Total pages in book: 70
Estimated words: 67795 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 339(@200wpm)___ 271(@250wpm)___ 226(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 67795 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 339(@200wpm)___ 271(@250wpm)___ 226(@300wpm)
He does, I realize. “Will you be here when I get out of the shower?”
“No,” he sighs. “I have more club business to take care of, but you’re safe here, Letty, I promise. When I’m done, I’ll come back and take you home. To my house where we can be alone together for the next twenty-four hours.”
I nod and smile at his words. “Okay. I love you.” I close the distance between us and wrap my arms around his neck, no longer self-conscious about my need to get cleaned up. I fit my lips to his and pour every emotion coursing through my body into that kiss.
I don’t know what he going to do, but I want him to have no doubt that I love him and worry about him. Eventually, I pull back and smile softly. “Be safe, Shades. Come back to me.”
“Just try to stop me, babe.” He presses another quick kiss to my lips and takes a step back as if knowing being too close might make it difficult to leave.
“Take a left out of here, and this hall will lead you to the bar and gaming area. The other girls are there. If you get confused, just follow the noise.” He kisses me one final time, and then he’s gone.
I smile and step into the bathroom, high on the fact that Shades loves me, as I step into the shower and clean off the worst and best day of my life.
Chapter Thirty
Shades
“You ready for this?” Preacher stands with me just outside the heavy metal door of The Chamber, a look of sympathy and understanding on his face.
I stare are my friend and nod. “Yeah, I’m ready. This needs to be done. We need intel.” And that fuckwit Braden has some information that might be useful to us. “Let’s do it.”
I hesitate, but not because I’m not up for doing what needs to be done but because I know exactly what I have to do.
Inside The Chamber is dark, pitch black in fact, and cold thanks to cement walls and floors. The lack of light is disorienting, which is exactly what I’m hoping for.
“Is someone there?” Braden’s fear is obvious, and that makes me smile.
“What’s it to you?”
“Shades?” Fear mixes with relief in his tone, but that’s only because despite his misdeeds, Braden is a true believer. He thinks there’s a way out of this mess for him.
“Thank goodness you’re here. We can have a conversation about, well, everything.”
I stalk across the room, Preacher right behind me, and tug on the tiny string that dangles from the naked bulb in the room.
“And what exactly is everything, Frank?”
“Letty is safe, isn’t she? Then you must want information, which I have.”
I turn to Preacher, and we share a look. Preacher shakes his head.
“All right, what kind of information?”
“The Iron Kings, that Hector Santos, wants everything your club has. The port. The girls. The shipments. All of it.”
I stare down at Frank in disbelief and nod. “I thought you had information that wasn’t common knowledge, Frank.”
I smack my lips together and shake my head before I start to carefully lay out the tools meant to frighten any man in that seat into giving up his mother’s deepest secrets.
“Now that I know you’re not serious, it’s time to get serious.”
I pull out different tools—a hammer, a tree saw, an electric drill, a few different size knives, a hook, and, of course, pliers—and set them on the table one by one.
“That isn’t necessary. Not in the least,” he sputters as this situation, and its gravity finally hits him. “Fine, what do you want to know?”
“I’ll ask the questions, and I only plan to ask each question once. Got it?”
Braden pulls his lips in tight and nods.
“Good. First question. Were you forced to lure Letty to the church?” He opens his mouth, and I hold up the pliers.
“I want you to think about your answer first and then give it to me.”
Thankfully, Preacher has Frank’s entire forearm tied to the chair, making it easy to grip the white tip of his middle fingernail and pull it out from the base.
“Ahhh!” Braden lets out a blood-curdling scream that he follows up with a low grunting sound that never seems to fucking end.
“You got an answer?”
His head falls forward, and his body trembles from the shock of the pain. “No, they didn’t force me. I offered to get her to the church as an act of goodwill.”
Braden’s eyes slam shut, and he’s muttering a request for forgiveness, presumably to God and not to me.
“Now we’re getting somewhere,” I smile down at him. “Next.” I set the pliers on an electric hob and crack my knuckles. “How long have you been working with Hector and his men?”
Braden holds his breath in anticipation of what comes next.
“You have ten seconds before I need an answer.” His head wobbles, and my reward is to punch him in the fucking face as I count out the seconds.