Total pages in book: 112
Estimated words: 112567 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 563(@200wpm)___ 450(@250wpm)___ 375(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 112567 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 563(@200wpm)___ 450(@250wpm)___ 375(@300wpm)
Police rushed onto the balcony.
“You!” I pointed to one of the cops. “Give me your handcuffs.”
Monique raised her eyebrows.
Chen held his hands out. “I’m not sure where this is going, Lei, but I would like you to rethink—”
“Hurry up!” I yelled at the cop.
The cop scurried forward with handcuffs dangling in his hands.
I let go of Monique, rose, and snatched the handcuffs from him. “Stand up.”
The cop straightened his posture. Others stood too.
“Not any of you,” I growled and looked at her. “You, stand up.”
Monique touched her chest with her bloody hand. “M-me.”
“No. The other maniac trying to jump to her death!”
Sniffling, she stood and wiped tears away. “It’s been. . .a rough day.”
“No.” I opened one cuff and latched it to her wrist in one fast, crisp motion. “It’s been a rough month.”
I shut the cuff closed.
Monique wildly gazed at it. “W-what are you doing?”
Chen crossed his arms over his chest. “Is Monique now under arrest, Lei?”
I secured the other cuff to my wrist and closed it. “She stays close to me!”
“Okay then.” Chen stomped over to the cop. “Give me the keys.”
The cop scratched his head. “I think the keys are down in my car, but—”
“Then, get them!” Chen fisted his hands. This was the most I’d ever seen my cousin raise his voice in one day.
The cop rushed off.
Chen brushed down his clothes again.
Monique gazed at the balcony’s ledge and murmured to herself, “Holy shit. Holy shit. Holy shit.”
I sneered. “Holy shit is right. That’s a twenty-floor drop.”
“The cop isn’t sure if the keys are in the car. Did you hear that?” Chen came over and held out his hands. “Lei, I don’t think handcuffing her to you is the best option.”
I snarled at him, “Oh really?”
“Yes. Really.” Chen glared. “We’re kind of busy doing a whole manhunt thing.”
I frowned. “Can you think of another solution besides the handcuffs?”
“Yes!” Chen shook his hands. “There are hundreds of much better solutions coming to my mind in this exact moment than you handcuffing her to yourself.”
“Then, I’ll hear them later.” I stormed off. The cuffs dragged Monique with me.
She hurried to my side. “I-I’m b-better now.”
Chen called back, “Lei!”
“What?” I barked back.
“Come back.” Chen hurried my way. “We need to figure out the next moves, like where should we track Leo and what we’re going to do with Monique?”
I stopped. “We will check-in to that hotel you talked about.”
“Oh.” Relief came on his face. “Okay. That’s good.”
“However, I’m not dealing with our aunts today.”
“Fine. I’ll deal with them.” Chen took two steps forward as if he thought I might run away. “And what do you think about taking Monique to wherever she lives and putting guards on her?”
The little bit of calm I had shattered. “I already put a guard on her and she tried to leap over the ledge!”
Chen rubbed his head.
Monique shook hers. “That wasn’t Duck’s fault. It was mine.”
“No. Lei is right. I should’ve been closer,” Duck spoke. “I knew you were losing it.”
“There we go.” Chen held out his hands. “Duck understands the situation. Monique does too. I think we can uncuff her wrist and take her somewhere—”
“She stays with us!” I walked off.
Monique stumbled into the penthouse with me. “I-I can’t just stay with you all. I’ve got—”
“Plans?” I spun her way and stopped. “You’ve got plans?”
“No. Responsibilities.”
“Oh!” I bobbed my head. “Is that why you were flying over the ledge like you were goddamn Spiderman? You were clearly leaping to your responsibilities?”
She gave me an odd look. “You mean. . .Superman?”
Sneering, I leaned forward. “What did you say?”
She stumbled back. “S-superman can fly. Spiderman can’t.”
“Are you trying to be funny?!”
“No. I’m just. . .” Her eyes watered. “I can’t go with you, Lei. I have to take care of my sisters.”
“I heard what you told Duck before you ran. Don’t worry. I will get my men in Paradise to deliver money to your sisters in the South. Give me the address later.”
Confusion spread over her face. “How did you hear what I said on the balcony?”
“Doesn’t matter.”
“I still can’t stay with you for long. I need to take care of my sisters.”
“Who’s watching them now?”
“My Aunt Betty and my cousin Banks are with them now, but that’s just temporary.”
Banks? Jesus. She’s directly connected to Rowe Street Mob.
I hoped Chen didn’t hear that. He would freak out. When we stole Chanel’s body, Chen thought we should wear green. That way it would keep the Killer Crows off her scent for a while, until I figured out why I needed her body in the first place.
The next day, Chanel’s sister, Kashmere broke into the leader of Rowe Street Mob’s condo—Marcelo. And Kashmere put a gun to Marcelo’s head.
It’ll be a long time before Marcelo lets that go.
Until then, East-South relations and West-South relations would be tense.