Total pages in book: 101
Estimated words: 98255 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 491(@200wpm)___ 393(@250wpm)___ 328(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 98255 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 491(@200wpm)___ 393(@250wpm)___ 328(@300wpm)
“Do you think this scares me?”
“I hope not,” Grant said. “I’ve got three other knives and a whole lot of other tools, as you can see. I won’t get to cutting until I’m really bored. For now, I’m happy to just sit back and watch.”
“Grant, we don’t have time for this,” Bull said.
“Why not? They’re not going anywhere and he wanted me to poison Maddie and my little niece. We’ve got all the time in the world.”
Grant whistled and held the other knife. Where should he put the next blade?
Miguel’s hands got the next two blades and as for the final blade, he decided to slam that through the man’s cock.
Pinned to a chair, screaming, writhing in agony, and faced with a man who showed nothing but boredom, after an hour of Grant not changing, other than to pull the knives out and place them somewhere else, throwing alcohol onto his wounds, for him to feel every single burn, Miguel cracked.
He told them everything. Every single detail of the Cartel.
Grant stared at Miguel. He wanted to end him, but that wasn’t for him to do. Getting to his feet, he put his hand on his brother’s shoulder, and then left the basement.
“Are you okay?” Pat asked.
“Fine.”
“Are you sure? I don’t think I’ve ever seen you do something like that.”
“There’s a lot you don’t know about me, Pat,” Grant said. “That didn’t bother me. My woman, alone in a hospital bed, that’s what bothers me.”
Bull came up from the basement. “It’s been taken care of.”
“What’s the plan?” Grant asked.
William appeared as well, face set in stone. “It’s time for us to go to war.”
“You don’t have an army,” Grant said.
“But I do.”
****
“Come back to me.”
“Come back to me.”
Aria moved her head from side to side, confusion clogging her thoughts. She was so tired.
Grant … he was speaking. She wanted to follow the sound. To hear him talk, listen to his voice, but the sleepiness was too much. She had no choice but to close her eyes and go to sleep. Sleep was a good place to be.
“Do you think she’s going to be okay?”
Was that her sister? What was her sister doing in the burning hotel?
“I think she will be. The doctors are hopeful. We’ve just got to think positive.”
Was that Michael? What was he doing in the burning hotel as well?
“Is he good enough for her?”
“That’s not your place to say. If Grant makes her happy, then you can’t come between the two of them.”
“I know that, but she’s my sister and I want her to be happy. She deserves to be happy.”
“And she will be.”
Grant, she missed Grant. Where was he?
“Aria, I know you’re sleeping and this will be helping you to mend, and to be … right, but I need you to come back to me. Please, baby, I need you to come back to me right now.”
Grant. She wanted him. She wanted to hold him. To tell him that she didn’t care, it was all in the past, and that she didn’t want to waste a moment. But she was so tired. She’d tell him as soon as she woke up.
“Hey, bestie, I’m awake but it would seem that you are not.”
Lidia? Why was Lidia talking to her? They were trapped together in a burning building.
“Come on, Aria, you’ve got to wake up. You’ve got to come back to us. Grant wants to ask you something and you need to come back because he is … the smell is really bad. I’m hoping Maddie can convince him to leave, and you know, shower, to do something.”
Did Lidia touch her hand?
Aria flexed her hand, opening and closing it, but nothing was there.
So tired.
“Hey, Aria, I know you and I haven’t been friends long, but I’d like to rectify that. You’ve missed Christmas and New Years. There are a ton of presents waiting for you. The doctors have asked for the flowers to stop, but I think once you get out, you’ll be able to plant them in your garden.”
Presents. Flowers. She never got flowers.
“Hey, babe, so I did it, I’m working at the club’s garage, permanently. I go there after I take care of you, and then I come back here. I have washed, so you can tell Lidia to fuck off with that shit. I’m clean. Bull and Maddie convinced me that stinking up the place wouldn’t help you wake up.”
Grant. He was here.
She wanted to hold him and tell him she loved him and didn’t want him to leave her side, not now, not ever.
Grant.
So tired. Always so tired.
“Will she ever wake up?”
Aria frowned.
That was so clear. Not far away. Not distant, but it felt like he was right in the room with her. Aria no longer felt numb or alone. Taking a chance, she opened her eyes and looked around. She wasn’t in the burning hotel room. There was no smoke. The room was white and there was light coming in through the window. It was bright. Machines beeped all around her.