Total pages in book: 105
Estimated words: 101101 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 506(@200wpm)___ 404(@250wpm)___ 337(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 101101 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 506(@200wpm)___ 404(@250wpm)___ 337(@300wpm)
“I don’t know what’s happening,” Leslie cries in panic as the screams continue.
“You guys,” Dani whispers, “I think my water broke.”
I look down, and sure enough, there’s water dripping down the insides of her legs.
“Okay, we have to—” I begin, but my words are cut off when the doorknob jiggles, giving me flashbacks to when my nephew was taken by Anthony and Peyton and I had to chase him down.
“Peyton, Dani, text my brothers. There should’ve been guards out there, which means they either came in without them knowing or they took them out.”
A loud bang makes everyone shriek, and I know we only have a few moments until the door is either broken down or they lose their patience and shoot their way in.
“Everyone, in,” I say, opening the closet door.
It’s a tight fit, especially with Dani heavily pregnant, but they’re all in.
“Wait, Bri, what are you doing?” Mom asks when she realizes I’m not joining them.
“If they get to the closet, they’ll take us all out,” I rush out. “Hopefully, before that happens, Dominick or Matteo will get here.”
I slam the door before anyone can argue and then run over to the other door, situating myself so I’m behind it.
A second later, the door swings open, and a man with a black ski mask stalks into the room.
“It’s empty,” he barks.
“Check the other door,” another guy demands. “We need to find the girl.”
“Looking for me?” I shout, needing to get his attention.
He turns around, and before he can focus, I slam my foot into his crotch, hopefully pushing his dick into his stomach.
He groans and, shocked by my move, drops his gun.
I snatch it up, and without thinking, I shoot him in the chest.
“Put the gun down!” the other man barks just as I turn around and shoot him as well.
It hits his shoulder, sending him stumbling back a few steps. He raises his gun, determined to get a shot in, but I pull the trigger, hitting him in the neck. Blood spurts out everywhere, and he drops to the floor.
“What the hell is—”
Before I can shoot the third man, he points and shoots at me. I drop to the ground, trying to get a shot in, but when he aims his gun at me, I know it’s over. He has the perfect shot, and if he knows what he’s doing, it will end my life.
As I look into his cold, lifeless eyes, all I can think about is how little I’ve lived, and now, I’ll never get the chance to, thanks to being forced to marry a man who doesn’t love me.
I close my eyes, praying that someone arrives before he gets to the closet, and then the gun goes off. Only a few seconds later, the pain I should’ve felt doesn’t come.
“Fuck, Princess, come here.”
My eyes fling open, and Kane lifts me into his arms.
“Was I shot?” I ask, wondering if maybe I’m in shock.
“No, I was a few doors down at a business lunch when Dominick texted an alert that you guys were being attacked. Thankfully, I had been added to the group chat, and I ran over.”
He tightens his hold on me. “Fuck, I could’ve lost you.”
He carries me over to the table and gently places me on it.
“You saved my life,” I whisper.
“I’m just glad I got here in time.”
“Where is she?” Matteo yells, storming inside. “Where’s Dani?”
“In the closet,” I tell him. “And she’s in labor.”
Matteo runs over to the closet, yanking it open, and the women file out. My mom and Nicole rush over to me, and Peyton stays with Dani, who is groaning in pain.
“We need to get her to the hospital soon,” Peyton says. “Her contractions are appearing closer together.”
“Boss,” Kaleb, one of Matteo’s men, calls out, “this one’s not dead yet.”
Matteo stalks over to the guy and lifts him by the collar of his shirt. “Who sent you?” he barks. “And before you think about lying or telling me you aren’t saying, I’ll bring a doctor in and keep you alive so I can torture it out of you until you wish you were dead.”
“Carlos Santiago,” the guy breathes out, having trouble catching his breath.
“Who’s that?” I rasp. “Who the hell is Carlos Santiago?”
Matteo glances at me, looking like he’s seen a ghost, but it isn’t him who answers—it’s our mom.
“Carlos Santiago was a business associate of your father’s. He trafficked women into the port. But he died years ago, shortly after your father.”
“Who killed him?” I ask.
“I did,” Dominick says, standing in the doorway. “And unless dead men can make orders, there’s no way he’s the one doing all this.”
Doing all this …
What he’s referring to is whoever has been tormenting our family for the last year and a half. We thought it was Anthony, but after I killed him, it continued with shipments being stolen and my brothers’ men getting arrested for distribution. Then Dani was taken the night The Underground was ambushed during my brother Matteo’s fight. We thought it was Enrique, until Matteo took him out, and the bullshit continued with them leaving Matteo a note on his wedding day, implying that he wouldn’t live long enough to be a husband and a dad because they wanted Harbor Point and they wouldn’t walk away from it.