Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 89093 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 445(@200wpm)___ 356(@250wpm)___ 297(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 89093 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 445(@200wpm)___ 356(@250wpm)___ 297(@300wpm)
When my stomps on the sloshy ground do little to slow JR’s onslaught, I thrust the bag of electronic goods into the frozen female’s chest, scoot past Roderick, who was so blindsided by JR’s second attack, he’s already unconscious, then bob down to place myself into JR’s line of sight.
“That’s enough, JR. I’m safe. We’re safe. You can stop now.”
The animalistic movements of his fists slow a little, but I need them to end completely. If they don’t, he will kill Roderick this time around.
“JR!” I sign and shout. “You are not your father,” I whisper when his eyes lock with mine for a fleeting moment. “So stop now before you undo all the good you did to ensure you would never become him.”
He glances down at his bloody hands before returning his wide-with-terror eyes to my face. He looks set to run. The urge is burning through his eyes like an out-of-control blaze, and the flares brighten when the flickers of police lights bounce off the woodlands surrounding us, but something stops him, and this time around, I know that something is me.
Epilogue
Jae
Almost One Year Later
* * *
“What were his stats again?” While waiting for the ER nurse to update me on her findings, I cup the receiver of my phone before leaning over to pluck one of the carrot sticks off the platter in front of me.
Today is my final day at Ravenshoe Private, and although I’m very much looking forward to my next adventure, I’m also a little sad. This place has been my home for so long that when I think back at the years gone, it pops up more times than the penthouse apartment I sold for a record-breaking price last month.
Ravenshoe’s housing prices are still ridiculous. I don’t care how much of a mecca it is, millions of dollars for an apartment is beyond the joke—as are Isaac’s smirks every time I gripe about the exclusivity of the city he built from nothing.
“That’s far too high,” I reply when Trinity comes back with the figures I’m seeking. “Start him on labetalol. The selective alpha-adrenergic and non-selective beta-adrenergic receptors should bring down his blood pressure. If it doesn’t, look at other beta-blockers.”
“Okay.”
Before Trinity can hang up, I shout, “But take it slow. If you drop his blood pressure too quickly, he’ll face even more challenges.” After requesting her to keep me up to date on Mr. Norlanger’s case, I hang up.
A second emergency presents itself when Isaac enters my office looking suave in a three-piece suit. His smirk is as victorious as the price tag of his tailored suit. I’m not surprised when I notice the headline of the paper he’s clasping. Cedric was sentenced to life behind bars yesterday for his involvement in the sale of organs on the black market, and although he worked at Ravenshoe Private for eleven months of his four-year involvement in an underground crime syndicate, not a single organ sold could be traced back to Isaac’s team.
Ravenshoe Private’s staff is too stringent with the rules. They’d never let something as important as an organ go missing without reporting it to the hierarchies, and with Isaac’s medical chain extending to Saint Frances, I plan to make sure it follows Ravenshoe Private’s blazing trails.
“Did you watch the proceedings?”
Once I’ve logged out of my computer for the final time, I shake my head to Isaac’s question. “My opinion of Cedric was already too low to taint it any further, so I saved myself the heartache.”
Cedric and I didn’t meet by chance. When Roderick realized it was getting close to the seven years for the coroner he couldn’t bribe to declare JR as dead, he commenced putting steps into play to claim the land he was never entitled to. That’s how he stumbled onto a copy of Cecil’s last will and testament Tasha used to convince JR he still had something to live for.
Tasha was the reporter Cecil said was tracking the evidence of Memphis and Rosie’s accidents more than local authorities. She dug so deep into a Sicilian crime network, her family’s entire existence was placed on the line. Her mother was murdered, her father was convicted of a crime he didn’t commit, and her sister was brutalized in front of her. She wanted to die, but just like Cecil gave JR a reason to live, Rosie was Tasha’s beacon of hope.
She let her stay at the cabin rent-free, brought her food and essentials every single week, and encouraged her to share her story by doing the same.
It was an interview Rosie did with a national newspaper that got her killed. She didn’t straight up declare that her grandson was a menace to society, but she dropped so many hints, more than just the Federal Bureau of Investigation started looking into her claims. Her children did as well.