chances.
There was a roar from Dean, and I was tackled from behind. We went down hard, and my fight-or-die impulse kicked in. We rolled, both bleeding, throwing punches, grabbing at flesh, cursing and tearing, desperately trying to find purchase on the other. Black spots flashed around me as I pushed against Dean, but he punched hard at my bullet wound, the pain so intense I groaned, my body weakening for a moment, giving him the advantage. He loomed over me, his face twisted into a smile so evil I felt nauseous. I needed to give Damien more time to get here—to find me.
“Any last words, loser?” he snarled.
“You won’t make it out of here alive.”
He laughed. “I beg to differ.” He pressed his gun to my head. “I hope that little bitch has good widow’s benefits. Somehow, I’ll get my hands on those too.” He sneered. “Maybe I’ll play the tragic big brother who has been in hiding to protect her. It’ll be sweet when I take it all in the end.”
My wrath exploded, and with a snarl, I grabbed for his gun, and we wrestled, the gun going off, grazing his head. He cursed and punched me, my nose breaking under his fist. He wrenched the gun from my hand, pressing it to my head again.
My thoughts drifted, Tally at the forefront. Sadness filled my chest. I would never hold her, never get to tell her how much I loved her. Never see her grow round with our children or watch them grow up. I had wasted my chance, and now it was too late. Anxiety flooded me, knowing she would be at his mercy. I had failed.
He pressed harder, pinning me down. I shut my eyes, not wanting to see his face as I died. I wanted her face, her voice, to be the last thing I saw and heard. To see that smile one more time, even if it was only in my mind. The sound of a gun engaging echoed in the room, making my eyes fly open. Shock and agony registered on Dean’s face, blood spilling across his chest, and he crumpled forward, falling on top of me. I groaned at his weight, grateful when Damien grabbed him, rolling him off me.
He knelt down, radioing for help. “Stay focused, Julian.”
I grunted. “I’m trying.”
He pressed down, trying to slow the blood loss. “Right above the vest. Lucky shot. Stay with me. Help is on the way.”
“Make sure Tally is okay. Promise me you’ll watch out for her.”
“Don’t talk shit like that. You’ll be fine.”
Darkness edged in on my vision. “Promise me.”