Total pages in book: 33
Estimated words: 31720 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 159(@200wpm)___ 127(@250wpm)___ 106(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 31720 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 159(@200wpm)___ 127(@250wpm)___ 106(@300wpm)
“Fancy,” Butcher grunts, his lip curling in disdain as we enter through the kitchen of La Rue, an upscale restaurant on the swank edge of downtown.
A few of the servers give us curious looks, then they go back to hurrying from the kitchen with full plates. In a place this busy, no one’s going to ask any questions of two well-dressed men like us. We could be wealthy patrons, guests of the chef, or even some sort of Michelin star committee members.
“This way.” I already have the restaurant’s layout burned into my brain, and I make a path through the kitchen, into a back hallway, and then into a small antechamber next to a private dining room—the Falco dining room, to be precise.
“Hey.” Butcher’s meaty paw comes down on my shoulder. “Go easy.”
“I am,” I grate out.
He grunts, his only response.
We creep closer to the dining room. Its heavy wooden doors are shut, but I can hear voices inside. Carina is talking, and she sounds almost bored. For some reason, that soothes me.
It goes quiet for a moment, and I move a step closer. Then I hear Falco. His voice is louder, and it’s angry.
I take another step.
“—tell your brother what you did. Sit down! You aren’t going anywhere until you agree to my proposal. We will be married.”
Carina laughs. “You really think I’d marry you? I wouldn’t piss on you if you were on fire. You’re nothing but a lowlife pimp. Now get out of my way. I’m leaving.”
“I said sit down, you stupid bitch!”
Carina yelps.
That’s all it takes. I shove the doors open, my knife already in hand.
“What the—“ Falco has his hand around Carina’s arm, gripping her hard, then he reaches into his suit coat.
Right as he does, she swings, the edge of her hand chopping him in the windpipe.
He releases her and gasps.
I throw my knife, the blade hitting him between the eyes.
Falco looks surprised, then cross-eyed as he looks at the knife. He falls, his head glancing off the table as he goes down in a heap.
Carina runs to me, and I catch her in my arms.
“Did he hurt you?” I ask.
“No.” She shakes her head against me.
Butcher closes the doors behind us, then calmly strides over to the dead man. He drops to his haunches, then looks up at me.
“Fuck,” he grunts.
“I know.” I botched the whole damn plan, but I don’t regret it. I can’t, not when Carina could’ve been hurt. “This is going to start a war.”
“Hang on.” She pulls her phone out and gives me a wicked smirk. “I think I might have a solution.”
22
CARINA
“What are you doing?” Gilly growls at me as I search Falco’s pocket.
“I’m copping a feel,” I deadpan, earning me a glare that I know I’ll be paying for later.
If I didn’t have my hand in a dead man’s pocket, I’d be getting excited about what was to come later with Gilly. This probably isn’t the right time to be thinking about that, but I can’t bring myself to be the least bit sad that Falco is dead. “Got it.” I pull out Falco’s phone.
“It’s locked.” Butcher states the obvious. Not a second after he says it, the lock screen magically disappears, granting me full access.
“Thank you, Magic,” I whisper to myself as I go through Falco’s texts.
“Blood Badgers.” I say the code words, knowing my phone will respond to my voice and bring Magic and Ocean online. I hit the button so that they’ll be on speaker.
“We’re here,” Ocean says. The expression on Butcher’s face is almost comical. He really shouldn’t be too surprised. I was the one to hack into the Larones’ home and find his Bianca. Whom he kidnapped not long after.
“There’s a guy named Kent, right? That's Carson Falco’s right-hand?” I know Falco has a man waiting outside in an SUV near his car. He wouldn’t have come alone. We need that man gone.
“Yeah,” Gilly answers.
“Magic, I need you to scan Falco’s texts. I need to know how he’d word a text to Kent to tell him to leave and meet him at the warehouse on Benton.”
“Warehouse on Benton?” Gilly gives me another glare.
“I was going to tell you after tonight, but this should work too.”
“Give me a second,” Magic says. I hear her clicking away as the computer scans through Falco’s texts. “Got it. Text him Meet at Benton. I’m going to play with Carina. He spells your name with a K.”
I immediately send off the text.
Kent: Playing with goods before you buy them? Be careful. She's a Palermo.
“Oh gross,” Magic mutters.
“What?” It must be bad if she won’t say it, but she can be shy when it comes to being crude or talk of sex.
“I don’t wanna say it,” Magic huffs.
“It says to respond with Do as you're told and I’ll let you play with her too soon,” Ocean says for Magic. I cringe at the sound of bones breaking fills the room.