Total pages in book: 32
Estimated words: 29845 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 149(@200wpm)___ 119(@250wpm)___ 99(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 29845 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 149(@200wpm)___ 119(@250wpm)___ 99(@300wpm)
Bobby comes back and asks, “What do you want us to do, boss?”
“We’re going across town to get her back.”
9
CASSIDY
My head is throbbing, vision blurry, but I hear the traffic through the window and realize that I’m in the backseat of a car.
The man driving looks at me in the rearview mirror. “Welcome back, Sleeping Beauty. Sorry I had to knock you out, but I couldn’t leave there without you.”
“Where are you taking me? What hospital is my father in?”
He shakes his head and chuckles. “How is it possible that a con man like your father raised you to be so naive?”
Something settles in the pit of my stomach. My heart races, its erratic pounding echoing in my ears. I feel like I’m suffocating. “What are you talking about? I don’t understand.”
“Your father isn’t dying or, if he is, I don’t know anything about it. I just thought if I told you that, I could take you without things getting messy. Your father’s a worthless drunk and gambler. This isn’t about him.”
There’s pounding at the base of my skull. I’m furious because he tricked me and confused about why he took me. “So, why? What do you want with me?”
“You know what’s really sad? Not only did your father sell you out to a scumbag like Chris the Collector, but when I told him I would forgive his tab at my casino for information, he sold you out to me too. It’s a mystery how he kept you alive for so long. Pretty clear he doesn’t give a shit about you.”
My heart aches when he says it because deep down, I know it’s true. I knew it that night when he told me to go with Chris. Fathers are supposed to protect their daughters, fight for them, and keep them away from men like this driver. Instead, my own flesh and blood is willing to feed me to wolves if it means he can go back to his gambling.
I wipe the tears from my eyes because I don’t want this man to know how his words hurt me. So I try to be strong, even if all I want to do is break down and cry. “That didn’t answer my question. Why am I here? What do you want with me?”
“I’ve been watching your boyfriend for a while now. When he first brought you to his compound, I thought you were his prisoner. I actually respected him a little for having the balls to take a hot girl as collateral, but then, I saw your little shopping spree. I saw the big smile on your face when you went out with those mutts, and I saw the way he looked at you.
“He didn’t take you to fuck with your father. Any idiot who had a conversation with your father would know that he wouldn’t go out of his way to get you back. Chris took you because he wanted you. If he wants you, I can use you to hurt him.”
“Hurt him? Why do you want to hurt him?”
“Ever noticed that your boyfriend upped his security? Hell, that’s how I managed to get to you. He’s been working late into the night and getting phone calls at all hours. That’s because we’re at war, sweetheart. You can’t have two major players in the same city. The big boys don’t like to share.”
“And you’re a big boy?”
“Why? You don’t think I could be a big-time player? I can show you how I play if you want.”
“I’m just trying to find out who you are.”
“My father is Rocco Ramone. He owns the Royale among other less socially acceptable enterprises. Your boyfriend’s boss is old. He’s retired to a faraway island where he’s practically untouchable. I guess that makes The Collector the new boss of his organization now, which basically makes him our target.”
“W-where are you taking me?”
“Somewhere out of the way where I can keep you until your boyfriend and I come to an arrangement. Well, that is if you mean more to him than you do to your father.”
“He’ll come for me but I don’t think he’ll give you what you want. I think he’ll kill you.”
He laughs. “No, I’ll know if he’s on the up and up, and if he isn’t, then I’ll just kill you. No big deal. You sure are pretty, though. I might need to try you out first.”
He licks his lips and my stomach churns at the thought of him touching me.
Chris will come for me. I know that. He’s not like my father. Until Chris, I’ve always felt insignificant and invisible. In just the short time I’ve known him, he’s already made me feel more valued and seen than anyone else ever has.
The car rolls into some sort of concrete structure like a parking garage, but there are no other cars inside. It’s dark, with only a few dim lights illuminating the far wall. The man gets out of the car and opens my door.