Total pages in book: 206
Estimated words: 192184 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 961(@200wpm)___ 769(@250wpm)___ 641(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 192184 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 961(@200wpm)___ 769(@250wpm)___ 641(@300wpm)
I started to cry. Poor Tessa. Those poor baby boys.
“Athena, don’t, don’t fall apart. My girl is tough enough to handle this, okay?”
I nodded solemnly. “I’m just thinking about your poor sister, your nephews. Your whole family. You. Don’t get hurt, Tommy. Please.”
“Baby. I’ll be fine,” he said, with conviction. “You’re safe here. No one knows where this place is; not even my family. I’ll be back as soon as possible, okay? Sleep with the gun under your pillow. Do not hesitate to use it. It’s not scary.”
I squeezed my eyes shut tight. He took my face into his hands. “It’s not. Look at me. It’s not scary; it’ll protect you.”
I nodded. “I won’t sleep until you’re back. Don’t get hurt.”
“Don’t be afraid to sleep. This is a safe house, baby. I’ll hurry back to you. I’ll call when I’m on my way back.” He kissed me hard and I sank against his body and wanted to memorize the feel of it. He gave me two keys. One to the Jeep and the other to the padlocks downstairs. He backed away, grabbed the backpack, and went down the stairs. I followed and watched as he pulled the motorcycle out. He kissed me again, and told me to lock the door. After I locked up I watched him drive away from a stall window and then went back upstairs. I wanted him to be okay with every fiber of my being.
Jimmy was shot three times and didn’t survive. But the thing was, I still didn’t know what side he was on when he died. He acted like he’d forgotten she’d given the guns to him and he’d been sketchy when I’d asked him. He’d put them in the gun safe in my office, he’d said. They were there when I’d looked, but I’d still thought it was strange that he’d acted that way and that he hadn’t mentioned them. Now, knowing I was supposed to be taken out in my sleep, I wondered if he’d neglected to tell me about it on purpose. Was he in on it? He was a friend of mine and Dare’s, had been good to my sister, was dad to my two nephews, for fuck sakes, but he was ambitious. Was he so ambitious that he wanted to take me out? I didn’t wanna believe it.
Pop was just out of surgery; he had serious injuries and the prognosis wasn’t great. We were getting news from Sarah because if a Ferrano stepped foot on hospital property they’d likely get shot. We were worried they’d target her because of her association with us, but she insisted on being at the hospital. Pop’s room was under guard by a security company we hired through Zack, my PI. I was meeting my brother and we were going to end this.
Tia’s father was just a pawn. He was probably approached and likely offered some deal or something if he double crossed us. Or maybe he was just selling the drugs for them as a coincidence. I didn’t know yet what the deal was, and obviously it backfired. Pop had something to do with O’Connor getting busted, for sure. I didn’t know how it all factored in with Jimmy, Pop, and the two guards at my house getting shot and I didn’t know how Tia’s cell phone number had gotten out, but I knew it had to all be connected.
It took a lot to leave Tia by herself. If I hadn’t been 100% confident that no one knew about the farm’s existence I wouldn’t have done it. If I hadn’t been 100% confident that she’d listen to me and stay put, I wouldn’t have done it.
I was wrong. On both accounts. She wasn’t safe and she didn’t listen. Thank God she didn’t listen.
As soon as he left, I was pacing the hayloft and felt like I was going to crawl out of my skin, so I decided to take a walk. I went for a wander of the property and kept the flip phone in my pocket. I walked for a while, until I found what appeared to be the property line, a small wooden fence that bordered a thick and dense forest. Up until that point, it’d been woodsy but not dense. I decided to walk back.
As the barn and house came into view, ice pierced my veins because I saw two men approaching the house on foot.
Oh no!
I dropped into the tallish grass, I was still hundreds of feet away, and I stayed put.
Damn. The gun Tommy had left me was under a pillow, inside the pillowcase. Not that I felt like I wanted to use it, but at that moment it’d make me feel better to know I could at least point it at someone and get them to leave. The keys to the jeep were in my pocket right now because as I’d come out, I unlocked the door and stuffed the keys in my pocket with the flip phone. I hadn’t re-locked the door.