Total pages in book: 129
Estimated words: 120165 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 601(@200wpm)___ 481(@250wpm)___ 401(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 120165 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 601(@200wpm)___ 481(@250wpm)___ 401(@300wpm)
British guy nodded to Yoz, who grabbed a fire extinguisher. Water blasted the burning stack of books, sending some of them flying off the table. Steam billowed up towards the smoke alarm, which had started wailing. When the extinguisher ran dry, Yoz hurled it at the smoke alarm, smashing it off the ceiling and silencing it.
I stared at the wreckage. I remembered carefully arranging the books, a multi-colored patchwork of beautiful covers. Now the top few layers were a charred, pitted mess and the books that weren’t burned were soaked with water. My business brain ran the math: twelve books wide by ten books long times five books deep equals about $3000 dollars of stock I’d just lost.
“That’s the problem with books,” said British guy. “They’re flammable.” He looked around at the store. “Imagine if someone threw a petrol bomb through the window.”
“What do you want?” sobbed Jen, her voice cracked.
But I already knew. I’d heard about this happening in this part of town. “Protection money,” I said dully.
“I prefer specialist insurance,” said British guy with a flourish. He advanced, forcing me to back up towards the counter. “We’ll work out a nice monthly sum that protects against fire, burglary...intruders in your store…”
“You two, working here late at night, all alone,” said Yoz, strolling towards Jen. “Anything could happen.” He looked at British guy. “I’ll take the blonde.”
My stomach flipped. I grabbed Jen’s arm and pulled her with me towards the back of the store. “I’ll pay you.”
British guy grinned. “I know you will.”
My ass hit the counter. “I’ll pay you, stop!”
He kept coming. “I think it’s good if we develop a close personal working relationship.”
I was so scared, I thought I was going to throw up. It was the slow, creeping inevitability of it, the way they were so smugly confident. They’d done this before. They’d do it again. And there was nothing we could do to stop them.
I checked over my shoulder. The back room had a door with a lock, but they were too close, they’d grab us before we could get in there.
I looked at Jen, at the tears streaming down her cheeks. Maybe it didn’t have to be both of us.
I pulled out my box cutter, flicked out the blade and launched myself at the two men, slashing wildly. “Run!” I screamed at Jen. She stared at me in horror, then ran for the back room.
British guy dodged back, then got under one of my swings and punched me in the stomach. I doubled over, all the air knocked out of me, and he ripped the box cutter from my hand. Yoz stalked past us and tried the door to the back room, then kicked it, furious. “She’s locked herself in there!”
I wheezed for air, holding my stomach. At least Jen was safe.
British guy grabbed me by the throat and now I couldn’t breathe at all. “Looks like it’s both of us on you,” he told me.
I closed my eyes as he reached for the button of my jeans.
9
RADIMIR
I sat low in the big Mercedes, scowling at the world as I swept through the darkened streets.
In the week since I’d walked out of her store, I’d taken to driving myself home from work. It meant I didn’t have to explain to Valentin why I was taking a diversion to drive down one particular street.
I’d never go back in. Never contact her again. I’d come too close to something dangerous. But I allowed myself this one indulgence, speeding past the little glowing storefront every night so I could glimpse her. I knew it wasn’t healthy, but I couldn’t stop.
The line of stores before hers had grown familiar. A closed-down jewelers, a grocery store, the coffee shop and then—
Control yourself, you idiot. I inhaled and gripped the steering wheel as I approached. I wouldn’t look. I’d keep my eyes on the road and that would be the end of it.
But as we passed, that pull I felt to her was too much. My eyes flicked to the side, just for an instant.
That glimpse of long red hair, as expected. But there were two people who shouldn’t be there. I recognized the brown leather coat and the bleached blond hair instantly. Doyle and Yoz.
And Doyle had his hand around Bronwyn’s throat.
I buried the brake pedal in the carpet. The wheels locked up and painted thick black lines of rubber along the street and I came to a screeching stop. A taxi that had been behind me had to slam on its brakes too and stopped an inch from my rear bumper.
I threw open the door and stalked toward the bookstore. The taxi driver leapt out to yell at me, then got a look at my face and backed away.
Something had taken hold of me. It had me in its grip and it was squeezing tighter and tighter. I reached the bookstore and kicked the door so hard it flew back on its hinges and cracked its glass.