Total pages in book: 70
Estimated words: 67975 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 340(@200wpm)___ 272(@250wpm)___ 227(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 67975 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 340(@200wpm)___ 272(@250wpm)___ 227(@300wpm)
“He ain’t speakin’, Briella. I’m not tryin’ too hard until we know what Dax wants. When the time comes, you’ll be here. Rest assured.”
“He’s not talking?” I ask, deciding to change the subject away from me.
“No, he’s not sayin’ a word. He’s closed lipped and for very good reason. I can change that, but I’m not playin’ those cards right now.”
“What do I do, then?”
“You sit tight. Dax is on the lookout, and he’s goin’ to pop up soon. When he does, I want you to be in a safe location.”
“Okay,” I say, exhaling. “I’ll chat to you later.”
I hang up the phone and just as I’m about to put it down, a private number rings through. I stare at the screen, and my stomach feels like it drops out of my feet because I know that whoever is on the other line isn’t good. I can feel it right down to my core. With a trembling hand, I take a deep breath and answer it. “Hello?”
“Ah, Briella, how are you, my dear?”
It’s an unfamiliar voice, but it’s not hard to figure out just who I’m speaking to.
Dax.
“How did you get my number?” I say, my voice shaky even though I’m trying to stay calm.
He chuckles. “Well, your dear old father-in-law, of course. He didn’t hide his contacts very well.”
“What do you want?” I spit, angrily.
“I want a lot of things, Briella—the question is, what do you want?”
I’m not playing his twisted little games.
I’m not.
No.
“I’m not playing with you, Dax. You’re calling me for a reason, what is that reason? We both know you’re not just calling to give me King back and we can all go on our merry way.”
“Smart girl. No, you’re right. I’m not calling for that. I’m calling to make a deal.”
We were expecting him to make a deal, we just weren’t expecting it to be with me. I’m not sure I should even be talking to him, but I’m also desperate to know King is okay, and I’ll do anything to get him back.
“What sort of deal?” I ask.
“Well, that depends on you. I have more than one thing you want, but, as you know, that club of yours is getting in my way. They’re making a mess of my whole operation and making people very unhappy. I’m sure you don’t want to see any more people die, because, you know I won’t stop until they stop.”
“Get to the point, Dax. I know you’ve got one.”
He chuckles. “Feisty, aren’t we? Very well. My point is exactly this: I’ll give you King, and I’ll tell you where your dear sister is and how to find her, if you have that club of yours completely back down. No more looking into me. No more following me around. They go on with their lives, and I go on with mine.”
“You want us to let you continue selling girls, innocent girls.”
“Oh, trust me, darling, they’re not innocent. It’s justice, really. Selling scum to scum.”
God, I want to rip his fucking eyeballs out.
“You’re disgusting,” I snap.
“Yes, yes, we can get to that later. Do we have a deal, or not?”
“You expect me to believe you’re just going to hand over King, tell me where Cova is, and never bother us again?”
“Indeed, yes. My operation is something I don’t need being brought to justice, so to speak. I will do whatever it takes to protect it. The more your little club looks into it, the more dangerous it gets for me. I’m not going to lose everything. I will kill everyone that gets in my way. The way I see it, this is your only option.”
“Why come to me?” I question. “Why not Alarick?”
“Because you’re likely to listen, Alarick simply will not. He’s going to make sure that I get whatever little punishment he has mapped out and he’s not going to stop.”
“You think I’m going to be able to stop him?”
“I think so, yes. I think you’re the only one who will be able to convince him to stop. After all, I have the only family you have left.”
I grit my teeth and swallow back my pain.
“How do I know you’ll hold up your end of the deal?”
“I’m a man of my word. You have Alarick step down, I’ll give you what you want.”
“How can you be sure? I could simply tell you he agrees to step down ...”
Dax chuckles. “Well of course, him and his entire club will confirm to me they are going to back down, and when they do, I’ll return what’s yours.”
“And if they change their mind after?”
“That wouldn’t be in anyone’s best interest, now would it? After all, I have plenty of bullets, plenty of time, and plenty of men. I can remove that club from existence, I’m sure that’s not what anyone wants.”
He’s right.
It’s not.