Total pages in book: 64
Estimated words: 63052 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 315(@200wpm)___ 252(@250wpm)___ 210(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 63052 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 315(@200wpm)___ 252(@250wpm)___ 210(@300wpm)
It’s almost five in the morning by the time we near the cheap motel outside Atlantic City limits. It’s not operational and was probably looted months ago. I park the car a block away and we walk. This part of town is nearly empty. Any streetlights that once illuminated these dark streets were busted long ago. There’s a traffic light flashing red about two blocks down and just past it is the motel. Twelve rooms from what I can see. The building looks like it’s going to cave in any second and at the very last room, a truck is parked outside.
“She’s got to be in there. You three go around back.”
Salvatore nods and disappears behind the building and I walk to the last door, fury making me fist the pistol hard.
As I approach the second to last room, I know from the lights flashing through the split in the curtain that someone’s watching TV in there. But they know I’m coming. Whoever took her left the fucking address. This is too easy. It reeks.
Salvatore and the two soldiers turn the corner. I signal for them to listen at the door of the room next to the one where the TV’s on. A moment later, he nods. I put up three fingers and count down: three-two-one.
Both doors splinter as they’re kicked in. Natalie screams. For a moment, I’m caught. I see her lying on the bed, arms over her head, cuffed to the headboard. A huge man moves much faster than I think he should be able to considering his girth and he’s got his gun pointed at me before I know it. I’m still faster though and the bullet he shoots ricochets off the wall behind my head when mine catches his gun arm. He stumbles backward, his pistol flying through the air, landing three feet from him.
More gunshots go off next door and Natalie’s screaming again, climbing to her knees.
“Stay down!” I call to her as I stalk to the giant who’s fallen to his knees to retrieve his weapon. It’s stupid. He could take me—or try to. We’d be matched.
“Close your eyes, Natalie.” Déjà vu. I’ve told her exactly this before. The past is repeating itself.
I cock my pistol and taking aim at the back of the big guy’s knee.
I pull the trigger and he screams, falling over onto his side, clutching his shattered kneecap. Although there’s a silencer on my gun, it’s still deafening. The sound of a gun firing is always that.
I stand over him, put my foot on the bloody crook of his arm and press. I know this idiot isn’t the one responsible for taking her. He’s a hired gun. Expendable.
“Who the fuck hired you?”
He screams, blubbers like a fucking girl. I hear footsteps behind me.
“There were two in the next room. Both down,” Salvatore says.
“I want to know who hired the fuckers,” I spit at the man without looking at my brother. When he doesn’t answer, I cock the pistol again.
Natalie’s crying. I hear her. She must know I’m readying to murder this guy.
“Watch him,” I say to Salvatore, going to her. I look her over. She’s messed up, a bruise at her temple, a cut that will scar. I’m getting more and more pissed off as I sit down, touch her. “Are you okay?” I say, trying to level my voice.
She shakes her head no, fresh tears starting.
“Physically. Are you okay?” I need to know. The other shit I’ll deal with later. Right now, I need to know she’s not physically hurt. But she just stares up at me, sobbing. “Natalie, look at me. Did he hurt you anywhere else?” I barely get the words out. “Did that fucker touch you?”
She stares at me, registers my meaning, shakes her head. “I want to go home.”
I nod. Look up at her binds. I need a key. “Close your eyes,” I say, cupping the back of her head and tucking it against my belly before shooting at the rung of the headboard through which her cuffs were woven. I hold her hands, cradle her.
“It’s okay. You’re going to be okay.” I turn to one of the soldiers. “Get the car.” He nods and runs out the door. “Find me the goddamned keys for these,” I tell the other one, gripping the cuffs that bind Natalie.
A few minutes later, one of the men hands me the key.
Natalie turns her gaze up to Salvatore, who’s standing nearby, watching. “You’re safe now,” he says to her.
She turns her attention to my hands which are undoing her cuffs and when they’re off, I rub her wrists.
“Sergio,” Salvatore says, eyeing the big guy on the floor.
I don’t want her to see what’s about to happen. “Give me a minute.”
The soldier I sent for the car returns.
“Put her in the backseat,” I say, standing, bringing Natalie with me. She’s shivering. In shock maybe. “And stay with her.”