Total pages in book: 76
Estimated words: 75107 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 376(@200wpm)___ 300(@250wpm)___ 250(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75107 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 376(@200wpm)___ 300(@250wpm)___ 250(@300wpm)
There were too many security cameras now. Too many people ready to film you and post it online.
Even if I offed this guy, my chance of losing my own life to prison was high.
I had no choice but to try to outrun this guy, to lead him back to my neighborhood.
With that in mind, I turned and ran, trying to put as many people between us as quickly as possible, betting on him not opening fire without a clean shot. For the same reasons that I wouldn’t open fire on him: fear of consequences, of cameras, of prison.
Without the worry of putting Steph in danger, I took more chances. I wove in and out of traffic, ignoring the blare of horns, the curses shouted out of open windows.
Up and down several streets and alleys until I was so turned around that I had no idea where I was or where I was supposed to be going.
I paused in an alley, hands on my thighs, panting for breath.
I didn’t see him.
But that didn’t mean he wasn’t right behind me.
Regardless, I needed to stop and catch my damn breath. I hadn’t run that hard since I stole food as a kid to keep myself fed when the fridge and cabinets had been empty for days.
My lungs burned.
And I had a stitch in my side that felt like being stabbed over and over again.
As soon as I could catch my breath, though, I reached for my phone, scrolling through my contacts, and starting to make calls.
Lorenzo, Cosimo, Elian, Miko.
No one was answering.
And there was a rule in the Family about not leaving messages or sending texts with any information.
“Fuck,” I sighed when my next round of calls also went straight to voicemail.
Someone would call back eventually. They had to. People were just busy this time of year. And it was getting late. Some of them might have even gone to bed already.
I moved out of the alley, glancing side to side, scanning the faces for the guy.
One minute.
Two.
Five.
My stomach clenched.
What if he’d given up the chase not because he’d decided to just let me live, but because he noticed Steph was missing and figured she would be an easier target. And someone he could use to lure me out.
“Motherfucker,” I snarled loud enough to make a passing group of teens jump and one square up at me.
I moved past them and ran to check the closest subway map. It would almost certainly be faster than a cab, especially heading back into a more congested area like where Stephanie lived.
Fuck, fuck, fuck.
I ran up a couple more blocks to get to the right platform, then flew into the train by the skin of my damn teeth.
I paced in the train, hands opening and closing, feeling fucking powerless. I couldn’t get to her. I couldn’t…
I reached for my phone, cursing myself for not thinking of it sooner.
I stood there, heart pounding so hard I could feel it in my throat as I listened to the phone ring and ring and ring.
I heard her voice and felt my stomach twist until I realized it was her recorded outgoing message.
“Steph, get out of your apartment right now. Run somewhere. Anywhere. Just get the fuck out of there.”
I hung up, cursing as I watched my battery drain down to eight percent.
Great.
That was just fucking great.
I tucked it away and spent the rest of the ride pacing, my hands clenching and unclenching, looking like a fucking crazy person.
Women tucked their purses under their jackets. Men eyed me in their periphery, trying to decide if I was a threat or not.
When the subway pulled to a stop, I pushed past people to get to the door, then spilled out and tore up the steps and onto the street.
I was still twenty blocks from Steph’s apartment, so I sucked in a deep breath and took off at a dead run.
I wasn’t exactly a religious guy, but I was praying the whole damn run.
That she was smart enough not to go home.
That the guy hadn’t decided to target her, that he didn’t know where she lived, that he was just waiting for another chance to get to me.
“Come the fuck on,” I growled when I got to the door and ran my hand down all the buzzers for each apartment. “Come the fuck on.” Someone in the building had to be expecting company, a delivery, something.
I was about to break in the fucking door when I heard a buzz, then the click as the door unlocked.
Thank fuck.
I ripped open the door and rushed inside, heading for the stairs to save every second I could.
My legs ached as I pushed them harder.
I didn’t care.
It didn’t matter.
I’d run to her with a bleeding fucking bullet wound.
The door at the landing was heavy, but I pushed it with enough force to make it crack against the wall as I ran onto the floor.