Total pages in book: 88
Estimated words: 86168 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 431(@200wpm)___ 345(@250wpm)___ 287(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 86168 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 431(@200wpm)___ 345(@250wpm)___ 287(@300wpm)
I leave the bathroom whistling to myself. Several of the cooks are gathered in the hall looking on in terror. The guy I spoke to when I first showed up stares at me with fear and respect.
“Esta bien?” he asks. Is he okay?
“Sobrevivira, desafortunadamente.” He’ll live, unfortunately.
The sunlight feels oppressive. I walk to my car with my hands shoved in my pockets. I hoped that coming here and taking care of Hector myself would be cathartic. It’s been a while since I’ve gone on an old-fashioned shakedown like that. Typically, my crew handles these details.
And it did feel good. I relished the feel of the blade through his flesh. There’s a part of me that’ll always love pain. Suffering never fails. It never walks away. It never turns its back. Suffering is always there for me.
But Hector wasn’t enough. I need more to quiet the voice in my head. There are too many pressures right now, and a huge hole opened in the middle of my life last week. Maybe I thought I could fill it with blood.
Apparently not.
My phone rings as I start the BMW’s engine.
“Stellan? It’s Cathy. The owner got back to me.”
“Was our friend amenable to my offer?” I wipe my hands on a spare towel I keep in the glove compartment.
“Two million did the trick. You’re overpaying, though.”
“That’s where you’re wrong. Send over the paperwork. I want this to close as soon as possible.”
I smile to myself. Cathy couldn’t possibly understand, but this is going to be one of the best investments I’ve ever made. It’s a long-term play.
Potentially, it’s the rest of my life.
All for a fucking waitress.
A girl who could be the key to everything.
Only she has no idea.
KIRA
Tabby leans against the frame of her front door and sucks on a vape pen. She blows a thin layer of smoke up toward the ceiling. I tap my nails against my teeth as she looks at me, lips flat. “You hear about the new owner?” she asks, arching an eyebrow. “Can you believe that?”
I shake my head in surprise. Someone bought this building? Are they one of those big rental companies?”
“Nah, I don’t think so. It’s just some guy, apparently?” She shrugs a little. Tabby’s in her thirties and lives with her husband, Josh. They have a toddler and a dog, and she’s always saying she’s going to quit smoking. That hasn’t happened since I’ve been here.
But we get along. Most of the neighbors do, except for that old bat Mrs. Walker. Tabby’s got a part-time job at a car wash, but she’s looking to go back to teaching when the kids are older.
“What’s this mean for the building, though?”
Tabby only shrugs. “Who knows? Rent better not go up, but you know how it is with new ownership.” She shakes her head in disgust. “They’re probably going to jack up prices and bleed us for all we’re worth.”
“Or gentrify the place and hope we move on.” I chew on a nail, spinning out the consequences. “I can’t afford to spend more on rent, and there’s no way in hell I’ll find a place with two bedrooms for what we’re paying now. Which means sharing space with Gem, but she’s in the middle of her senior year, she deserves her own room, so I’ll have to take the couch—”
“Relax, girl, relax.” Tabby’s eyebrows shoot up, and she offers me her vape. “Take a hit and try not to panic. We don’t know what’s going to happen yet.”
I wave her away. “You’re right. I just can’t help it. I’m on like three hours of sleep over the last two days.”
“You work too hard, you know that?”
“I’m very aware.”
Another door down the hall opens. Brian lumbers on, frowning at us. He’s dressed to go to work in khakis and a black coat. “How’s it going with you two?” he asks.
“Gossiping about the new owner,” Tabby says, hitting her vape. “You excited for rent hikes?”
I groan as they discuss their theories. Brian lives alone at the end of the hall in the smallest unit in the building. He’s a nice guy, but he spends too much time on his video games and not enough on grooming. He helps shovel out the front when it snows, though, which I really like, and Gem says he’s nice and not creepy. That’s a big win.
“I gotta head to work, but if I hear anything, I’ll let you two know. Did either of you talk to Mina yet?”
“That’s on the agenda,” Tabby says. “If anyone knows what’s going down, it’s the mayor.”
Brian nods seriously. “Ask her before you freak out.” He glances at me. “You got a shift today?”
“Dogs won’t clean themselves.”
“Good luck.” He walks off, head down.
Once he’s gone, Tabby sighs. “I’ll ask around some more, but you need to catch some sleep. When do you have to leave?”