Total pages in book: 72
Estimated words: 66334 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 332(@200wpm)___ 265(@250wpm)___ 221(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 66334 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 332(@200wpm)___ 265(@250wpm)___ 221(@300wpm)
“What’s that?” Sunshine asked.
“My truck. You’ve seen it.”
Melantha’s head swiveled in his direction. “That thing is yours?”
“Yeah. She’s pretty sweet, right?”
“Is that a pun?” she asked with a frown.
I chuckled. Brody’s ice cream truck was tucked away under the watchful eye of his father. His old man was doing what he could from the sidelines, helping his son from the shadows without drawing attention to himself from the opposing side of the Infernal Syndicate.
It was a delicate balance, aligning his silent loyalty with the legacy of our families as they worked diligently to set the final stage of the show--Ciaran's, mine, and Maverick's among a few others—some of Lana’s. In this world where trust was as scarce as safety, such gestures didn't go unnoticed or unappreciated.
Maverick's response was lighthearted as always. "Don't worry, you'll have plenty of alone time with Twisty when we win this."
Shaking her head, Melantha muttered something under her breath and refocused on walking a straight line. I’d taken note of her method of distraction within minutes of us leaving the warehouse. She was in pain but wouldn’t show it. That earned her a kernel more respect from me.
My gaze shifted, scanning our surroundings. "Nine o'clock," I called out, spotting a blonde making a beeline for us. Her desperation was palpable. I considered extending a helping hand as she neared. We would need fodder for later on. A flicker of possessiveness held me back. Sunshine wouldn't approve of me touching other women, and I couldn't bear the thought of another woman's touch mingling with hers. So, when the girl reached us, I did the only thing that was right--I kicked her away.
The despair that clouded her features as she flew back was well worth the choice I’d made. She had spotted Lana, Sunshine, and Melantha with us and made the fatal mistake of thinking her life held the same weight as theirs.
“You bastard!” she shrieked at me as she stood up, turning to flee when she saw Raphael hit a U-turn.
I wondered what made her think she could outrun the machine built for hunting. He caught up to her within seconds, his hand catching her by the back of the head. Her screams echoed through the street as she was dragged mercilessly, her clothes tearing and shredding from the pavement beneath her, leaving a trail of fabric and blood in her wake.
“What the hell was that?” Lana yelled.
“You didn’t have to do that.” Sunshine's voice was laced with disapproval.
It was enough to prick my nerves.
I reached for her hand, relaxing when she didn't pull away, proving she wasn't too upset with me.
“Puppet, do you have some flawed misconception of us? We aren’t heroes.”
“That doesn’t mean we can’t help people, Ciaran.”
“When I need a few people to kill off to keep you safe, I’ll let you collect a couple strays.”
I nodded in silent agreement. That’s what we needed, expendables. Lana’s reply was cut off when he pivoted sharply, moving down a side alley. The narrow space got us out of the open, but that didn’t stop any of the foolish from pursuing. Someone silently descended from above, utilizing the fire escape to his advantage. The sound of metal scraping against concrete alerted us to another figure cutting off our path at the front. They’d been tracking us—how fun.
I recognized them.
We let them think they were our former allies in a previous season, and they bought every bit of the pitch we sold them. They’d most likely been sent to test us now. I found that insulting. Ciaran wasted no time, swiftly retrieving his push dagger from his boot sheath.
"Stay behind me, Puppet," he commanded, his eyes never leaving the approaching figures.
"You could have given me a weapon too," she complained, but obeyed, nonetheless.
With fluid precision and years of training, Ciaran dispatched the first man with ease. My brother was quick to cover Melantha alongside Brody, while Mav and Dion watched our backs, facing the way we had come from. Adrenaline coursed through my veins as I faced the second dead man trying to move up on the side.
I pulled out Vetis, my modified Kukri. Those few seconds almost cost me. The corpse swung a small throwing axe in my direction, the blade missing me by less than an inch. With a grin, I lunged forward and struck back with my fist, cracking the mask covering his face. He stumbled backward, but quickly regained his footing just as I buried my curved metal deep inside him, relishing the pained croaking sound that escaped his lips.
I twisted the handle, pushing it even deeper into his body. "Does it hurt?" I taunted, watching as he weakly grabbed my wrist in a futile attempt to stop me. "No?" I tilted my head and gave a violent jerk, splitting him open from gut to sternum. Blood gushed out, coating my knuckles and fingers in a sticky red sheen. "Does it hurt now?" I pressed the blade even further into his flesh as he keened in agony.