Total pages in book: 53
Estimated words: 50820 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 254(@200wpm)___ 203(@250wpm)___ 169(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 50820 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 254(@200wpm)___ 203(@250wpm)___ 169(@300wpm)
I stop as well, and at this close proximity I can see her face. “Alexandra?”
She yanks her jacket down. “Lilah, I’m sorry.”
“Sorry? What the hell is this?” I demand.
“That night—”
“Are we really here to talk about you being a shitty friend? I have a murder to solve.” I step away and start to leave.
“No. Wait. Please. I beg of you.”
I grit my teeth and face her. “What?”
She yanks her hood down, her dark hair tumbling over her shoulders. She’s a pretty woman, a talented attorney and ADA, and yet she is evil incarnate. “You set me up that night. You helped them drug me. They were going to kill me.”
“No. No. They told me they’d kill Eddie and they did. They did.”
“So you chose me instead?”
“No.” Her voice is raw and tears are now streaming down her face. “No. Please listen. They told me they were going to scare you. That’s all. I swear.”
“And the stupid notes had what purpose?”
“I wanted to pay it forward. I wanted to help you, but if you knew it was me, you’d never let me.”
“So you trashed my husband over and over?”
“I thought he was what everyone else thought, but I know better now. I’m a bad judge of men obviously. Eddie was dirty. I married one of them. And I can’t get out now.”
“You want my help. That’s what this is?”
“No. No again. I overheard something, I think they are coming after you again. Can we go somewhere please? I wanted to apologize here, but it’s very exposed.”
I’m angry with her. I’m really fucking angry and more emotional than I have been in a very long time. I could cry. I really hate that I have that in me, but if she knows something about Pocher coming at me and Kane, I need to know. And I need details I’m not getting on this beach. “Let’s go.” I start walking. She falls into step with me.
“I’m sorry, Lilah.”
I don’t answer. I need to sit across from her and look her in the eye to gauge her sincerity and judge her story truth or fiction. We’ve just reached the road when suddenly two SUVs fly toward us and slam on their brakes. Instinct kicks in and I grab Alexandra, and shove her behind me, pulling my service weapon. But two more SUVs have planted themselves in front of us now too, and in a blink I have at least a dozen of Roberto’s men, Kane’s men, standing in front of us. My team cannot come for us and survive, not without possibly getting me killed.
But they do it anyway. Out of nowhere, and from behind, they plant themselves beside me, weapons drawn. Somehow Alexandra is on her knees, and in the open between me and Enrique who is on my left while Jay is on my right. Augustin is next to him. Now it’s us four and a DA on her knees against a dozen guns. Lilah, the crybaby like her father, is gone. Lilah the bitch is back. I think we can take them.
Roberto steps in front of me, a Glock in his hand. “You disrespect me, Lilah, and you burn that same disrespect into my son. Tonight, you both learn who you kneel to. Tonight, you go home but you go home with blood on your hands. Put your weapon down or I will kill one of your men. Tell all of them to put their weapons down.”
I don’t tell them because that would be stupid, but I slide my gun into my holster, giving him something. Giving my men time to act.
His men shoot at the ground in front of them and Alexandra screams bloody murder. “Put them down!” Roberto shouts.
My men have no choice. “Lilah?” Jay asks.
“Do it,” I order.
The only one who listens is Jay. He kneels to put his weapon down and that’s when Roberto fires his Glock. That’s when this beach bleeds out in a whole different way. One I do not know if I will survive.
The End…for now