Total pages in book: 76
Estimated words: 76396 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 382(@200wpm)___ 306(@250wpm)___ 255(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 76396 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 382(@200wpm)___ 306(@250wpm)___ 255(@300wpm)
“What price?” I growl.
“You work for me. I’ve heard about you. What you did for your family. You screwed up, but you’re paying for that right now, I imagine. You’re solid, loyal, there aren’t many of you around.”
“I’m not fuckin’ loyal, did you not hear that I stole from him...”
“And why did you do that?”
I exhale angrily. “To pay my fuckin’ mortgage so my family didn’t sink.”
“As I suspected,” he murmurs, “loyal.”
“Last time I worked for someone, it got my girlfriend taken. I’m not going to rest a single fuckin’ day until I find her. Do you understand me?”
“And believe me, son, you won’t find her without me. The world Walter sells into, it’s deep, and dark, and fuckin’ dangerous. The only way to get into that world, to find your lady, is to work for me. Now, do we have a deal, or not?”
“How the fuck do I know you’re telling me the truth, that you know where to find her?”
“Her name is Ellie, is it not?”
My fists clench, and I bark, “Where the fuck is she? Do you have her?”
“Calm down, boy. No, I do not have her, but I’ve heard whispers of her. You’re either going to make a deal with me, or you’re not. If you don’t, then you can carry on trying to find her on your own, but I promise you that you won’t. If you make a deal with me, I’ll help you as much as I can, but again, I cannot promise you anything. After all, I don’t know where she is, but you’re closer to finding her with me, than with anyone else.”
“What do you want me to do?” I grind out.
“The same thing you were doing for Walter. And, if you show your loyalty to me, you’ll be greatly rewarded. If you betray me, though, know that I’m a far more powerful man, and I will make you wish you were never born.”
I grit my teeth.
I shouldn’t do this, but I know...I fuckin’ know...that I won’t find her unless I do.
Even if I have to work with him just so I can look for information while I’m on the job, at the very least it keeps me in this world.
And it’s in this world I need to be, to get her back.
“Okay,” I grind out. “We have a deal.”
Benjamin extends his hand, a huge grin on his face. He must see something in me that he wants, or he wouldn’t be going to such extremes to get me. Maybe it’s loyalty, maybe it’s because I’m so fuckin’ broken, I don’t care about anything. I only care about her. And I’ll do anything, anything I can, to find her again.
Even if it means working for this monster.
“We have a deal,” he grins. “And you can call me Shanks.”
~19~
NOW – ELLIE
I’m afraid.
I’m not going to admit that.
But the truth is, what we’re about to do, absolutely terrifies me. Because it means that I’m going to risk everything, to try and close a huge gaping door in my life, and get rid of the monster who has haunted me for so long. So many things could go wrong, just like Slater said, but I have to trust Malakai and the guys, and know that they’re going to get me through. No matter what.
That they won’t let me disappear again.
Slater told me everything last night. From our relationship, to him getting into the wrong side of things when he tried to fix everything for Lincoln, to stuffing up and stealing money, to breaking up with me in hopes it would protect me. He told me all of it, and I won’t lie, hearing some of it hurt, even if I don’t remember it. He went into detail, to make sure nothing would surprise me if my memory came back. Of course I already knew some of it, but not to this extent.
He was worried I’d hate him for what came out, but of course that isn’t the case. How could I hate him? It seems to me everything he did was to protect someone else. And even though it sounds like him breaking my heart was an incredibly awful experience, I know why he did it. He also told me about some of his time with Shanks, the man who promised to help him find me.
Turns out Shanks knew where I was all along.
He just didn’t want Slater to leave his side, because over the years, he eventually fell into place and became loyal. Slater said he didn’t bother trying to push, because life with Shanks is where he felt he deserved to be. It was easy. And he was broken. So, he just stayed there. Hanging onto some hope that he’d find me eventually.
He also told me that it meant losing his family. It meant not seeing Lincoln, Damon and Finn. It meant his dad passed away, and he wasn’t there. All of these things caused a big problem, a problem that is still festering under the surface. Even though they understand why he did what he did, and they’re back in each other’s lives now, the fact is one day, it’s all going to come out. There’s just simply no way it can’t.