Total pages in book: 160
Estimated words: 151097 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 755(@200wpm)___ 604(@250wpm)___ 504(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 151097 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 755(@200wpm)___ 604(@250wpm)___ 504(@300wpm)
After I was released from juvie for putting my father in the hospital, I’d found Deborah all alone with a sign stuck in her window that said one word…
Worthless.
Someone too stupid to see her value had abandoned her—just as I’d been.
Homeless and penniless, I tracked down the shady owner and bartered my body and a small piece of my soul in exchange for her.
Why?
Because like recognizes like. Deborah had called to me.
I couldn’t explain why or how, but if I believed in fate, I might think it had been for this moment.
Saving my life.
Saving Coby’s life.
Thunderbirds represented protection, and she had been exactly that for me. My home, my shelter, and salvation.
That car was all I’d had before Coby came along, and in one desperate move, I’d sacrificed her without a thought.
Deb…I’m so sorry.
Gritting my teeth at the pain in my leg, I forced myself to my feet. Instinct told me that Kellan was just the first of the onslaught headed my way, and once again, I had nothing but a single bullet I’d carve Ocean’s name into.
Assuming he could swim, I knew Kellan wouldn’t be trapped for long, so I charged across the parking lot like vengeance itself.
When my shadow fell over the nameless driver crawling onto the sidewalk, he looked over his shoulder, eyes widening with fear when he saw the barrel of my gun pointed at his head.
“Take me to your boss,” I ordered. When he hesitated, I flipped off the safety. “Now.”
I wasn’t going to waste the only bullet I had on him, but he didn’t need to know that.
With a grim expression, the driver nodded and slowly stood while watching me warily.
Together, we traveled back through the breezeway to the front of the building. We climbed in the Denali—he in the driver’s seat and me directly behind him with the gun pressed against his side.
He cranked the SUV, but he paused to look in the rearview mirror instead of driving away. “Are you sure you want to do this, darling?”
“Drive, darling.”
The Denali rolled forward, and I allowed myself to have a moment by resting my forehead against the back of the seat. The journey was silent, and I was perfectly content to keep quiet until I realized we were leaving the city limits.
I frowned.
“Where are you going?” I questioned, even though it was a little too late for that now.
“I’m taking you to the Boss as you requested.”
The Boss. Not his boss.
Oh, shit.
He wasn’t driving me to see Ocean. He was taking me to the very top of the food chain, where I was sure to be devoured.
Suddenly, my skin became clammy, and I wanted out. “Stop the car,” I ordered anxiously.
“I can’t do that, darling. You’ve caused enough trouble.”
“You realize I have a gun aimed at your kidney, right?”
He glanced in the rearview again. “They won’t do me much good if I lose my head.”
“Touché, dude.”
“Paul,” he corrected good-naturedly. “I’m too old to be a dude.”
I guess that meant there were no hard feelings about me holding him at gunpoint…and almost running him over with my car. I wouldn’t apologize since he tried to drug me, so for that offense, I’d say we were almost even.
Seeing that we were entering a heavily wooded area with no other traffic, I raised the gun and brought the butt down on his head. Paul slumped in his seat as I dove for the steering wheel to keep the SUV from leaving the road.
Now we were even.
All I could do was steer through as we swerved the empty road at high speed. His leg was deadweight on the gas pedal, so I had to crawl over the unconscious man to engage the emergency brake.
I felt triumphant when we started to slow until I realized it wouldn’t be in time to avoid the deer that just leaped out of nowhere.
Today was truly not my day, but little did I know, the next few days would be even harder.
HUNTER
One week later…
A storm had blown in.
With no other options after days on the run, I was forced to take shelter in the second-to-last place I hoped to never see again. I stood on the sidewalk staring up at the brick two-story home with an overgrown tree in the front yard and an empty driveway.
Roshaun had inherited it from his parents after they died, and according to his social media, he was currently out celebrating his second chance at life. Knowing him, he wouldn’t be back until morning, so here I was trudging up his driveway through two feet of snow.
At least he still kept the spare key where his parents had kept it.
Injured and hopeless after countless near escapes, I didn’t make it further than a few limping steps from the front door before I collapsed in the entryway with the wind, snow, and cold blowing in.