Total pages in book: 140
Estimated words: 140940 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 705(@200wpm)___ 564(@250wpm)___ 470(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 140940 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 705(@200wpm)___ 564(@250wpm)___ 470(@300wpm)
Emily’s voice—when it finally broke the silence—was laced with venom. “Were you still on a break, while Kaz and I were being hunted and while Max was bleeding out on the floor?”
Tisha’s response was barely audible. “I messed up. If you pull that trigger, Emily. You should not feel guilty. I deserve to die right now.”
“You see my eyes, motherfucker?”
“I do.”
“You see any guilt? Any hesitation?”
“No, Emily.”
“In fact, I want to pull the trigger bad. Sooooooo fuuuuuucking bad. I kind of think. . .it would feel good to do it. Maybe. . .it would be satisfying. Shit. . .it could be closure. What do you think?”
I swallowed hard.
Emily’s finger lightly touched the trigger. “You better hope Max wakes up. Do you understand me?”
“Yes.”
“Because I am Kaz’s moral compass, but Max is mine.”
I trembled, realizing the utter truth of that sentence.
Maxwell. . .you better be okay.
“And if my brother goes. . .a lot more people are going to die than necessary.” She pulled the gun away from Tisha’s face and stepped back as if needing to distance herself from the decision she was on the verge of making.
Once the gun was back at her side, I swore we all loudly exhaled—me, Valentina, and even some of my men that stood nearby.
Tisha was the only one that looked upset that she didn’t shoot him.
Goddamn it. So close. . .
Emily gestured at Valentina and Tisha with the gun. “You both left us exposed. They should not have had the ability to even put bombs in the front or the back of the club. Were there men on the roofs guarding?”
Tisha shook his head. “No.”
Emily looked at Valentina. “No one thought to have other posts besides the streets and entrances?”
They remained silent.
“What the fuck?! You have been in this game longer than me. Get your heads out of your asses!” She glared at Valentina and then Tisha. “When it comes to our enemies, you do not play a simple game of pick up ball, you are playing CHESS! You are several moves ahead, anticipating what the enemy will do next.”
My breathing returned to normal.
“You.” Emily pointed to Valentina and then Tisha. “And you were standing next to the Lion, not your brother, not your cousin, not your fucking bestie. Party or not, you are ON! Not off. Never off. Not a break. No fucking self-care moments. Not head in the stall. Not head in your fucking bedroom in the middle of the night. You are on, when Kaz is awake. You are on when he is asleep. In fact, you don’t fucking sleep.”
Emily’s fury radiated from her body as she began to pace in front of them. “AND! On means your head is in the game, always!”
Dear God, mysh.
I wanted to edge back as if I was in trouble too.
And they say I am the one with the temper.
She roared, “On means you’re constantly in touch with the guards, with Misha’s people, with every single person who’s supposed to be keeping us safe!”
Her eyes blazed as she paced back and forth, the gun now hanging by her side but still a clear threat. “It doesn’t matter if there’s a party, if it’s Christmas, or if the goddamn Pope is in town. You are always on duty. You don’t get breaks when lives are on the line. You don’t abandon your post for a quickie in the bathroom while people are getting blown up and shot at! You run into the fucking fire. Suffer the burn. Take a gun from anybody. And. Find. The Lion!”
Valentina and Tisha stood frozen, bearing the brunt of her wrath.
Emily stopped pacing and got back in front of Tisha. “Before we went out to the strip club, did you consult Misha’s people on keeping us safe and make sure he had satellites focused on us?”
“I did not.”
“Did you talk to King David to get some tips?”
“No. I thought I had everything under control.”
She tilted her head to the side. “Now what do you think?”
“I was wrong.”
Emily glared at Valentina and then Tisha. “Did you two think this was a game?”
They were both smart to keep quiet.
And for a quick second, I realized that Paolo and Emilio better not ever get in trouble when they grow up because I would not be able to save them from their mother.
Emily’s voice dropped to a deadly whisper. “You think because there’s music and dancing that the danger is on pause? Because bitches are naked and twerking on the stage, it’s fun time? Let your guard down. All will be okay.”
Valentina’s face went pale, her eyes downcast, while Tisha looked like a man condemned.
“Our enemies don’t take breaks. They don’t wait for an invitation.” She glared at Tisha. “They saw an opening, and they took it, because someone decided his dick was more important than the Lion’s safety!”