Total pages in book: 58
Estimated words: 57067 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 285(@200wpm)___ 228(@250wpm)___ 190(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 57067 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 285(@200wpm)___ 228(@250wpm)___ 190(@300wpm)
I feel the same. With her, everything makes sense.
His tone hardens. “You’re right.”
Mario meets us at the edge of the docks, the city watching us from the other side of the river. He’s a tall man, a thick head of black hair, wearing a denim jacket and dark jeans. He strolls over to our car and gestures for us to roll the window down.
So far, so good. If this were an ambush, the shooting would’ve started already.
“Mario,” I say, nodding.
“Look who’s back from the dead,” he says with a smirk.
“Seems fitting considering how biblical this shit is going to get.”
“Need to warn you fellas, there’s about twenty men waiting for us at the meeting spot.”
I grind my teeth. “Twenty goddamn men? They should’ve brought more.” I turn to Julian. “You ready for a fight?”
Julian looks at me oddly.
I turn back to Mario to see what I’m missing. He’s staring at me with a look of… awe on his face.
“What?” I snap.
“They’re here for you, Beast, because they respect you more than they respect the Don. They all think this shit is sick. We didn’t get into the life for this.”
This hits me hard. I always thought I was a loner.
“Guess you’ve got more friends than you realized,” Julian says.
I laugh grimly. “Seems that way.”
I drive into the meeting spot: a rundown bar that used to cater to dock workers. My hand ready to draw my gun. The bulletproof vest rests heavily on my body.
When I go inside, I see pistols lined up on a long table. The men sit on the other side of the room, with their hands on the table.
Mario lowers his voice. “They wanted you to know they’re not looking to fight you, Damian.”
I walk to the front of the room, studying the surrounding faces. Some I might’ve expected, and others I wouldn’t have.
“We’re doing this because it’s the right thing,” I snarl. “Because Salvatore has gone too far. We don’t deal in flesh. But before we get started, hear this, know this… if any of you are rats, if any of you are secretly working for that glorified pimp, I will make you regret it. Do you understand?”
They’re not men anymore. They stare at me like terrified children.
“I said, do you fucking understand?”
The men say yes in chorus.
They stand and look at me in a way I don’t like much. Like they’re expecting me to be their new boss. As if they’ve been waiting for someone else to take the lead for a long time.
I’ve never had aspirations to be a leader. But if it means keeping this filth out of this city, what other choice do I have?
CHAPTER 31
DAMIAN
With so many men on our side, we’re able to infiltrate the auction without causing a stir. Julian, Mario, three other men, and I wait on the production balcony of the circular theater. That’s where the sick bastards are holding it. Making a show of it.
We get there early, and our inside men let us in. We wait until the bastards arrive.
Soon, in the darkness surrounding the main stage, Don Salvatore sits with his second-in-command, both of them smoking big, fat cigars. More men watch, some drinking whiskey. Others just stare with hungry eyes at the stage.
Julian lowers his voice as I raise my gun. “Wait until the fellas make their move,” he whispers.
They’ve gone all out and hired a presenter for this occasion, as if this is completely acceptable and not the most twisted and evil thing they could possibly do.
The presenter wears all white and walks into the middle of the stage, wearing a top hat, tapping a cane on the floor. “Esteemed gentlemen, this evening we have something special in store for you. Untouched flowers…”
My finger hovers over the trigger.
“Unclaimed gems.”
Sickness tightens my gut.
The plan is to wait until the rest of the men start shooting outside, drawing the guards out there so that we can make our move on the Don. But it’s getting too damn difficult.
Julian puts his hand on my arm. Whispers viciously, “If we fuck this up, these girls become the property of these perverts.”
But even that doesn’t make me take my finger off the trigger.
Julian must be able to tell this. He growls quietly, “Think of this, then. If we mess this up, you’ll never see Celine again.”
I take my finger off the trigger, thinking of her in the safe room. Probably shivering with fear. Not knowing if her brother and I are going to return to her.
“Without further ado,” the presenter says with a flourish. “Let’s get started. Our first offering is a Latvian beauty who absolutely loves her work. In fact, gents, she doesn’t see it as work. Her passion comes through in every blo—”
Gunfire cracks outside the theater. A man bellows so loudly that it punctuates the quiet space.