Total pages in book: 132
Estimated words: 120472 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 602(@200wpm)___ 482(@250wpm)___ 402(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 120472 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 602(@200wpm)___ 482(@250wpm)___ 402(@300wpm)
“Cool, calm, and collected is how you want to approach this one,” he finally says, ignoring my jibe. “Take it easy. Go in there with confidence and don’t allow him to rattle you. You’re the boss and he’s a fucking bitch hired to do a job. Take what’s yours and don’t allow him to see how fucking terrified you are.”
My gaze drops away. “I’m not terrified.”
He scoffs, his lips twisting into an amused grin. “Right.”
Letting out a heavy breath, I pull myself together. “Alright. Let’s do this. I want to get it over and done with so we can get out of here.”
The boys don’t hesitate and move into action. Roman cuts the engine as Levi and Marcus bail out their doors without a care in the world, making me desperately yearn for their confidence and carefree nature. Maybe it’s the years of brutal slaughters and evasion that have resulted in these cold, hard, untouchable men, but whatever it is, right now, I wish I had a little bit of that magic.
By the time my fingers are curling around the door handle and I’m pushing it open, Roman is there, catching the door from the outside and watching me as I step out of the Escalade. He doesn’t say a word and I’m grateful for that. I’m in the zone and I fear that one more ‘you’ve got this’ speech is going to send me running straight back into the safety of the Escalade and prove to them I'm nothing more than a fraud playing dress up.
The darkness surrounds the quiet street, sending a wave of silence over the area and something tells me that the people who live out here know when to stand up to defend a neighbor and when the hell to lock their doors and hide away. After seeing the black Escalade rolling down their quiet street, now would be one of those times.
Marcus unlatches the front gate and holds it open for me, allowing me to walk through first to take the lead. I give him a tight smile as I pass and the look in his eyes tells me he has all faith that I can do this.
A soft light shines from between the gaps in the boarded window and I hear the faint sound of hard metal thumping through shitty speakers as the singer screams about … fuck, I don’t know what his lyrics are. His scream is like a cat wailing in the dead of night, impossible to decipher. But what it does tell me is that the guy we’re meeting tonight is going to be prepared and ready the moment we walk in.
I stand front and center with the three devils from hell at my back, and as I step up to the old, ratty door and raise my fist to knock, Levi clears his throat. My fist freezes mid-air and I quickly look back at him to find him subtly shaking his head.
Right, of course. No knocking. Knocking isn’t cool.
Instead, my hand falls to the doorknob, cringing as nerves rock through me. Then before I give myself a chance to bitch out, I give it a hard twist.
Nothing fucking happens.
“It’s locked,” I seethe, looking back at Levi in a panic.
“Then bust it down.”
“I thought this was supposed to be cool, calm, and collected.”
The corner of his lips pull up into a twisted smirk. “To an extent.”
Letting out a frustrated breath, I back up a step and prepare to bust through this fucker, hoping I haven’t already alerted the guy inside to our little visit. Though, if he hasn’t noticed the Escalade sitting out front by now, then that’s on him.
Taking a deep breath, I will myself to be able to bust down this door. It’s not exactly something I’ve had any practice in, but I guess we all have to start somewhere. Leaning back, I muster up all my strength and just as I bring my foot up, Roman’s hand falls to my shoulder. “Move out of the fucking way,” he mutters, knowing my capabilities far better than I do.
Without another word, he moves past me and before I can even pretend to be annoyed with him, his foot comes up and slams through the old wooden door. He busts it into a million pieces and the hinges break clean off the frame and it’s almost as though he’s done this a thousand times before.
My brow raises, more than impressed. I wonder if the guys will set up a few doors in the castle that I can practice on.
Not wanting to waste this moment of surprise, I forge on through the small house, gagging as I’m hit with a foul smell. “What the fuck is that?” I spit.
Marcus grins, reminding me of that twisted psychopath I first met. “That, pretty girl, is the smell of your future.” I gape at him, having absolutely no idea what he’s talking about until he sighs and lets me in on the secret. “It’s a decaying body. Someone got more than fucked up in here.”