Total pages in book: 159
Estimated words: 149301 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 747(@200wpm)___ 597(@250wpm)___ 498(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 149301 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 747(@200wpm)___ 597(@250wpm)___ 498(@300wpm)
“If you won’t turn me loose, what choice do I have but to snuff your ass out? I might as well risk it all and end your existence right now. I can’t work for you and keep my dignity! My wife would never respect me! I can’t be a good father while under your shadow. I need you out of my life, and if you can’t do that, well hell, I might as well kill you any ol’ way, Cyrus So here goes nothin’!” He clicked the gun.
“…Kage… Kage!”
“Oh? You want it hands on? Yeah…WHY SHOULDN’T I SNAP YOUR FUCKING NECK?! Finish the job that Roman started!” Kage slipped the gun quickly back into his pocket and started to reach for his grandfather’s throat. Cyrus looked into his eyes and screamed. He screamed like he’d seen a ghost; some spook out to get him.
“Your eyes are black! They’re pitch black! You’re a monster! NO! Kage… Kage… NO! please…”
“I WANT OUT! DO YOU AGREE TO LET ME OUT OF THIS FUCKIN’ CONTRACT, AND TO LEAVE ME THE HELL ALONE SO I DON’T HAVE TO KILL YOU?!”
“Yes… YES!”
“Tell me who killed my fucking father?!”
“Kage, I know you won’t believe me, but I don’t even know his name! The guy called me out the blue wantin’ money, and—”
Kage pulled out his gun and banged it into Grandpa’s mouth, busting his lips. Blood trickled down the old man’s chin and colored his beard red.
“You’re so full of shit. All you do is fuckin’ lie.” He laughed sadly. “You know that information is the only thing left that I want from you, but you won’t give it to me, because to you, it’s the one bullet left in the chamber. One more thing that you can use against me. Come on!” He marched his grandfather back to his truck, jerking him around by the jacket. After strapping the piece of shit to the passenger’s seat, he bound his ankles. He drove to the tune of Joe Walsh’s, ‘Rocky Mountain Way.’ Kage lit a cigarette and rolled the window down, letting the breeze blow through and chill Grandpa’s wet body to the bone.
“…And if you were wondering why’d I’d trust a slick talkin’ fucker like Francesco, well, I didn’t. He wanted me out of his hair, fearin’ I wasn’t done after our last run-in, and he wanted you gone, too. He wants to wash his hands of you and all of your kin. Including me.” Kage took a drag of his cigarette, then blew out the smoke. “In order for us to strike a deal, he had to agree to my demands. One of them was a huge donation to a children’s mental health charity of my choice, a donation for bikers’ family members in need of financial support to cover the costs of a loved one’s funeral, and an agreement that I was going to blow up some shit of his, and have some of his people that he valued and loved killed, if he double-crossed me—even if he had one of his ass-kissers to do it, should he think attempting to murder me was a good idea.
“I made it abundantly clear that I have assistance when I need it, and besides, I was worth more to him alive than dead, so we worked it out. Oh, and he really did sympathize with me a little once I filled him in on the type of motherfucker you really are, what you did to me personally, and what you’ve been doin’ to this family for years. And the sanctuary? He donated to that today, too. Wasn’t that nice of him? My very first animal preservation contribution.” He smiled at Grandpa, but the old man looked straight ahead, as if he hadn’t heard a single word.
“You may be wonderin’ what Francesco got out of the deal? Well, he wanted me to kill you, Grandpa, but told me he’d settle for you being scared straight and gettin’ your ass kicked.” Kage chortled. “He knows the repercussions of takin’ out someone like you is far too risky for a man in his position. You practically own Houston. To do such a thing is hard, grimy work. You’ve got too many corrupt motherfuckers in your workforce. Too many dogs would come sniffin’ around, ya know, so he didn’t want to have to get his hands dirty. But a motherfucker like me?” He pointed to himself. “I wouldn’t mind at all,” he stated in a bright and chipper tone. “Life is changin’ fast for me though, ol’ Cyrus. I take bein’ a husband and father soon, seriously. For one, the torture chamber has to go.” He sighed with regret.
“I already started dismantling it. I can’t have shit like that hidden in the house with a wife and baby comin’. If you think about it, you’re a kind of a torture chamber. I need to be rid of you completely, too. I never want to talk to you again. I hope I’ve made myself perfectly clear.”