Total pages in book: 160
Estimated words: 151097 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 755(@200wpm)___ 604(@250wpm)___ 504(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 151097 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 755(@200wpm)___ 604(@250wpm)___ 504(@300wpm)
“Ah, hell nah! Fuck this!”
Realizing that they were on the losing side, the remaining two retreated in desperation to the safety of the armored SUVs, but my bloodlust could not be sated.
One slit throat and a stab in the back later, I was the last man standing.
Well…almost.
Remembering the spare bullet I always kept in a special place, I wedged my fingers underneath my vest and dug into the space between my breasts until I was able to pinch the warm metal between my fingers.
I strutted toward the overturned Denali as I loaded the single bullet into the magazine and slid back the slide. It took some effort to wrench open the door, but when I did, I was immediately facing down the barrel of a gun.
“Ah, Hunter,” the underboss of the mafia casually greeted, as if I didn’t also have a gun pointed at him. “You really are a bloodthirsty beauty, aren’t you?”
A multitude of responses entered my mind as I looked around the SUV. I knew Coby wasn’t with him, but I still had to see for myself before I finished this.
Where’s Coby?
I should have barbecued you.
Where’s Coby?
Villains should not be allowed to look this good.
Where. Is. Coby?
In the end, it wasn’t meant to be because I didn’t get a chance to say a damn word before I caught movement in my peripheral vision.
“Oh fuck!” the man in the front seat shouted.
“No!” Ocean roared.
I threw myself out of the way in time to avoid the bullet his head of security had for me, and I weaved through the enflamed and bullet-riddled cars until I was standing out of sight but still within earshot.
Panting, I rested my head against the brick building and fought to catch my breath as I listened to Ocean and his bodyguard climb out of the Denali and then drag the driver out.
“What the fuck!” the bodyguard screamed moments later. “She fucking killed everybody!”
The last thing I expected to hear in response was Ocean laughing, as if the carnage delighted him. I guess his moniker as the Bloodthirsty Prince was well earned. Those were his men, and he didn’t even care. Peering around the corner, I saw him tipping his head back to the sky while lightning flashed.
“I think I’m in love!” he shouted.
Gasping, I ducked back into hiding and closed my eyes while my heart raced all over again and butterflies erupted in my stomach.
I couldn’t have heard him right. There was no way.
Confusion, mixed with shock, held me in place until it started raining, and then I did the only logical thing when I heard them start calling in reinforcements. I peeked around the corner of the building again to see Ocean looking around, swiveling his head back and forth as if he was searching for me. When his gaze reached my hiding spot and peered a little too long in my direction, I gasped again and ran like hell in the opposite direction.
I told myself that was the only reason I ran and not because of what I thought I’d heard.
I sprinted all the way to the meeting point with Destiny, and then I saw her home safely before choosing to sleep in my car. Fortunately, Destiny hadn’t actually been home as I led him to believe when Ocean had shown up, but if he was looking for me there, it meant staying at her place wasn’t an option.
Destiny insisted that it was fine. Her over-the-top security measures meant we would see Ocean coming long before he arrived, but I wasn’t willing to take that chance, so Deborah it was.
I didn’t mind.
The Thunderbird and I go way back. She was the first real home I ever had.
Coby was my second.
I think I’m in love. Ocean’s words replayed in my mind as I got comfortable in the backseat of Deb. Eventually, they lulled me to sleep, but not before I had the disturbing thought that in another life, I could have been too.
The next morning, I woke up to three messages from Ocean that chilled my blood and ignited my fury.
Unknown: I hope you’re as good at running as you are at killing, Vengeance.
Unknown: You can run, but there is nowhere you can hide where I won’t catch you
The third message was an attached photo of Coby standing on the balcony of some library that looked straight out of a fairytale. She was smiling widely down at the cameraman like she didn’t have a care in the world.
Like she didn’t miss me at all.
HUNTER
It was risky going back to the apartment, but I had no choice after Ocean had declared war on me. The only thing I had to defend myself with was a single bullet. I staked out the complex for a few hours, watching everyone who came and went before I even dared approach the building.