Total pages in book: 145
Estimated words: 136731 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 684(@200wpm)___ 547(@250wpm)___ 456(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 136731 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 684(@200wpm)___ 547(@250wpm)___ 456(@300wpm)
No shit.
I’d have Ling kill her.
I never could hurt a woman. It’s just not in my nature.
A breathless, “Oh,” escapes her. Pupils like pinpricks, I see her fear as beads of sweat accumulate on her forehead.
But I see something more there. Her mind is working a mile a minute. The way her eyes dart side to side and she grips the bear impossibly tight, something’s gotta give.
Finally, after what seems like forever, she gives me an in. Her lip trembles as she relays something I have already heard from Miguel. “Dino is different.” And although her eyes fill with tears, she continues with a steady voice, “He loves me.”
If I had doubt of this, the display downstairs would’ve clued me in.
She looks up at me, her expression worn. “He loves me.” Only this time when she says it, despair laces her voice. The way she says it is as if it’s not a thing of beauty, but of misery.
A single tear trails her cheek, but she doesn’t give in to emotion. She lifts a hand and wipes it away. And I have to say I’m impressed. This small woman carries a fuckload of strength inside of her. A blind person could see that.
Knowing I only have moments before Dino comes to check on her, I step forward, close but still giving her space, and ask once more, “Where was Dino that night?”
The gods have finally heard my prayers.
I fight the urge to laugh hysterically and jump on my bed in pure joy.
The tears I shed are very real. But perhaps not for the reason Julius Carter believes.
I am so tired of this life.
Twenty-four-year-olds are not meant to feel like I do. They are meant to be carefree, happy and even careless.
Oh, what I would give to be a regular twenty-four-year-old.
What I would give, indeed.
I want that life. I want it so bad that I can feel the freedom on my tongue the very moment I say, “Dino did it.”
Julius pins me with a look of disbelief, but I don’t waver.
One small step closer to freedom.
I hold my bear tighter and whisper, “Dino killed Raul.”
And may God have mercy on my soul.
“We’ve got a situation.”
Ling looks up at me from her place by Dino’s side, her sticky toffee-apple smile dying a slow death. “Right.” Looking from me to Dino, she places an overly familiar hand on his forearm. “Would you excuse me? Business calls.”
His eyes devour her. “You never did get around to telling me why you’re here.”
She grins up at him as she walks away. “All in good time, Mr. Gambino.”
Catching up to me, she mumbles, “Slimy motherfucker.”
The statement catches me off-guard. There are few men Ling doesn’t like, for obvious reasons. That reason being they have a dick. And Ling likes dick. Ling likes dick very much.
As soon as we enter Miguel’s office, he looks up from his seated position. “Well?”
There’s no easy way to say it. “Spoke to your sister. She’s not okay. That woman needs help. I don’t know what’s gone down, but something’s weighing on her.”
Miguel’s face turns pained only a moment before anger surges through him. He stands and barks, “I know this. I fucking know.” Calming himself with a deep breath, he asks through a sigh, “What did she tell you?”
Again, no easy way to say it. “Says Dino killed Raul.”
At that, Miguel deflates, almost literally. With shock written all over his face, he slides back into his desk chair and pinches the bridge of his nose tight. “Fuck. No bueno.” Removing his hand from his nose, his eyes widen before he looks up at me, jaw clenched. He growls a venomous, “What did you do?”
At this, Ling steps forward and utters a severe, “I don’t like your tone.”
How did this turn on me? Everyone needs to fucking chill. I place my hand on Ling’s shoulder and look Miguel in the eye. “I don’t roll like that. Never had to force myself on a woman before in my life, and I didn’t start today.” Needing him to get me, I tell him, “Got a sister myself, man.”
He looks like he wants to believe me but can’t do it. “So she just came out and said he did it? Just like that?”
Oh, I know what he means, and if I were him, I’d be questioning it too. I was surprised as he is. “Exactly like that.”
Ling speaks up, sounding more the voice of reason than I’ve ever heard before. “A woman like that doesn’t turn on her man, one she obviously loves, for no reason. There’s something more here. Something vital that we’re missing.”
“And whatever it is,” I add, “she’s not letting anyone in.”
Miguel stands once more, walking around his desk and out the door. “Follow me.”
Miguel leads us up the stairs, past Alejandra’s room, to the end of the hall. Miguel knocks once, firmly. A deep voice calls out, “Adelante.”