Total pages in book: 160
Estimated words: 160041 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 800(@200wpm)___ 640(@250wpm)___ 533(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 160041 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 800(@200wpm)___ 640(@250wpm)___ 533(@300wpm)
Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Fucking. Asshole!
“Why couldn’t you just fucking say it? Fucking say the words! And now it’s too late, goddammit!”
“Too late for what?”
Orion casually leans against the same wall I’m bashing my face in, and the mere fact that he’s interrupting my self-flagellation pisses me off to no end.
“Nothing,” I grumble as I step back.
“Is Xavier Caruso enjoying some well-earned feelings?” He raises his brows.
“If you don’t shut the fuck up right now, I will ram something else with my forehead,” I growl, making a fist.
“I’m not your enemy, remember?” he muses, and he throws his arm over my shoulder to pull me close. “Relax, we’re all lovers here.”
I roll my eyes. “Lovers …”
“Which you don’t want to be, because you want her all to yourself,” he says. “But you also know that’s not ever going to happen. She’s not the kind of woman to be bound by one man.”
“Make it stop,” I groan, rubbing my own face.
“Tell you what, why don’t you and I go entertain our lovely new guest until she returns?” He tries to whisk me back inside. “I’m sure he’s got plenty of stories to tell.”
I pull his arm off me and step aside. “No thanks. I don’t want to talk to the fucker who tried to kill her.”
“Oh, c’mon, he wasn’t trying to actually kill her. They were merely having a disagreement.”
“He shanked her,” I grit.
“That’s their love language,” he says, chuckling. “Let’s go have a drink. Lightens the mood.”
I shake my head, turn around, and march off. “I have other things on my mind.”
“Xavier,” Orion calls, but I ignore him. “Don’t be so dramatic. That’s my job. C’mon, have a little fun.”
There’s no time for fun when the love of my life is about to set fire to her freedom just to get back at whoever wronged her.
And I’m done being scared.
Done being terrified of the idea of defying her.
Done fearing the inevitable.
Whatever she may do to me, I can take it.
I will accept whatever consequences she throws my way.
Hell, I’ll even throw my own life away if I must.
If she wants it, it’s hers to take.
I’m ready.
No more masking.
No more hiding.
“Where are you even going?” Orion yells.
“To help my woman kill.”
CHAPTER 38
Sunny
I snuck out in the early morning using my secret route through the Priory Forest, which borders Spine Ridge University grounds. The cops don’t know that half the walls surrounding this campus are actually missing, but I do. None of the students cares enough to go in that direction, as it’s rough, rocky terrain, filled with thickets and streams that make it difficult to navigate. Not the usual exit when there’s an actual gate and road out front. But I didn’t want to get questioned by the cops, so I opted for the scenic route instead.
When I’m out, I walk all the way to The Shack, the abandoned wooden house near the edge of the road that leads down the mountain, where one of my brothers conveniently left a bicycle when they came out here to have a primal play game with their friends.
It’s none of my business, but I am stealing that bike.
My brother won’t notice it’s gone until after I’ve already brought it back.
I race down the mountain and head over to the grimy side of town, where I know those fuckers of the Bones Brotherhood hide out. The seedy neighborhood they call home is filled with businesses that have gone out of service, broken-down homes, and plenty of drug seekers strutting the streets. These parts of Crescent Vale City have seen better days, but those are long gone since the Bones Brotherhood expanded into suburban areas.
The cops have really let them get away with far too much, and if no one is putting a stop to their antics, then I will.
I hide my bike somewhere in the bushes, far from their headquarters, and make my way to the street. I remember vividly the last time I was here. The memories alone make my heart rate shoot up, but I ignore the building dread and waltz straight toward his office at the end of the street; CF Plastic Surgery.
Right before I enter, I put on my bunny mask and open the door.
Inside, a dainty song plays through the speakers hanging from the walls. The little bell above the door annoys me, and I nearly knock the door out of its frame as I slam it shut behind me.
This scent of cleaning agent that lingers in the air… Vomit-inducing.
I turn the little Open sign behind me to Closed, and I walk up to the assistant in front of the desk. She looks a bit taken aback by my mask. “Um … hi, do you have an appointment?”
Skeevy, two-faced bitches don’t even know they’re working for the top criminal’s favorite surgeon.
My hand clenches into a fist. “Where is Carlo?”