Total pages in book: 131
Estimated words: 122609 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 613(@200wpm)___ 490(@250wpm)___ 409(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 122609 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 613(@200wpm)___ 490(@250wpm)___ 409(@300wpm)
“I’m fine. I have to be fine because I’m supposed to be in someone’s—who will remain nameless—wedding.”
“You better.”
“I’m so happy for you, Honey.” Chasity grabbed her hand and held it tight. “James is a pretty boy, a little too pretty, and when I first saw him on FaceTime I was concerned because in my experiences, guys that good lookin’ aren’t really about shit, I’m not going to lie.” Honey chucked at that. She couldn’t say that she disagreed. “I was also concerned about his criminal record, his past, but he seems to have turned his life around, and is quite secure and self-aware. I really like that. I also appreciate that he is smart, too, Honey. He can carry a conversation and doesn’t come across as sneaky or slick. I enjoyed talking to him a couple of weeks ago—he’s almost won me over. But most importantly, I love that he loves you and treats you well. You deserve this!”
Honey’s cheeks warmed.
“Thank you. Chasity, I need you around. Not just for a wedding, but in my life.” She pulled up a chair and the two began to laugh and gossip.
“…Well, isn’t that crazy! I bet Teresa is pissed. Now she’s lost two reporters in a matter of weeks. Serves her right. Horrible crow of a woman!” Chasity cackled.
“It does. When Brandy told me what happened, I about fell out. I haven’t spoken to her since that day she stormed out of the conference room when I quit, but it felt so good to see her bolting like that. She looked like a little angry bird. Tweet, tweet, bitch!”
They burst out laughing all over again. Before Honey knew it, an entire hour had passed. A doctor entered the room and checked on Chasity, discussing her prognosis. Things were in fact a bit more serious than her friend had led on, but he didn’t seem terribly concerned now that they had her stabilized. The doctor walked out, but as soon as she did, Chasity’s phone rang. As Honey sat there half listening to her talking to her sister on the phone, and glancing at the muted television that was showing an episode Wheel of Fortune, her thoughts drifted to something that had been troubling her as of late.
Billy was missing. Archer seemed none too concerned, and when she’d brought it up to Irish, she didn’t care, either. In her heart, she believed Archer knew something, but he was placing a wall there. A wall so high she couldn’t climb it and see what was on the other side. She ran her hand along her chin, then pushed the thoughts away. Either I’m going to dig further into that, or I’m not. With the way I dig, I’d definitely find something. I better let sleeping dogs rest. Sometimes, when you go poking around in shit that doesn’t concern you, you end up with poo on your shoe.
She looked down at the canvas sneakers she’d picked up for five dollars at a shoe store that was going out of business in the mall, and shook her head.
I’d rather walk out clean. Yeah, my decision is made. Billy might have met a billy club right upside his head… I don’t know, but I am mindin’ the business that pays me. If I don’t know anything, then I can’t say anything, now can I? She reached for the remote control and turned up the volume so she could hear the contestant buy a vowel… of silence…
There wasn’t a door Archer could not open. There wasn’t a lock he could not pick. Since childhood, he had an uncanny ability to break into things, just to see if he could. Their father complained that he and Irish were far too inquisitive, getting into stuff all over the house. This may not have made the man happy, but it boded well for him when it came to chasing down his enemies. He was known to be inside of their houses, hotel rooms, basements, when they arrived home. Like a special delivery. Some in his circle called him, ‘The spider,’ because of this knack. Today was no different.
He used fake identification, one of many he had, to enter The Capital apartment building in Manhattan, but not before slipping on his gloves and disabling the hall camera of the fourth floor with a little trick known as scrambling. It caused the camera to mess up and not focus, becoming pixelated and unstable—a little something Irish had taught him. It didn’t even require getting into any control room. On the way over, he’d ensured that Mr. Nasser Al Shamrani wasn’t home. He’d already learned the man’s schedule, and he was right on time.
He went straight to the fourth floor via the elevator, and entered the motherfucker’s dwelling. As soon as he did, he turned off the lights and made quick work of disconnecting a camera in a nearby short hallway. He looked around with his flashlight, and it was obvious the man was wealthy. He expected nothing less. After all, he dealt in imports and exports.