Total pages in book: 86
Estimated words: 80014 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 400(@200wpm)___ 320(@250wpm)___ 267(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 80014 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 400(@200wpm)___ 320(@250wpm)___ 267(@300wpm)
“I set it free.”
“In here?”
“Out back. Let’s get going,” I said, as I draped the laptop case’s strap over my shoulder. “I told my brother I’d be there at one, and we need to pick up lunch on the way.”
I started to head for the door to the garage, but Jack hesitated and asked, “Are you sure I should come with you? I feel like I’m intruding on your time with your family.”
“You’re definitely not intruding, and you’ll love my mom and brother. Everybody does. Besides, the only food in this house is the junk you got from the gas station, and you must be hungry. I placed a huge order at my favorite deli. They make the world’s best potato salad, hands down.” That was a pretty weak sales pitch, but what else was I going to do, order him to come with me?
He stood up straighter and managed to hide the hint of vulnerability in his eyes. “Fine,” he said, “let’s go. But don’t blame me when this all turns terribly awkward.”
“Why would it?”
He frowned as he asked, “How are you going to introduce me, Reno? As far as I can tell, you have two choices. The first is, ‘hey, fam, I’d like you to meet the asshole who stole my father’s irreplaceable watch. Lock up your valuables, because he’s about as trustworthy as a fox in a henhouse.’ I’m sure that’ll go over big.”
“What’s my second choice?”
“Lying to them and introducing me as a friend.”
“I can always introduce you as just Jack.” I made jazz hands and said the last two words with a little extra flair, which accomplished my goal of making him smile.
“You went way back into the archives for that ‘Will and Grace’ reference.”
“Yes, I did.”
Jack followed me into the garage and started to head to the convertible, but I said, “We’re taking the SUV, because it’s a lot less conspicuous than the Caddy. I’m not sure what Greco has planned, but I don’t want to make it that easy for him to find me.”
Once we both climbed into the Land Rover, Jack said, “You told me Greco wants to make an example of you, because you pushed back when he tried to take over your business. Do you think he plans to kill you?”
“Yeah, but probably not right away. Word on the street is that he’s into torturing his victims, really dragging out their suffering. Just shooting someone isn’t enough for him.”
Jack muttered, “Lovely,” and turned his head to look out the passenger window as I raised the garage door and started the engine.
He was quiet on the drive into town and opted to wait outside while I went into the deli to pick up my order. I was surprised to discover he was still in the SUV when I returned, and he appeared to be sulking. “Hey, look at you,” I said, in a feeble attempt at humor, “not running off at the first opportunity.”
He muttered, “I promised I wouldn’t do that.”
After a pause, I asked, “Are you worried about something?”
Jack finally met my gaze, with something that looked a lot like anger burning in his green eyes. “No, of course not. I’m thrilled that you came back to Vegas and put yourself in the crosshairs of a psychopath who wants to torture and kill you. That was definitely the smart thing to do, instead of giving up on your illegal gambling bullshit, moving your mom and brother someplace safe like San Francisco, and trying to stay alive!”
Oh. So, he was worried about me.
“My brother might be willing to relocate, but my mom’s stubborn as hell. She loves her bar and her regulars, and she’s been building that business for close to four decades. There’s no way she’d just walk away from it.”
“Even if staying here ends up costing you your life?”
“It’s not that cut and dried.”
“It is from where I’m sitting,” Jack told me. “If that bar is the only thing tying your family to Vegas, I’ll go burn it down myself to save Greco the trouble! Then you can pack up your family and get out of harm’s way.”
“A word of advice? Maybe don’t lead off with burning down the bar when you meet my mom,” I said, as I turned the key in the ignition. He just sighed at that, and as I pulled out of the parking lot I told him, “I’m doing the best I can here, Jack.”
“But you don’t even have a plan. Greco was obviously trying to lure you back to town when he sent his people to smash up the bar, and what did you do? You took the bait.”
“I never should have run away in the first place. It made me look weak and cowardly, so now Greco thinks he can walk all over me,” I said. “And actually, this conversation is making me realize I do have a plan. I need to strike back, as hard as I can. It’s what a man like Greco understands, and it’s the only thing that’ll get him to back down.”