Total pages in book: 78
Estimated words: 73680 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 368(@200wpm)___ 295(@250wpm)___ 246(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 73680 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 368(@200wpm)___ 295(@250wpm)___ 246(@300wpm)
“Nice try, bitch.” With a jerk, he slams my wrists back into the floor, and I let go of the pistol without meaning to. It clatters away from me, useless. I didn’t realize how gentle Blade was with me the other night. It felt scary and violent at the time, but this is completely different. This man wants to hurt me.
Three more guys come in, spreading out, checking the rooms for anyone else. It doesn’t take them long. “All clear.”
A fifth man strides in like he owns the place. Easy enough, when the only one here is me, pinned on the floor and helpless. His face is a mess. Something hit him hard at some point, slicing a deep, chalk-white scar from above his left eye, through a deep divot in his nose, and then along the side of his mouth before ending off the edge of his cheek. His dark eyebrows are furrowed in a terrifying scowl, and the undamaged side of his mouth twists into an ugly sneer. He’s built square and strong, squeezed into a denim cut with his tattooed arms bare. When his eyes fix on me, I don’t think I’ve ever seen so much loathing in a stare in my life.
“So you’re Eagle-eye’s brat?” His voice is a crusty growl, like whatever got his face got his throat too. “Fucker must’ve gone soft, letting you live like this. Where is it?”
I force myself to look him right in the eyes and not glance towards the bedroom. The box isn’t hidden well enough to last even a cursory search, but I need to buy every second I can. I have no illusions about what they’ll do when they don’t need me anymore.
“Where’s what?” I stammer, not bothering to stop my teeth from chattering.
The guy holding me down slaps me across the cheek, snapping my face sideways. My glasses go skittering across the floor. It burns, but it pisses me off, too.
As terrified as I am, I’m not a kid anymore.
“I’d think carefully about your next response, little girl. The next one won’t be a love tap. We want that tape, but we want to send a message to your Daddy even more. If you cooperate, I might leave enough of you to piece it back together.” Their leader spits on the floor while his guys spread out to search.
I try very, very, very hard to not think about what he might mean.
“Shovelhead, in here!” one of the guys calls from my bedroom. The leader’s sneer turns into an ugly grin as he turns away from me. Without my glasses I can’t see the details of their smaller patches, but I definitely recognize the Pit Vipers logo.
Crap.
Time’s up. If they’ve got what they were looking for, my chances aren’t good. I struggle against the guy on top of me, but he’s too heavy. He laughs and slams my wrists back into the floor. “Easy, easy.”
Then suddenly, he’s off me, launched straight into the air and across the floor. Stunned, I don’t even move.
“You like picking on women, asshole?” A massive but familiar form kicks the guy right in the ribs and something crunches.
Alpha.
“Watch out!” I scream, as one of the Pit Vipers runs out, guns drawn.
Ripper, in the doorway with one of the biggest handguns I’ve ever seen in his good hand, takes aim and shoots before the air is even out of my lungs. Red blooms in the side of the guy’s neck, and he crashes to the floor with an anguished grunt.
Right behind him, another man comes into view, already looking down in confusion at the two hilts sticking out of his chest. Blade already has two more in his hands. Where does he keep them all?
The man’s pistol drops to the floor with a clank, and goes off, blowing out one of my windows. I scream and slap my hands over my ears.
“Don’t fucking move!” Ripper yells.
“You okay?” Alpha puts himself between me and the bedroom, gun at the ready.
I have to check before I nod, but other than a tender cheek and an aching wrist, I’m alright. “Yeah. Thanks.”
“You fuckers gonna come out and play? Or do I let my buddy here loose on you?” Ripper tips his head towards Blade. “He’s ornery as fuck and he hasn’t carved anyone up in days.”
With a wild laugh, he throws himself aside just in time to avoid the answering gunshot. Splinters rain from the back wall of my living room, close enough that I’ll be picking them out of my hair afterwards.
If there is an afterwards.
“Stay down,” growls Alpha, pushing me lower with a big hand on my back at the same time as he peeks over the couch and sights the doorway.
Ripper pops out and fires around the corner, and I swear lightning just struck inside my house from the thunder of it. Curling up to be as small as I possibly can, I whimper under my breath. What is so important that it’s worth destroying my life?