Total pages in book: 118
Estimated words: 109178 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 546(@200wpm)___ 437(@250wpm)___ 364(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 109178 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 546(@200wpm)___ 437(@250wpm)___ 364(@300wpm)
“Really? I would’ve thought he’d avoid that sort of thing, to try ’nd not get his father wrapped up in this.”
“You’d think, but obviously he’s up to something. See, Sam, that’s the thing about your cousin, Lennox.” He drummed his fingers against the desk. “People think he’s just some gym rat, when in actuality he’s exceptionally clever. The boy’s looks can be deceiving. He’s awfully wily and duplicitous. He’s also made appointments with some law folks. I’m not certain who they are, but I don’t like what I’ve been seeing. Now, this could all be for the gym he’s tryna open for all I know, but I doubt it. He’s making moves. I gotta give it to him.” He shook his head and smiled dismally. “I didn’t think he’d go that route. I figured he’d try and strongarm me, since he can’t buy his way out. He’s broke.”
“I thought he was middle-class?”
Wilde rolled his eyes. “That’s broke to me, Sam!”
“…Oh.”
“Now I’ve got some leverage. I’ve got the girl’s name and address, but don’t know a lot about her yet. We need to get to diggin’ on her, find out her story.”
“Okay, got it.”
“I want you to go to the club she works at, Sam, and also check out her OnlyFans page. I’ll fill you in on the rest of my strategy in a little bit, but first confirm her work schedule.”
“Okay, yeah, just send me her info and I’ll get right on it.”
“If I can’t make him move to my side of the field by shaming his mother and her family with the truth, or exposing his crimes from the past, then I’ll make him move because of his dick and bleedin’ Liberal heart. I may still do all of that, but this thing right here? This he’ll definitely care about.”
“Boss, I have a question.”
“Yeah, Sam…”
“I thought, uh, I thought you said you didn’t care who any of us dated and married?”
“I don’t.”
“Well, uh, why is this—”
“Because it’s the only way to get what I need! I will fucking destroy him and this woman if Lennox doesn’t do what I tell him. Either way, he is gonna move, Sam, gotdamn it, and then, he is going to fall into a hole he can never climb out of! He’s been evading me! He’s become more emboldened, too! He’s gotten influenced by Kage, of all people, and his own father can’t get control of him! Lennox was my show pony. He’s the calm, level-headed one, but now he’s diggin’ in his heels and doing strange shit behind the scenes that I can’t just yet figure out. Lennox went as far to threaten to rat himself out, beat me to the punch, in order to remove any clout I had in regard to contacting the right folks about all of those murders for hire he has tucked under his belt. He looked me in my eyes and told me this, and I’m a lie detector, boy… He meant it.
“That tells you right there that he’s committed to fuckin’ with me every step of the way, and making this as hard as he can! Now, it’s war. It’s the principle! THAT MOTHERFUCKER WOULDN’T EVEN EXIST IF IT WEREN’T FOR MY NUTSACK! He’s an ungrateful son of a bitch!” His entire face went red hot, and his body felt like an inferno. “Sam, let this be a lesson to you, too. As in the story of Adam of Eve, boy, you know a woman will always bring a man down.” He panted, and then exhaled, calming himself. “If it wasn’t for his mama, then it had to be a different bitch altogether, right? As the song goes, ‘What you won’t do, do for love’ and Lenny, you’ve tried everything, but motherfucker, Grandpa Wilde won’t give up…”
…Later the next day
Nadia had fallen asleep while talking to Grandma on the porch. She vaguely recalled the old woman helping her onto her feet and shepherding her inside. When she woke up, she was in the guest room, covered in thick pastel sheets with old fashioned flowers painted on them.
The stuffy room was full of doilies, lace, and fake flowers jammed into plastic vases. A big painting of a White Jesus hung on the wall, and beside that was the Lord’s prayer with a torn Dollar General price tag still on the corner of the gold frame. She got up, ate some breakfast, then had some coffee with Nana. Nadia loved visiting her grandmother in the old house that smelled like coffee, fresh linen, spices, and lemon Lysol. Even though she was there under not the best of circumstances, it still felt right. Magical. She always recalled it smelling that way, and that gave her comfort. Made her feel all warm and gushy inside.
When she was there, she felt so safe and at ease. Like she could breathe. The only time she felt the same was when she was with Lennox.