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 was dragged backwards past the gate and tossed into the back seat of a big, older car out on the street. I heard a few more shots.
There were two men in the car with Earl and me. What on Earth? Earl had a gunshot wound in his shoulder. Were they rescuing me? I looked at Earl, confused. He leaned over in the back seat of the car, wincing. There was another man on my left side, a slim Black man with a mustache, and there was a man in the front seat driving who sort of looked like the Machete movie actor, Danny something or another. Tall, Mexican, long ponytail. But younger.
“Are you rescuing me?” I asked.
The driver spoke. “Be quiet, miss. All will be revealed.”
They drove to the airport. The airport? Then we drove into a hangar and there was a lot going on: people rushing everywhere, forklifts; it was mayhem. I was ushered into a big white plane with no lettering. There were only a few seats in the back; the rest of it was wide open with just a few skids that were shrink-wrapped on it.
“Are you rescuing me, Earl?” I asked again.
The slim Black guy ripped Earl’s shirt sleeve off and was inspecting the wound on his shoulder.
“Good, there’s an exit wound.” He reported and pulled out a first-aid kit.
Earl closed his eyes and shook his head as the door to the plane was closed. “Afraid not, Miss O’Connor.”
The Mexican guy pulled a gun and put it on his lap, giving me a look that shook me to my core. Oh no.
“What?” All the air left my lungs.
“Ferranos have enemies,” the guy working on Earl’s arm said, glancing up at me. “A lot of enemies. The fiancée of Tommy Ferrano is an extremely valuable commodity.”
“Earl?”
Why did I keep looking to him? I thought we’d sort of bonded over tea. There wasn’t much of any conversation or anything like that, but he’d had kind eyes. He’d been sort of nice to me. He was working for Tommy’s enemies? Was Tommy dead after those gunshots? He glanced in my direction, pain on his face.
“Where are you taking me?” I asked.
“Mexico,” he answered.
Oh no. I’d heard stories about Mexico. Heck, Tommy had warned me about human slavery in Mexico. I closed my eyes, dread filling my veins.
“No more questions. Buckle up!” said the Mexican man. “Behave and you can sit there in the comfy seat. Act up and you’ll be tossed in a sack with tape over your mouth.”
I was handed a bottle of water, which I accepted with trembling hands. The guy with the first-aid kit continued to clean up Earl’s arm and the other guy disappeared into the cockpit. I was petrified of what could be coming next.
6
Earl’s first shot missed me by miles, and I knew that was just a warning shot, because he was an ace with that gun and if he wanted me dead I’d be cold by now. The second shot knocked my gun right out of my hand. I wasn’t hit. I was fine but Marco was dead. I shook my head. Marco was a good guy, wife and three kids. Fuck! He was supposed to be at home with his family, not here over five hours after his shift had ended!
I’m a pretty good shot, too. When Earl had Tia against him the only safe place for me to shoot for was his head, since he was more than a foot taller than her. I aimed for it but caught his shoulder instead. The guy’s built like a refrigerator and had Tia on his left side so I had enough clearance to aim for his right side. It wasn’t enough to take him down. Then I tried to shoot out the tires on the getaway car, but I missed and hit the hubcaps instead. I was off my game with all the rage and didn’t take another chance at hitting her by mistake.
He’s worked for us for fourteen years and he was one of the ones who actually taught me to shoot, for fuck’s sake. He’s been solid enough that he made it to the inner circle. The inner, inner circle. He was trusted. I trusted him with her, for fuck’s sake. I don’t understand what’s happened, why it happened, don’t know who he’s working for, and where he’s taken her. But, I’ll find out.
We only bring men into the inner circle who have families. It’s a collateral thing. It increases the chances they’ll stay loyal because they have a family at stake and their families are brought into the fold. But Earl’s wife died of Cancer last year and his son died in a motorcycle accident three months ago. He’s a man with nothing to lose. If he hadn’t been solid all the way he’d have been put somewhere else, but I had no reason to doubt him. I’ve known the man since I was practically a kid.