Total pages in book: 76
Estimated words: 73191 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 366(@200wpm)___ 293(@250wpm)___ 244(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 73191 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 366(@200wpm)___ 293(@250wpm)___ 244(@300wpm)
“Fuck, he’s heavy.” Axe grunts when he drops Cody to the ground, and Cody starts to wake up.
We stand there and wait.
Cody’s hands start to twitch in the dirt, and his eyes slowly open. When he’s fully awake, he lifts his hand and winces. “What—”
“You think it’s fun to hurt your wife?” I ask.
Axe hands me his knife, and I grip it tightly in my hand.
Cody looks up and tries to scramble backward, but he doesn’t get far. “She is my wife, not yours. You’ve been jealous of that fact for years,” he spits. He sounds angry, but his face tells me another story. He’s scared. Petrified. “If you kill me, she’ll hate you.”
“Oh, Prez, he thinks he can talk his way out of what’s about to happen to him.” Axe laughs.
Cody’s worried gaze slides to Axe before coming back to me.
“You see, Cody, I’ve been very lenient with you, and you have abused that generosity. The last man who thought he could get away with abusing my somewhat better nature ended up in the fucking morgue with no one to identify him because he was already ashes.” I smile at him. “Now, tell me again why I can’t kill you?”
“You told her you won’t,” he says desperately.
“But I didn’t say I wouldn’t hurt you.” I nod to Axe, who moves behind Cody, locking his arm around Cody’s neck so he can’t move. Cody’s hands go straight to Axe’s arm, and he tries to pull free, but Axe has a strong-ass fucking grip, and no one can get out of his hold.
I bend down and smile.
“Not only are you scum, not only do you owe me, and I have let you live, but you also fucked with the wrong person.” I reach for his hand, which is trying desperately to pull Axe’s arm from around his neck, but with no luck, I pull it toward me. He tries his hardest to tug it back, but I smile at him as I push it to the ground and then step on it to keep it there.
“Please, don’t. I’ll get the money… I-I just need more time,” he whines with his eyes locked on his hand under my boot.
“Time is something I have already given you plenty of, Cody. My time is precious, and you are wasting it. But that’s not what this is about. After this, no one else will be able to save you. Not even her.” I hold the knife above his hand, and he tries to scrunch his fingers up. “Place all five fingers on the ground, now,” I warn him.
“No, please,” he begs.
“Now.”
“No,” he says again, and I slam the blade straight down into his hand. The knife shifts through the flesh, and his screams rip through the night.
“Open your hand, now.” He does so, but tears are rolling down his face, and Axe holds him tighter as he struggles. I pull the knife out, and his cries become louder. His hand is bleeding as he splays his fingers flat on the ground. “Good. Now start fucking listening,” I tell him.
He continues to cry as I bend down. He watches the knife in my hand with watery eyes as I put it closer to his hand again. I know he wants to pull his hand away, but now he knows what will happen if he does so again. “See, you can listen,” I say as I bring the knife down and chop off the tip of his pinkie finger. He screams, and as Cody passes out, Axe holds him tighter.
“He stinks,” Axe grumbles, letting him go.
I take out a tissue, pick up the tip of his finger, and wrap it up before standing. Handing it to Axe, who takes it before we look down at Cody.
“She really married him?” he asks. “She can for sure do better.” He winks at me.
I shake my head at him before we walk back to the front. As we get to our bikes, Elizabeth comes out, her hands wrapped around her midsection, and she looks around. Axe starts his bike and waits for me as I sit on mine.
“Has Cody left?” she asks.
“Kind of,” I tell her.
“Thanks for not… you know.” She shrugs.
“I’ll take payment now if you don’t mind.”
“I told you, I have plans tonight.” Her arms drop from around her waist.
“No, I’m not talking about that payment.” I reach for her and pull her closer. Grabbing her with both hands, I lift her and put her between my legs on the bike. She has to straddle me, and I look down to where her skirt rides up and see red panties.
“Milo.”
“Hmm?”
“My face is up here.” She places a finger under my chin and lifts it.
“But the lips I want to kiss are down here.” I move my hand from her waist and slide it between her legs. Her eyes track the movement before she stops me with her hand.