Total pages in book: 181
Estimated words: 171979 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 860(@200wpm)___ 688(@250wpm)___ 573(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 171979 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 860(@200wpm)___ 688(@250wpm)___ 573(@300wpm)
Sadie quickly ratted her out. “Five hundred.”
Lucca picked up five hundred dollars’ worth of her chips and took them for himself, putting them in the designated circle on the table all in one hand. It was a measly little stack in comparison to the amount she had accumulated. “I guess I will.”
“Goddammit! Abort mission! Abort mission!”
The yelling voice that rang in her ear blasted beyond its usual capabilities as the earring was then snatched from her ear by Lucca and squashed like a bug into tiny little pieces in his hand.
Her huge, wide eyes had grown so much in fear at witnessing him obliterating her hidden earpiece, she began blurting out her words like vomit.
“I’m sorry! Sal made me do it! I didn’t actually think he could really count the card—”
“It’s all right, Valerie. You can relax,” Lucca told her as he motioned for one of the servers to bring him two Jack and Cokes. “Sadie, do me a favor and go find where Amo went to. I think it’s his turn to try his hand at dealing.”
Valerie tried her best to take his advice and relax, but it was much easier when the drink arrived, followed by an upset Amo taking Sadie’s place on the other side of the table. Not a peep came out of his mouth, taking his punishment of not realizing their scheme.
Satisfied with his demands, Lucca opened his pack of cigarettes and held one out in offering to Valerie. “Now, do you really want to play?”
Blinking in disbelief, she wondered if she was actually sleeping and merely just dreaming this impossible-to-believe scenario in her mind.
Fuck it. She accepted his offering; she would go back to her Twizzlers tomorrow. This was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, regardless of real or not real, and she was going to pick the brain of one of the most notorious mob bosses until he grew sick of her voice, and then she’d ask him permission to use it in her next game.
“Oh, and, Valerie.” The Boogieman gave her a sinister smile and flipped the end of his antique Zippo that was engraved with the name Caruso. “Welcome to the family.”
ALSO BY SARAH BRIANNE
Nero (Made Men, #1)
Vincent (Made Men, #2)
Chloe (Made Men, #3)
Lucca (Made Men, #4)
Angel (Made Men, #5)
Drago (Made Men, #6)
Maria (Made Men, #7)
Dominic (Made Men, #8)
Dark Ties: Dante (Made Men, #9)
Lucca II (Made Men, #10)
Whispers of the Dragon
CREED
JAMIE BEGLEY
PROLOGUE
As he slunk through the shadows, Kyler surveyed the mansion. Lighted grounds would have to be navigated to reach the prize.
He rolled down his ski mask and stepped out of the shadows. Staying out of the field of vision of the security cameras, he followed the line of trees to give him much-needed coverage until he could reach the back pool area. There, he squatted down and removed his backpack, pulling out the silver masking tape. He put the backpack on once again, then lowered himself to the ground.
There was a minuscule portion of the side yard which remained unlit. Crawling, he made his way there, to a side window, maneuvering himself as close as possible before he rose flush to the house, slid his hand through the hole of the masking tape, and then held his breath as he carefully raised the window. Relief filled him when the window opened easily.
He had called in a big favor for the window to be unlocked, as well as for the layout of the mansion. That favor hadn’t been something he had wanted to ask for, either. It left a loose end he would have to deal with later.
Pulling himself inside the window, he dropped onto the floor of the laundry room. He moved quickly as he opened the door to run through the hall, past the dining room, making his way up the stairs. Turning left, he slid through the doorway of the master bedroom.
The woman sleeping on the bed didn’t have time to fight before he flipped her over onto her stomach and taped both of her hands together. Not worrying about the screams filling the air until her hands were contained, he flipped her back over, placed another strip of masking tape over her mouth, and glared threateningly down at the woman.
“I’m not going to hurt you.”
Her frightened eyes were filled with disbelief at his assurance.
He lifted her from the bed and carried her to the closet to deposit her onto the floor. Then, bending down, he taped both of her ankles together.
“All you have to do is stay still until someone comes and lets you out. Can you do that?”
The woman nodded.
He raised the bottom of his black shirt to let her glimpse the gun strapped to his waist. Satisfied at the terror in her eyes, he lowered his shirt.
He slipped out of the closet and closed the door behind him. He was taking a chance leaving her, but murdering a woman in cold blood wasn’t part of the deal he had made.