Total pages in book: 78
Estimated words: 76934 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 385(@200wpm)___ 308(@250wpm)___ 256(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 76934 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 385(@200wpm)___ 308(@250wpm)___ 256(@300wpm)
“Not me. I was a complete delight,” I said, my smile betraying me. I passed him a coffee before making my own.
“Thanks.”
“So, you’ve been away for a long time.”
“Yeah. Lotta years at this point.”
“Is it weird to be back?”
“Yes and no. Yes, because everyone’s lives are so different. No, because this was home for a long time.”
“Why didn’t you keep in touch?”
“At some points, things were too crazy to answer calls or read letters. Then, I got so far behind that it felt impossible to catch up. I stopped even opening the wedding invites and birth announcements. Think I was just in survival mode for a long time.”
“Well, if you ever need a crash course so you don’t feel like you’re on the outside, I’m your girl.”
Why was I offering that?
I didn’t even know this guy.
I guess he looked a little lost.
And, despite outward appearances, I always had a bleeding heart.
“Yeah? Why’s that?”
“That is a long story that ends with my sister and me kidnapped and being saved by hot mafia guys. My barely-adult self was obsessed. I’ve been studying the Five Families ever since.”
“You got a PowerPoint?”
“I have a board. With strings.”
“You serial killer, you,” he teased.
“If you tell anyone about it, I will utilize all the information I’ve gotten from Brio about killing people.”
“Is your sister like you?” Christopher asked.
“Oh, God no. She’s perfect. Sweet, good, not weirdly addicted to cult documentaries.”
“But she’s the one with Brio.”
“They even each other out. So, why are you a bagman?”
“I needed work fast. Leo had been doing the job, but it’s technically beneath him. I don’t mind paying my dues again before I can get Made.”
“I don’t see you as someone who would break a kneecap if they don’t pay.”
His gaze cut to me.
And suddenly, I could see it.
Which was annoyingly hot.
“You don’t know me.”
“I guess I don’t,” I agreed.
“But you will, huh? For your murder board.”
“It is an… interest board.”
“Sure, sweetheart, sure.”
“I guess I should get you your money now,” I said as I made my way back out of my makeshift kitchenette.
He followed me back out front, where we found two older ladies eyeing a collection of little angel figurines.
The cash was in a brown bag in a drawer behind the counter.
“Here you go.”
“Do I need to count it?”
“You think someone who studies the mob would stiff them?”
“Fair enough,” he agreed, shoving the cash into his breast pocket. “Thanks for the coffee.” He took a long sip before setting it down. “And the offer for a sneak peek at your serial killer board.”
With that, he shot me a smirk and headed to the door.
“I’ll see you next week, Alara.”
Suddenly, I was looking forward to it.
But in the meantime, I had a new entry to add to my board.
Christopher Costa.
Early forties.
Tall, dark, handsome.
Guardian to his niblings.
Takes his coffee black.
It wasn’t much, but it was a start.
CHAPTER FIVE
Alara
“Yeah, well, I’m not happy about it, either,” I told Tuna as he let out a deep sigh at the long stretch of sidewalk in front of us.
Whoever designed the pawnshop was an asshole.
Because the pawnshop was also my home. There was a whole halfway adequate living quarters upstairs. The problem? There was no interior access to the pawnshop. Not only that, but the exterior access was from the back. And it was only accessible from the next street back through this creepy-ass narrow alleyway. It meant there was no stumbling out of bed and rolling down the stairs to work. Nope, Tuna and I had to squeeze down the alley, then walk up one block, around, and back down the next to get to the pawnshop.
I figured it was the universe’s way of ensuring that I got a little exercise on the daily. Sure, on cleaning days, I was on the move and getting sweaty, but the average day at the shop was pretty sedentary. And Tuna? Tuna slept about twenty-three hours a day. So he needed the activity too.
It wasn’t usually something I grumbled about.
But the sky had opened up and been pelting the city with rain. I’d stood at the window, hoping it would let up, but it was showing no end in sight.
So Tuna had on his raincoat.
And I had a hood up, since the alley was too narrow for an umbrella.
“At least you’re dry,” I grumbled as the rain almost immediately soaked through my hoodie.
Tuna took off at a dead run through the alley and down the block, pausing only to pee on his favorite tree.
I was so distracted by him and how wet I was that I missed it until I was right out front of the shop, the water pouring over the gutters and ensuring I’d be wet down to my bra and underwear.
The gate was up about eight inches.
And I never left without securing it.
Most of the stuff in the shop wasn’t super valuable in and of itself. Especially to a layman who didn’t know what antiques or niche items were worth. But everything in it was easy to sell to another pawn shop to make a quick buck.