Total pages in book: 140
Estimated words: 140940 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 705(@200wpm)___ 564(@250wpm)___ 470(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 140940 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 705(@200wpm)___ 564(@250wpm)___ 470(@300wpm)
I further studied him. Tall, muscular, and draped in shadows, he was a hulking figure with eyes that glittered like shards of green glass. He had on jeans and wore no shirt. Of course, alligators were tattooed all over his muscular arms and chest.
I returned my view to the throne. It was a monstrous construction, probably hewn from solid oak, weathered and scarred. Time had darkened its once light wood, and the etchings and carved reptilian symbols gave it a chilling air of ancient power.
It was just as imposing as the man who sat upon it.
However, as unnerving as the throne and he were, that was not what gripped my attention or caused my pulse to quicken.
My heart pounded in my chest as I took in the disturbing view in the center of the space.
He is a mad man.
A massive pit lay between us and him. It was a yawning chasm that stretched across the cavernous room.
A horrific gap.
And inside of that pit, crawled at least forty enormous alligators, each one easily capable of turning a person into a memory. Their scales glistened. Their jaws snapped.
The sight was enough to make the bravest man piss himself.
Some glided in the liquid that must have been barely a foot high. Others lounged on pockets of mud or logs of rotting wood. All of their eyes glowed with a cold, predatory intelligence.
I assessed the dark, rippling water. In some places, discarded bones twirled and twisted on the surface. I spotted several broken femurs and a few humeri. A cracked pelvis bone lay upside down on a muddy hill in the pit.
Definitely human.
Our bones had distinct shapes that were unique to human anatomy. Our thigh bones were longer and straighter than animals as well as our upper arm bones.
Several skulls lay next to this monstrous alligator in the center of the pit. If there was a king in the pit, I would have pointed to him. I assessed the skull, spotting the large cranial area and forward-facing eye sockets.
Yes. Definitely all human bones.
On the right, an alligator raised its snout and hissed, and it was a chilling sound that echoed off the damp stone walls of the pit.
I frowned.
And Emily will not let me have three lions at the wedding? Meanwhile this idiot has a whole pit of alligators.
At least, I understood why there were no other men in this space with him. Who needed more men with guns when one had many alligators.
I glared at Rafael.
He whispered, “What?”
“With all the warnings, you could have mentioned the pit of alligators.”
He widened his eyes. “I thought that part would be obvious.”
Idiot!
I turned back around.
The Don continued to size us up in silence.
I studied more of the space and realized that there would be no way to get to the Don unless I went through the pit.
But, how did he get over there?
I checked the black wall behind him and thought I made out a small outline of a door but wasn’t sure if it was really there.
That must be an exit. Right?
Then, my gaze strayed to the jar perched next to the Don’s throne.
Is that it?
I leaned forward and squinted my eyes, trying to get a better view.
The liquid inside the jar shimmered.
Yes. That’s the Eye.
Suspended within the liquid was an iridescent orb with a slit pupil.
But, how do I get it from him?
And now I knew without a doubt that this would be no ordinary negotiation. I was in New Orleans, in the heart of the swamp, about to bargain with a man who’d made a kingdom in the wilderness. Power, money, and land would not be enough for him.
Tired of waiting in further silence, I stepped several feet forward.
In the pit, the eyes of several alligators followed me with laser precision. Those slit pupils radiated a deadly intelligence.
With a rushing sound, a few slithered to the side of the pit that I was closest to.
I glared at them.
Trust me, little ones. I will eat you, before you eat me.
Tisha and Valentina followed me.
Meanwhile, Rafael remained by the door.
I directed my view back to the Alligator Don.
Come on. You’ve shown me how much of a tough guy you are. Let us get on with it.
Finally, he spoke—his accent a peculiar drawl of twisting words, “Evening, Mr. Lion. Long way from Russia.”
Good. He knows who I am.
“Heard y’all been searchin’ for ol’ Don, out here in the bayou.”
I forced myself to be nice. “I thought it would be a good idea to meet the person in charge of this area.”
The Don leaned back on his throne and drummed his fingers lightly on the alligator carved armrest. “That’s good and all, but we don’ get much visitation out here in the swampland. What brings a big shot like y’self to ma part of the woods?”
I could see the sharp glint in his eyes, like a predator sizing up its prey.