Total pages in book: 82
Estimated words: 79349 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 397(@200wpm)___ 317(@250wpm)___ 264(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79349 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 397(@200wpm)___ 317(@250wpm)___ 264(@300wpm)
“Take a deep breath,” Dominik says as he gestures at one of the chairs by a small round table. He leans out of the doorway and shouts, “Tell Santiago, Leo, and Cassia to come to my room.”
I hear the guard reply as I sit down while rubbing my palm over my face.
What a fucking shit show.
I shouldn’t have left Jenna there.
“Enzo.” Dominik sits down in the other chair. “Did you leave any evidence behind?”
“Bullets.”
“That can’t be traced back to you.” He tilts his head as the other three come into the room. “Security cameras?”
“Wiped clean.”
“Good. You’re in the clear unless the woman talks.”
My eyes flick to his. “Jenna doesn’t speak.”
“Still, there are other ways to tell the police that you were there and killed the four men.”
“Who did you kill?” Santiago asks.
“Robbers at the gas station,” I reply, and to bring the others up to speed, I add, “When I got there, they were robbing the place.” I stare at the off-white table. “Jenna got hurt. A cut on the side of her head.” I shake my head. “I shouldn’t have left her behind.”
“Will she tell the police you were there?” Leo asks.
“I don’t fucking care,” I snap. “I should’ve taken her with me and made sure she got medical care.”
“Calm down,” Dominik says, his tone low and deep. “We can send men to keep an eye on things and report back to us.”
I nod as I suck in a deep breath.
I haven’t felt panic in a very long time, and the emotion is wreaking havoc on my ability to think straight.
Over the past week of watching Jenna, I didn’t see anyone else going into the house she lives in. The thought that I’ve left her alone after she just went through something so traumatizing is eating away at me.
Leo moves to the door to give the order to the guards, and when he turns back to look at me, I say, “I’m sorry I snapped.”
“No worries.”
“I can go to the gas station and make sure Jenna is taken to the hospital,” Cassia offers.
My eyes flick to her face. “You sure?”
“Of course. I’ll be able to get closer to her than any of the guards.”
“Just don’t do anything risky,” Dominik tells her.
I climb to my feet and take a couple of steps closer to Cassia before stopping. “I’d owe you big time.”
“Pfft.” She waves a hand between us. “This is what family does for each other.”
When she walks out of the motel room, I let out a relieved sigh.
“Why did you leave your woman behind?” Leo asks.
Instantly, anger pours hot and fast into my chest as I look at him. “Because kidnapping her is not a fucking option.”
Leo shrugs. “She witnessed you kill the men. She could be giving the police a description of you right as we speak, and that would make things real difficult for you.”
I shake my head hard. “She won’t.”
“How do you know?” Dominik asks.
“She doesn’t talk to anyone!” I snap angrily.
When it looks like Leo’s going to say something else, Santiago holds up his hand, muttering, “We can continue this conversation later.” His gaze locks with mine. “Take a walk with me.”
Just wanting out of the room before I do something stupid, I follow him outside, and Santiago doesn’t say anything as we head toward the trees. Soon, we walk along a trail that leads to God knows where.
Minutes pass, and when he still doesn’t say anything, I ask, “What are you doing?”
“Taking a relaxing walk. It helps me think.”
“About?”
“Shit.” His eyes flick to my face. “Think about all your shit, Enzo. Process what happened because you’re way too fucking wound up right now to hold a conversation.”
Silence falls between us again, and soon enough, I replay everything that happened since I pulled up to the gas station and saw the bastards robbing the place.
At first, I just reacted and killed the two standing outside, but when I stepped into the store and saw Jenna on the floor with blood trickling down the side of her head, it felt like something gripped hold of my heart and squeezed the life from it.
The terror in her eyes is something I never want to see again.
I finally begin to calm down, and when my phone rings, I dig the device out of my pocket. Cassia’s name shows on the screen, and I quickly accept the call. “Are you there?”
“Yes. There are police all over the place, and I can’t get close to Jenna, but she’s sitting at the back of an ambulance, and they’re taking care of her.”
Thank God.
“I’m sending you a photo so you can see for yourself,” Cassia adds. “Wait…” I hold as she goes silent, and after a minute or so, she continues, “The police just tried to talk to her, and it made her have a panic attack. She doesn’t seem to be talking to anyone.”