Total pages in book: 119
Estimated words: 116875 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 584(@200wpm)___ 468(@250wpm)___ 390(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 116875 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 584(@200wpm)___ 468(@250wpm)___ 390(@300wpm)
There’s a clicking sound and cursing as the guns nearest me start to jam. Got to love modern technology. The jammer isn’t perfect—a few bullets do fire—but it stalls things long enough for me to run at one of the shooters. I grab his gun and use it to pull him forward into my fist. He goes down.
I use his gun like a club to beat another one’s face in. Three more abandon their guns and attack me. I take the first hit. That’s the secret of fighting. Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face. But I let them hit me. I see how they move, how they react.
And what did Bella say? You have to give your opponent a chance. So I do. I give them one. One tries Krav Maga, another Muay Thai, the third a blend of Judo and Jiu-Jitsu. Their kicks and punches thud into my deadened skin. Then it’s all over for them.
They all go down hard. They’re mercenaries, fighting for cash and glory. I’m fighting for my woman. Failure isn’t an option.
I will pile the bodies of her enemies at her feet.
A fourth rushes me from behind. His knife digs into my left side lat with enough force to ignite my dulled nerve endings. The pain almost feels good.
“You’d stab me in the back, motherfucker?” I’m on him before he can move. I break his arm, take his knife, and drive it through his eye. Instant death. “Next time, just shoot me from the door. Idiot.”
I find the team leader among the fallen and stomp on his head until he goes limp, then take his walkie-talkie and find a spot of fresh air.
The radio crackles. “Strike lead, come in.”
I pull down my bandana. “Hey there,” I say as pleasantly as I can. “Is this Dominus?”
There’s a pause. “I’m here.” The head of the Vesuvio family doesn’t sound happy.
“Your men are dead. I hope they weren’t friends of yours. Or family. You only have two sons left, correct?”
Heavy breathing on the line. Dominus is pissed. “You can’t fight all of them.”
“That’s exactly what I’m going to do. And when this is over, Fraternitas will come for you.” I toss the walkie-talkie away. Blood’s trickling down my back. Pain screams in the background of my mind. I twist to check the wound, but it’s not too deep. Outside, someone’s shooting something. Argos must have activated the drones and the Vesuvios are returning fire. Bad idea: Argos’ drones tend to explode.
I roll my shoulders and crack my neck. The blood hums under my skin, making me feel alive. As much as I love playing house with Bella, I missed this. Explosions rock the house. Shouts tell me more forces have arrived. They’re pouring in from the front door.
The fight has just begun.
Bella
I stand in the safe room, watching the screen. I was pissed when Kaiser told me to stay put, but I agreed because I didn’t want him to tie me up. But now I have a front row seat to the action.
On screen, Kaiser mows down row after row of armed men like they’re tin soldiers.
My whole body vibrates like leaves in a storm. Watching him is like watching a hurricane destroy a beach or a tornado rip through a cornfield. He’s a force of nature. No one else stands a chance.
But more men are coming. Dominus isn’t holding back. He’s coming to take out the Poisoner’s daughter.
And it’s all going according to plan. I want to decimate his army and then kill all his heirs. I hope his sons come to the fight. I can get it all done in one night. Kaiser has actual grenades now. He tosses them, and they explode, taking out chunks of the floor. We’ll have to remodel after this.
He’s magnificent. But he’s just one man. More armed forces are coming, and they have bigger guns. Bazooka size.
It takes two of them to point the gun at a wall. What are they doing? Boom! There’s a rumble and dust flies, blurring the feed. A few of the cameras go offline. My guess is that part of the house collapsed. They’re willing to bring the house down around their ears to beat one man.
And it’s working. I can’t see Kaiser. He either escaped the destruction or he’s collapsed under some drywall.
I have to go. I have to help him.
I run to the door and hit the button to open it. I’m safe as long as I stay here.
But where’s the fun in that?
I head into the dank, smoky air, straight for my greenhouse. There was a huge fight in the kitchen, but I skip over the blood-smeared tiles and fallen bodies. Once I’m in my greenhouse, I slam the door loud enough to echo through the house.
I hit the lights, but they don’t work, so I turn on the backup lights attached to the generator.