Total pages in book: 118
Estimated words: 109674 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 548(@200wpm)___ 439(@250wpm)___ 366(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 109674 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 548(@200wpm)___ 439(@250wpm)___ 366(@300wpm)
I began walking toward the car that had taken Corvin and his men here. I wouldn’t have the time to run to my own car without crossing the chimps, and that wouldn’t be a good idea. But if I started running, I’d turn into the prey.
The shrieks and howls escalated, followed by an agonized scream from Corvin. The driver of the black limousine hit the gas. My heart stopped. Fuck. I needed a place to hide from the chimps. A shot rang out, ripping a hole into the front window of the car, and it jerked to a stop. I quickened my steps but didn’t start running so as not to attract the attention of the chimps. I only heard the deep male chimp’s grunts and Corvin’s pained screams, followed by the sound of ripping flesh and breaking bones. The boy in my hold didn’t move. He might as well not have been there at all.
When I reached the car, I ripped open the back door and put the boy down on the back seat, then closed the door before I opened the driver’s door. A clean head shot had killed the driver. He hung limply in the seat, blood trickling down one side of his face. I dragged him out and tossed him to the ground, then took the position behind the steering wheel. Sirens sounded in the distance. The chimps’ screams escalated as if spurred on by the other sound.
When the door was closed, I risked a look at the scene before me. The enraged male chimp sank his long, razor-sharp teeth into Corvin’s body, ripping flesh out. Corvin wasn’t moving anymore. Considering the state of his body—he was missing an arm, part of his face, and several big chunks in his torso and pelvis—I wasn’t surprised. The older man woke up at that moment and let out a scream in shock. His last mistake. The male chimp jumped on him, baring his canines, and ripped his arm off. These animals made it look so very easy, but it was close to impossible for a human to rip off a damn finger. I had tried multiple times.
I put the car in reverse and hit the gas.
The female chimp emerged from the truck and rushed toward her partner. Together, they turned their attention to the Russian prisoner. I steered the car away from the scene and Terminal 24. In the distance, the roof lights of police cars lit up the harbor area. Sasha rushed out and closed the back door of the transporter then rushed back to the driver’s side. He and Niccolo drove ahead, and I followed closely. We needed to be gone before the police arrived at the scene. It would be a hassle to bribe and blackmail all the necessary people. I didn’t have time for that shit tonight.
I picked up my phone and called Amelia. She’d be waiting for news from me. She picked up after the first ring. “Nestore?” Her voice shook with fear. It stirred something in my chest that I never felt with anyone else—the desire to protect her at all costs.
“I have the boy. We’re coming home now.”
“Oh, thank God.”
“Trust me, he wasn’t involved in this.” God had forsaken me a long time ago. I couldn’t even blame him.
“How is Luciano? Is he injured?”
“I haven’t had a chance to examine him yet. We were pressed for time.” Hearing Amelia’s shuddering intake of breath, I added, “But on first glance, I didn’t see any obvious injuries. He’s traumatized, though.”
“Of course he is,” she whispered. “Thank you. I’ll wait for you.”
I hung up and focused on the street. It was fairly crowded for this time of night, even by LA standards. I turned on the radio, where a local radio station issued a warning to stay away from the Port area due to a chimp attack. I turned it off again. A small sob sounded in the back of the car.
“You’re safe now,” I said. “I’m taking you to your sister, Amelia.”
His sobs quieted, and he stopped breathing. I glanced over my shoulder, but only his nose peeked out between the fur. What he’d experienced would leave scars, but at least he’d been spared a worse fate. “No need to stop breathing. I already know you’re there. I put you in the back seat myself.”
I focused back on the street when the boy sucked in a shaky breath.
I felt strangely at peace that I had saved this boy. It almost felt as if I had saved a very tiny part of myself, too.
I felt almost sick with nerves when an unfamiliar black limousine pulled up in the driveway of the mansion. The hole in the front window from a bullet only increased my anxiety. My imagination had run wild in the past few hours. I would have never forgiven myself if Luciano had died because I couldn’t convince Nestore to exchange my father. And what if something happened to Nestore? Maybe his soldiers considered him invincible, almost inhuman, but I knew he wasn’t, and the thought of losing him forever… I didn’t allow myself to finish that thought.