Total pages in book: 61
Estimated words: 57726 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 289(@200wpm)___ 231(@250wpm)___ 192(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 57726 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 289(@200wpm)___ 231(@250wpm)___ 192(@300wpm)
After a flurry of activity, the Devil Daddies exited in different directions with laden saddle bags. The wail of sirens reached Scythe’s ears as he navigated a farmer’s path through a field without his lights. Street and Vex were hot on his trail. Dead Eye had departed as soon as they’d secured the men and he was no longer needed.
When they were several miles away, Scythe stopped in a parking lot. The two others pulled alongside him and flipped open their visors.
“Head back to the warehouse. I’ll return soon,” Scythe instructed.
“Where are you going?” Street demanded.
“I have a visit to make.”
“Want help?” Vex asked.
“No. This is something I need to do myself,” Scythe said.
“Got it. See you in a couple hours?” Vex asked.
“Less than that,” Scythe assured him as he lowered the stand down on his bike. He had a few things to prepare before his next stop. Scythe unwrapped the items stowed on his rear carrier and got to work.
Sliding the keycard into the scanner at the exclusive gated community, Scythe didn’t hold his breath. Pirate’s skills were good. The bar rose, allowing him to coast inside easily. The rear camera would get a picture of a different motorcycle brand logo and an altered license plate. He’d arranged that before driving here.
Steering through the empty streets, Scythe noted the houses sat silent and dark in the exclusive neighborhood. The three to five-car garages protected the vehicles while everyone slept. He crept forward slowly, keeping the rumble of his bike motor at a minimum. When he reached his target, Scythe turned off the engine and parked underneath a gigantic oak tree.
He blended into the shadows on the side of a vast craftsmen-style mansion and worked some magic. Scythe jumped over the fence and tried the rear door. The knob turned easily. Thank you.
A fluffy poodle mix met him in the kitchen. She was perfectly delighted to allow Scythe to feed her and shut her in the pantry with an open box of treats. His stomach growled at the plate of gooey cookies on the island as he passed them. Scythe lifted the glass dome with his gloved hand and grabbed a couple.
He ate one on his way up the stairs. The house plan registered with the city showed the master bedroom on the second floor in the east corner. Scythe detected loud snores immediately at the top of the stairs. A wife couldn’t sleep through that cacophony. The man of the house had to be alone. After setting the other cookie on the hallway table, he squeezed fast-drying industrial glue into the locks of the other closed bedroom doors.
Scythe walked through the noisy bedroom’s door. Quietly keeping an eye on the snoring jerk in the bed, he eased open the bedside table and removed the Glock stored inside. After emptying the bullets out of the slide and the chamber, he replaced the gun and slid the drawer shut. Thank goodness for well-constructed furniture that didn’t squeak.
Scythe shook his head at the man who’d snored through all that. He really shouldn’t have messed with a Devil Daddies’ Little girl. Finally, he moved a nearby chair close to the bedside and made himself comfortable before switching on the light.
The man stared at him in confusion before panicking and yanking the entire drawer from the nightstand. The contents tumbled to the ground.
“No worries. The gun doesn’t work without bullets anyway,” Scythe told him, holding up one in his left hand as he aimed his own gun at the disheveled man still half under the covers.
“Ellen! Call the police!” the man yelled.
“Unfortunately, all the signals inside and out are not functioning. Nice of you to endanger your wife’s life, however,” Scythe observed. “She could have slept blissfully through this without ever realizing she’d had a visitor. Not the protective type, I see. That suits my purposes.”
Scythe tilted his head toward the door without taking his eyes off the man in bed as a cacophony of pounding and yells came from down the hall. Thank goodness for the extra noise-cancelling insulation built into these homes. The neighbors wouldn’t hear a thing.
Adam didn’t answer his wife’s calls or seem to care she was frantic. He glared at Scythe. “Your purposes? What do you want?”
“You’re going to leave your position as the superintendent of schools. Your daughter will resign simultaneously from her role as the principal of East Elementary.”
“Why would I do that?” Adam Young’s eyes narrowed, and Scythe watched the fear in his gaze ebb.
Scythe pulled back the hammer on his revolver with a satisfying click that restored the fright on Adam’s face.
“Wait! You can’t expect me to throw my career away because a stranger demands it.”
“A stranger with a gun,” Scythe reminded him.
“Why are you doing this?” Adam asked.
“You don’t need to know the reason. Before you choose not to follow my instructions, let me tell you what will happen in approximately five hours. The information on this flash drive will be delivered to every news station in the city, as well as each member of the board and the other administrators in your district. The newsies will jump at the juicy story of a criminal who changes her name for a fresh start, only to choose another scandalous path by creating a degree for herself with the help of her superintendent father.”