Total pages in book: 115
Estimated words: 115964 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 580(@200wpm)___ 464(@250wpm)___ 387(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 115964 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 580(@200wpm)___ 464(@250wpm)___ 387(@300wpm)
“No.”
“Yes.”
When I started on this journey, that had been my one thing I tried to stay away from. I was a year and a half in and learning how stupid that’d been. I should’ve learned before going to work for Bronski. That would’ve been the smart thing to do. Know how to use a gun, but act like I didn’t. Be underestimated. It would’ve been an ace up my sleeve, and in this world, that could keep me alive.
I needed to learn how to shoot a gun.
He sighed. “Girl.”
“Carrie.”
He frowned, lowering the gun he was cleaning. “Excuse me?”
“My new name. Carrie. What’s your name?”
He continued to stare at me, like I’d told him to figure out a puzzle before we could keep talking. But then he pulled out his new license. “Brad Watowski. I’m a Norwegian piece of shit.”
“Brad.”
He nodded to me, returning to the gun. “Carrie.”
I stood from my chair. “Teach me to shoot a gun, Brad.”
His eyes went flat. “Don’t do this, Girl.”
“Teach me.”
“You know I can’t.” He went back to cleaning.
I bit back frustration.
“But I guarantee that if you ask the boss, he’ll teach you to shoot, or he’ll okay me teaching you.”
Relief warmed my chest. “So you’re not saying yes because you need approval?”
He whistled, shaking his head. “You’ve seen our boss in action. I ain’t doing shit without his say-so.” He gave me a dark look. “You been watching Cavers?”
A chill went through me.
The answer was no, because I didn’t like Cavers. I didn’t know why, but I knew I didn’t like him.
Seeing my look, understanding my look, Jake kept on rubbing that barrel. “Boss don’t want him with us, but he’s not asked you about him because he can’t get rid of him yet. I don’t know what we’re doing here, but I can tell that Cavers guy is a big part of it.”
That gave me a bad taste in my mouth.
Whatever or whoever Cavers was, none of us wanted him with us. A person didn’t need my gut instinct to know that. Cavers was either going to bring about our death or he was going to die by our hands. One or the other. A guy like that, there was no other way.
Jake reached for a new rag. “I’ll tell you right now, though. I’ll be happy when I get the go-ahead to put a bullet in that guy’s forehead. We’ll all be better off. You. Me. El Jefe.”
I reached for my phone as I glanced out the window. Two trucks had pulled in, and they drove slowly past our rooms.
“What is it?” Jake asked.
I found myself standing, though I hadn’t realized it.
I motioned to the window. “Those trucks look friendly to you?”
Jake was all business, moving to the window with a gun raised. He eased back the curtain, looked, and cursed.
That was all I needed.
I was on the move, grabbing the bags.
Jake put the rest of the guns in a bag and pulled it onto his back. He was facing the door with a gun in each hand as I came back with Cavers and Raize’s bags. I was wearing mine.
“You need me to take anything?”
He was looking outside. “No, but text the boss. Let him know we might be running.”
I did, and got a near immediate response.
Raize: Kill them if need be. If not, get away. Take a pic of them if you can.
I told Jake what he’d said, and he gave me a hard look.
The truck stopped outside our room.
We could leave through the back window. Everything was in our bags. The only thing we’d be leaving behind was our DNA, but I could tell Jake didn’t want to do that.
“Can you take a pic for him?” Jake asked softly.
I nodded, going to the other room.
A guy was getting out of the truck. He wore tight jeans, a big belt, a white button down shirt, and a cowboy hat. He walked toward the room where Jake was and peeked inside. I took my phone out, positioning it just beyond the curtain, and I took the pictures Raize wanted.
The truck.
The guy walking.
The license plate.
The driver still in the truck.
The images were clear enough, and I shot them off to Raize.
He responded as I returned to the other room.
Raize: Leave. Now.
I shared this with Jake, and he took one last look out the window before motioning to me. “Let’s go out their bathroom window.”
We went back to Cavers and Raize’s room. Jake shut the adjoining door, locking it without making a sound. We went to the bathroom. It was a small window, but big enough for both of us. I went first, falling into a crouch on the ground outside. Jake tossed all the bags to me, and I kept a lookout as he climbed through.
I had a moment to reflect as I did so, and this was so not normal.