Total pages in book: 53
Estimated words: 49562 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 248(@200wpm)___ 198(@250wpm)___ 165(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 49562 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 248(@200wpm)___ 198(@250wpm)___ 165(@300wpm)
He has everything he’s ever wanted.
Chloe.
Money.
And power.
But every throne comes with a price.
With enemies determined to take what is his,
he’s determined not to follow in his father’s footsteps.
Lucca may be inexperienced at being the boss,
but he is no amateur at being a killer.
Hide, One-Shot while you still can.
You see, unlike my father,
*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************
PROLOGUE
THE RETURN OF THE BOOGIEMAN
Lucca dropped the white paper bag covered in grease stains, letting it slip through his fingers. The second it hit the cold concrete floor, you could hear the harsh clanking of chains as the dirty creature crawled from where it had been hiding in the darkened corner and into the glow of the light.
Taking the metal chair from the wall, Lucca unfolded it and placed it in front of the ravenous being before he sat down. There were two feet of cold floor separating them—the first foot was for safety, but the second was for his nose, because not even the strong scent wafting off the bag could mask the stench.
The thing before him had once been human, even though his name, Lucifer, said otherwise, and while he had lived up to his name with his once wicked ways, he was still human, nonetheless. Now Lucifer Luciano, the former mob boss of the Luciano family, was closer to being an animal than a man.
It was fitting, Lucca supposed; he always thought made men were just animals hiding beneath their expensive Italian suits. He knew it because …
He was one, too.
He was known as the Boogieman of Kansas City, and there was no one left to rival his cruel reputation as his enemy now sat in chains. He figured, in another universe, the roles could be reversed. It might have been Lucca shoving the burger and fries down his throat as if he were a dog eating his last meal while Lucifer stood above him. Thankfully, however, in this world, that wasn’t the case.
There wasn’t much that could turn Lucca’s stomach, but slowly watching the outside of Lucifer match the inside had been something else entirely. The transformation seemed to even resonate with a part of Lucca’s own sick brain because …
What lived in Lucifer lay dormant in him.
The sickness that lurked just below the surface only stayed there because he had taught himself control, letting it only seep out during opportune times, if it could bring him closer to his ultimate goal. Lucifer’s, however, didn’t ever live beneath the surface; his sickness cocooned him, only getting thicker with age. But now the hard shell had been cracked with Lucifer’s loss of power, as Lucca had forced him out, blooming the disgustingly helpless creature into its final form.
The sight of it all should turn his stomach knowing he, too, could have ended up just like Lucifer … but then he would remember why Lucifer had come to be here in the first place, and suddenly, the rotten smell of flesh became satisfying enough for him to move his chair a foot closer.
At the movement, Lucifer cowered mid-bite, only returning to his ravenous ways when his captor didn’t make another move.
Lucca didn’t have to do anything else. Having him cower before him was enough to satiate the thoughts that ran through his head.
It was the scars carved into a young girl that had brought them both here, inside this concrete room. Unluckily enough for Lucifer, the carvings he had cut into that young girl’s porcelain skin many years ago had become the scars that Lucca had fallen in love with at first sight. That scarred girl was also the reason he wouldn’t be the one on the cold, hard floor, because she alone kept the monster within.
With a last bite, Lucifer licked his fingers, sucking off any grease left behind, along with any crumbs left under his nails. Lucca could see that, like a starved animal, once his hunger was satiated, a trace of the old Lucifer returned to his black orbs.
“What’s the occasion?”
“The occasion?” Lucca asked, not knowing what Lucifer meant while carefully noting a hint of his prisoner’s old voice had returned, as well.
“The suit.” Lucifer dropped his eyes to Lucca’s all-black, custom-made garment. “I’ve only seen you wear it a handful of times … when the Boogieman has business to attend to.”
A sly smile began to touch Lucca’s lips.
“So, what’s happened to grace us with the return of the Boogieman?” Lucifer asked again with hopefulness in his voice.
Ah … Now I understand.
Lucifer was right; there was no hiding the monster underneath when he was dressed to kill. When he wore the black suit, the Boogieman came out to play.
Lucca reached into his pocket and pulled out a pack of cigarettes. He gave the bottom a hard hit before he removed a stick and placed it between his sneering lips. “Today isn’t the day you die, Lucifer.”
The old Lucifer vanished, and in its place, the creature returned. “When?” it wailed as it began begging at Lucca’s feet. “When are you going to finally fucking kill me?”
“Your body might belong to me,” Lucca said, lighting the end of the cigarette, the glow from the flame dancing over his handsome face, “but your soul isn’t mine to take.”