Total pages in book: 28
Estimated words: 25958 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 130(@200wpm)___ 104(@250wpm)___ 87(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 25958 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 130(@200wpm)___ 104(@250wpm)___ 87(@300wpm)
No one got left out.
I put a bullet through Frederick’s skull before shoving my gun back into my slacks and crouching in front of Anurak. When I tugged his bloody hands away from his ears, he slowly blinked his eyes open, looking up at me. I let a soft smile tilt my lips. “Keep your eyes on me, perrito,” I crooned. When I looked at him, all I could think of was an abused, adorable puppy. The name had formed in my mind for him before I’d even had a chance to think about it. But when some of the pain left his eyes at the pet name, I knew I’d never stop calling him that.
“I’m going to get you out of here,” I promised him, my voice low. Soft. “I want you to close your eyes again for me, okay? I’m going to pick you up and carry you out. I bet you’re real tired, aren’t you, perrito?”
He nodded as he closed his eyes. I swept him up into my arms, then quickly headed for the basement stairs, climbing up them and carefully stepping over the guard’s dead body. When I emerged from the basement, my second-in-command, Alfonzo, was waiting for me, an automatic rifle strapped over his chest. He was wearing jeans and boots and a Kevlar vest.
A man could be taken out of the cartel, but the cartel could never be taken out of the man. He’d grown up in Mexico surrounded by members of the cartel, and when his father was murdered right in front of him in retaliation, he’d escaped to the states, which was how I’d met him. He’d been sleeping at the homeless shelter I’d been camping out at that night, and we’d somehow been attached at the hip ever since.
He helped me build this empire from the ground up. On paper, he was the CFO of Rico Enterprises, a shipping company with locations worldwide. Off paper, he was my second in command and handled most of the dirty work of weapons exchanges and took care of the bloody work… most of the time.
This had been one of those unplanned instances.
“Heard the gunshots, but looks like you had it covered.” I snorted at him. His lips quirked in amusement. “What’s the deal with him?” he asked, nodding his head toward Anurak, who was still squeezing his eyes shut and clinging to me.
I strode for the exit of the house. “Bringing him home with me.”
Alfonzo grunted but didn’t say anything else. When I stepped outside, the boy’s eyes snapped open despite my order, and he looked around him in wonder, his bloody hands tightening around my neck before he made a small noise of pain and quickly loosened his grip. I winced at the sting on my skin—like Anurak had splinters in his fucking hands.
Dammit, I needed to get him home so I could take care of him.
“It’s…” His voice was so soft and sweet, and it made my heart clench in my chest. “I’m outside.” There was so much wonder in his voice, and something inside of me broke.
How long had he been a prisoner?
“Yes, you’re outside. And after today, you’ll get to be outside as much as you want,” I promised him as I strode to my car.
His dark eyes snapped to mine, his just-as-dark hair flopping onto his forehead. “Really?” he croaked, his voice thick with happiness and fear. It was an odd combination, but I understood why he felt both.
For him, every kindness came with a price. But it wouldn’t with me. It’d take him time to come to terms with that, but I was determined to show him freedom and love and safety… within my care. I didn’t think I could ever let him go.
“Yes,” I assured him as Alfonzo opened the passenger door to my Audi R8. I gently settled Anurak in the seat and buckled him in. Then, I cupped his cheek, letting my eyes meet his. Some of the fear was gone now, replaced with curiosity and… dare I say it—hope? “You’re safe now, perrito. You’ll always be safe from now on.”
His lips trembled at my words, and then, my sweet little pup burst into tears.
CHAPTER THREE
Rico
Anurak watched with dark eyes glimmering with fright as I set a first aid kit on my bed. He was still naked, though he didn’t even seem to notice—probably was so used to it that it was normal for him. And I’d been so focused on getting him out of that damn house and to my place where he’d be safe that I hadn’t even bothered giving him my shirt to wear. When I’d gotten him home, I’d just wanted to get the splinters out of his hands and knees, clean his wounds, and get him into a shower so he could get clean.