Total pages in book: 181
Estimated words: 171979 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 860(@200wpm)___ 688(@250wpm)___ 573(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 171979 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 860(@200wpm)___ 688(@250wpm)___ 573(@300wpm)
Taking a deep breath, Sal made a decision.
Valerie got off the highest floor in the Horseshoe. It wasn’t the rooftop, but it was the closest they could get. Only a few workers in the casino had chosen to take their smoke breaks on the roof so they could smoke weed; they were unable to smoke it anywhere else due to the noticeable smell.
“I thought you vaped in the bathroom.” Edmond’s tone told her he was starting to reconsider believing her when they had to take the stairs for the rooftop access. Valerie needed to start doing everything in her power to start convincing him again.
“I did vape in the bathroom.” That part was definitely true. She hadn’t given a fuck, and it made the bathroom smell like cotton candy, anyway. “But I still would come up here from time to time to smoke with Lyle.” That part wasn’t true. Anyone smoking weed on a rooftop was dumb as fuck. You were simply asking for an accident by falling to your death. Upon further thought, that checked out perfectly for Lyle.
Edmond took in her wildly oversized clothes, having never seen the way she dressed outside of work before. “I should have known.”
While they took the stairs of the rooftop access at slow pace, she could feel the sweat beginning to bead on her temples. She had hoped with how fucking slow she was going they wouldn’t have made it this far, but as she swung open the door to the roof, she should have known she wasn’t going to get that lucky.
Valerie had only been up here once, and it’d been during the day when she’d needed some fresh air. It was much different at night up here, as the cold air hit her face like needles.
Gingerly, she stepped closer to the ledge. The only reason she could see so clearly up here was because the full moon illuminated the rooftop as if it were a spotlight. She could almost swear it looked kind of blue.
Click.
The sound of the safety on the gun being disengaged was unmistakable, letting her know the severity of her current situation before Edmond had even told her.
“Time’s up.”
TWENTY-FIVE
YOU SURE YOU’RE JUST A LAWYER?
Click.
“The only person whose time is up is yours, motherfucker,” Sal said, pushing the barrel of his gun into the back of Edmond’s skull. He would have blown his brains out sky high over the Kansas City skyline if Valerie weren’t so close to the edge of the roof.
Unable to concentrate on Valerie, he could only hope his soldier wouldn’t fail him, like he hadn’t yet. If it weren’t for Vincent, she’d be dead already—never would they have gone to the roof.
“Put the gun down, and I’ll let it be quick, Edmond. If not, you’ll have to answer to Lucca.”
Sal knew those words were about the only thing that could put enough fear into the man to drop the gun. Edmond was out of his mind and thinking irrationally, but he was certain the man was of sound enough mind to understand that much.
“Last chance to drop the gun and meet the devil instead.” Sal pressed it harder into his skull, trying to entice him into making a decision. “Or you’ll be taken to a visit with the Boogieman soon.”
Still afraid to pull the trigger, as it might cause Valerie to fall to her death, Sal was only going to give Edmond another moment more to decide, when the sound of a rock falling to the ground made Edmond turn his head toward it.
Using the distraction to his advantage, Sal pistol-whipped the asshole in the same moment he saw a flash of Vincent’s form running for the edge of the building, toward Valerie.
Bang!
Certain the bullet that whizzed above her head would have taken her out if it weren’t for the man squishing her into the rough ground, she could have cried realizing who it was.
“Vincent! You got my messa—”
“Stay down!” Vincent ordered before leaving her.
Doing as the made man asked, she quickly knew why he had left her so suddenly when another shot rang out.
Bang!
Sal had only looked over to Valerie for a second to make sure she was still on the roof and hadn’t gotten shot when Edmond turned the gun on him. His mistake was not letting himself hit Edmond hard enough in the head, wanting him to live for the torture he was about to endure for the rest of his short life.
Looking down at his abdomen, he saw the pool of red blood beginning to coat his white shirt under his suit jacket. The image was reminiscent of the wound his mom had suffered those many years ago under a full moon.
He lifted his eyes to the current moon as his knees dropped to the ground with one final, lasting thought that he finally understood why his mother hadn’t been able to tear her eyes away from the moon as she’d died.