Total pages in book: 161
Estimated words: 149338 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 747(@200wpm)___ 597(@250wpm)___ 498(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 149338 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 747(@200wpm)___ 597(@250wpm)___ 498(@300wpm)
“Stop! Please! Fucking stop!” I screamed, sobs raging through my body.
“I'm a bad man! I've done unforgivable things. Here's your chance! Fucking take it! Send me straight to fucking Hell! Now!”
I jerked back, almost falling to the ground not realizing what I had just done. My eyes widened, my heart dropped. A loud popping sound ricocheted off the walls followed by his body falling to the ground with a thud.
“Oh my God,” I breathed out.
I didn’t have time to go to him, to help him. The door to his office slammed open. His niece, my half-sister, Briggs coming face to face with her uncle, lying in a pool of his own blood.
“NO!” She lunged into action, falling to her knees. “NO! NO! NO! PLEASE NO!” she screamed, placing her hands over his wound. Blood gushed through her fingers as she applied pressure.
“Briggs!” Austin yelled, barreling into the room after her. Stopping dead in his tracks, peering from her, to him, to me.
The rest proceeded in slow motion.
She looked up never expecting to see me behind the smoking gun.
“Lexi?” she said with a horrified look on her face.
I immediately released the gun. It dropped to the floor with a bang. "I... oh my God... what happened... oh my God, oh my God, what did I do?” I was in shock, my eyes never leaving him. There was so much blood.
“Fuck!” Austin shouted, instantly grabbing the gun. Placing it in the back of his jeans. “Go!” he ordered, looking at me. “NOW!”
“What?” I replied, confused.
“Austin, what are you doing?” Briggs asked, bringing my attention to her.
“It wasn’t supposed to go down like this. Fuck! Go, Lexi! Now! This place will be swarming with cops in a few minutes! GO!”
I shook my head. “What—”
“Daisy,” Martinez sputtered, coughing up blood. She peered down at him with nothing but love in her eyes. “Let her go. I deserved it. Let her go…” he added, his eyes fluttering. Going in and out of consciousness.
“Get out of here! NOW!” Austin shouted.
I looked around the room one last time. Overwhelmed, confused, regretful, and fucking terrified.
Why are they letting me go?
I didn’t give it a second thought.
I ran.
Trying like hell not to look back.
Six days, six hours, six minutes, since I pulled the trigger. The devil’s numbers, the irony wasn’t lost on me. I walked into my apartment, kicking the door shut behind me. Placing all the newspapers, magazines, and the picture on the living room floor. Turning on the television in front of me.
“Alejandro Martinez, notorious crime boss of New York City is being laid to rest today, after he was gunned down in his downtown Manhattan penthouse a week ago. The investigation is still open, and there are no leads at this time on who is responsible for taking the life of the man, most commonly known as El Diablo. We will be going live from his funeral site in a few minutes. People are gathering from all over the world for this significant moment in time. Where justice has been served. Proving that the good guys can win, in the end. I’m Maria Castello, reporting live. Please stand by.”
I grabbed my stomach immediately feeling nauseous again. This whole thing made me sick, on the brink of throwing up. My conscience. My heart. My soul. Eating away at me. I don’t think I slept the entire week, barely leaving my apartment until today. I did, only because I had to. I’d been struggling with turning myself in, walking to my door, reaching for the handle, telling myself today was the day I’d confess. But I couldn’t. I needed to pay for taking a life that didn’t belong to me. I was no better than him.
Why did they let me go?
Even Martinez let his demise go.
Me.
Why were Austin and Briggs even there?
They never came to visit. It didn’t make any sense. Nothing did. I was more confused now than I had ever been before. I didn’t know how that was even possible. I kept expecting the cops to start pounding on my door at any point in time. Constantly watching over my shoulder, still feeling his strong presence all around me.
His ghost.
Would he ever go away? Is this what it felt like for him? All those years of feeling the lives he took around him? Is that why he never slept? Their souls haunted him? How can I still love him? Grieve for him after everything he told me? He was with my mom. He was her demise. How do I move on from that?
I looked down at the newspapers. All the headlines were the same.
“FBI raid, Jimmy ‘The Boss’ Sanchez’s mansion. Arrested by FBI.”
“Notorious drug lords from around the world brought to justice.”
“Biggest organized crime bust in world history in wake of Alejandro Martinez’s death.”
“Crime Bosses across the U.S. being questioned. Amongst the names, ‘Benjamin ‘Boss Man’ Robinson was taken into custody.”