Total pages in book: 118
Estimated words: 120336 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 602(@200wpm)___ 481(@250wpm)___ 401(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 120336 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 602(@200wpm)___ 481(@250wpm)___ 401(@300wpm)
There it was again—that name.
He used it like a chant, soft and steady. Surely he thought that repeating it enough times would etch it into my bones.
I shifted in my seat, and the wooden chair creaked beneath me.
“My little monster, do you feel the darkness stirring inside of you?” Leo leaned his head to the side. “Do you feel it growing roots?”
“You want me to answer your questions when you won’t answer mine?”
“I didn’t realize we were on equal footing right now. I was still thinking that I am the captor and you are the captive.”
I pursed my lips.
“And that’s why you need to be a monster.” He pointed. “I’m a monster, that’s why no one would ever think to kidnap me. Who would ever want to trap a monster? Might get clawed and devoured if you did. After this final test, all will know who you are.”
I swallowed.
“My beautiful, little monster.”
Those words were like a caress and a threat all at once, curling through the air between us and settling in my skin.
“What’s my test?”
“You will go into a tent full of killers and then you kill several men in there. You will shed the sort of blood that creates legends.”
My whole body froze.
Outside, the sounds continued—the wet shlck of something being cut, the low murmur of voices, the thud of heavy objects hitting the ground.
“The guns you chose were perfect for this test. They’re equipped with switches that add to their complexity and versatility—”
“I-I’m not going anywhere and killing—”
“Your guns will be in semi-automatic mode. Therefore, you will be able to take precision shots. In full-auto mode, you can quickly clear multiple enemies in seconds, however that will be at the cost of ammo.”
“Leo—”
“Song has put high-capacity magazines into your guns. So each will have 33 rounds which allows you 66 rounds for the test, but these men are good so still be mindful of the count.” He raised his eyebrows. “Do you understand?”
“Yes but I don’t want to do this.”
Leo's gaze softened for a moment with a strange understanding in his eyes. "None of us wanted to do this, my little monster. But the world doesn't care about our desires. It takes. It harms. So we must take. We must harm."
I gripped the edge of the table. "And if I refuse?"
His eyes flickered with something unreadable. "You know the answer to that, don't you? Our rules have always been simple."
The cold reality of that response twisted my stomach into more knots.
My voice was barely a whisper. "Can't they be changed? The rules?"
“Never.” Leo leaned back in his chair and tapped his fingers against the wooden table.
The firelight danced across his face. His gaze stayed lock onto me as if he could see every thought scrambling through my head.
I hated that he looked so calm, like everything about tonight was perfectly normal. Like he hadn’t just told me I was about to walk into a room filled with killers.
“We’re going to discuss strategy now.” Leo said smoothly, his voice like silk over steel. “In the tent you’ll enter, there will be ten people who are your true enemies. You’ll know who they are by their actions—the ones who come for you first, the ones who speak first and rise. Those are the ones that must die immediately.”
“And the rest?”
“They’ll wait.” Leo’s smile curved at the edges, dangerous and knowing. “They’ll wait to see.”
My pulse thudded heavy in my ears. “See what?”
Leo’s grin deepened. “They’ll wait to see if you become the monster they fear or the prey they can devour. That’s the way it works in the Four Aces. Kill the leaders, the active ones. The rest will step back, fall to their knees, and bow.”
“And what if they don’t fall back and bow?”
“They will, if you do it right.” Leo placed his hands on the table. “There are leaders. There are followers. And there are monsters. You’ll show them which one you are tonight.”
“How many men are in there?”
“Eighty at least.”
“Jesus.” I tried to swallow but my throat felt like sandpaper. "Can I bring more magazines in there with me?”
“No. You won’t have time to reload.”
“You don’t know that.”
“A legendary monster doesn’t need to reload. They kill who they need to kill with the bullets they have.”
My bottom lip quivered. “And if I die?”
Leo’s expression shifted, something tender slipping beneath the cold calculation. His voice softened to a dangerous whisper. “My little monster, you don’t have my permission to die.”
I fought the urge to scream, to throw the teacup across the room, but I forced myself to stay seated. “Leo, what the fuck?”
“Kill the main ones that come for you.” he said simply. “And then kill a few more men just to make your point. A few far off to show them your skills—”
“These are somebody’s brothers, fathers, sons—”