Total pages in book: 34
Estimated words: 32402 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 162(@200wpm)___ 130(@250wpm)___ 108(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 32402 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 162(@200wpm)___ 130(@250wpm)___ 108(@300wpm)
The pain was getting more intense, and she turned her head and sunk her teeth into his wrist, not giving up until she tasted blood. She hoped he didn’t have any diseases.
He shoved her away, and she fell onto her small coffee table, spilling the warm noodles onto herself. She kept trying to get away, but he grabbed her ankle, spun her over, and slammed his foot against her stomach. Jane coughed, attempted to get away again, but he slammed his foot on her.
“Enough. Kill the bitch. Vincent wants her dead.”
She always knew she would die, she just didn’t think it would be now. Her life had been pretty shitty up until now, and it was about to get a whole lot worse. Staring down the barrel of the gun, she knew her minutes were numbered.
“This is for Frank Morello,” he said.
There was no juicy comeback. She had nothing to say. This was death.
She lived her life as well as she could. She thought about the pact she made when she was just a teenager with the other foster kids. The foster dad had been killed, and none of them would say a word. No one could pin any crime on them, there was no chance of it. It was a secret she would take to her grave.
She watched his fingers tighten, and then the gunshot rang out, followed by a second one.
Jane frowned. She was still alive, still feeling the pain of being beaten. She quickly moved out of the way, as the man who had been over her pointing a gun suddenly fell forward, and if she hadn’t moved fast, he would have been on top of her. That was real fear. She couldn’t believe that nearly happened. She tried not to freak out, but then the man she had helped over a week ago was there.
“Fuck, she’s bleeding,” he said. “Jane, I’m here. You’re not alone.”
This did not make her feel any better. Was she in this predicament because of him? Of course she was. If she hadn’t ran down that guy, this wouldn’t have happened. Someone was after her. The name Vincent Morello did not sound familiar, but clearly, it was a bad guy.
Jane groaned and tried to get to her feet, but everything was screaming at her. It had been a long time since she had taken a beating like this. She coughed again, which only reminded her of the pain in her abdomen.
“You’re not going anywhere,” he said.
Before she could say or do anything, the guy that had gotten her into this mess suddenly picked her up. It was the first time in her life she had been held in any kind of way, and she didn’t know if she liked it or not.
The pain intensified and before she could demand that he let her go, everything went black.
****
Alexey should have known Vincent would send two goons after her. He never should have left her apartment.
The doctor said she had a lot of bruising, but she had gotten lucky. There was nothing broken.
Alexey looked at her in the bed where he had placed her in his penthouse apartment. He owned the whole building and there was no way anyone was getting to her. Vincent would have to send an army to get to her.
He’d changed her out of the pajamas she’d been wearing. This woman had risked her life to save him. Her face was covered in bruises. One side of her lips was swollen from the cut lip, which looked fucking sore. Bruises already mottled her face, and she appeared to have a black eye.
He’d been there when his doctor examined her. There were bruises on her back, and a boot print, from having it slammed on her stomach. He had also noticed the old scars she carried.
Her file only indicated so much, but the fact she didn’t even scream during the attack said volumes. Along with the unanswered questions he had about that one foster dad, who ended up dead, there was a lot to Jane Adams. On the surface, she was a law-abiding citizen, yet she had no qualms running people down and helping him.
She let out a groan. “It wasn’t a dream.”
“I don’t think I ever want to know what kind of dreams you have,” he said.
She started to laugh. “You’re funny. You’re a funny guy.” She sighed. “Everything hurts.”
“It’s going to hurt like hell.”
She glared at him.
“Do I want to know what happened?” she asked.
“That night you helped me, you gunned down Frank Morello.”
“I have no idea who that is.”
“He’s Vincent Morello’s only son and heir to the Morello mafia.”
She started to laugh and then groaned. “That is my luck. Fuck.” She looked down at her stomach. “Ouch.”
He looked at her.
“Why did you save me?” he asked.
“You ... were alone. I watched them corner you, your vehicle was somehow pushed onto its roof. I don’t even know how that happened, and then they killed your men.” She shrugged. “It just didn’t feel right. I’ve always been a sucker for the rules and people playing fair. It pisses me off when they don’t.”