Total pages in book: 86
Estimated words: 81018 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 405(@200wpm)___ 324(@250wpm)___ 270(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 81018 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 405(@200wpm)___ 324(@250wpm)___ 270(@300wpm)
“He already knows. He knew when he sold my product and pocketed the money two months ago.”
“Shit,” I whispered.
His smirk grew colder, if that was possible.
“He knew last month when I tracked him down and didn’t break his fucking knees.” The guy shrugged. “I musta been having a good day. He knew two weeks ago when I told him what would happen if he didn’t have my money today.”
“I don’t have any idea where he is.”
“Want to know what I told him I’d do to him?”
There was only one possible answer to that question. “No.”
“Told him I’d break his fucking legs.” Thwack.
Okay, guess he planned to tell me anyway.
“Said I’d bash his face in for good measure.” Thwack. “
I clenched my teeth, fighting the urge to snap at him, and tried to keep my posture relaxed. Part of me wanted to lunge forward, get up in his face, and tell him to fuck off.
Thwack.
But he had that damn bat, and I had a sickening feeling it wasn’t for show.
I took a breath and shifted my shoulders, which were coiling tighter by the second. “I really don’t know where he is. I haven’t seen him in weeks. He was supposed to meet me here hours ago, but never showed.”
Hours, a few minutes, who cared? I’d tell any lie I had to get this asshole to leave. Let him believe Kenny stood me up, which was most likely true, and now I had a reason as to why.
“Here’s the thing… I want my money.”
“Okay.” Money, I could do, maybe. I had some money from working this weekend. “How much does he owe you?”
“Twenty thousand dollars.”
“Jesus Christ.” I staggered back a step, colliding with the cabinets. “What the fuck?”
The guy shrugged. “Woulda been a fuckton less if he’d paid on time.”
Of course it would have. I had some cash I could get my hands on, but nowhere near twenty grand. There was another option, but my stomach soured at the thought of asking Ryder. He’d already done so much for me and put up with my brother without a single complaint. Now I was supposed to ask him for thousands of dollars to keep Kenny from getting his ass beaten.
Ryder would do it without so much as a second of hesitation, and it wouldn’t put a dent in his wallet, but I fucking hated it. I was tired of family problems trying to infiltrate our relationship.
But what choice did I have?
You could let Kenny learn a damn hard lesson.
No. I couldn’t. Not this kind of lesson. Maybe if this jackass planned to do nothing more than scare and threaten Kenny, but I wouldn’t be able to sleep at night knowing I could have prevented violence, and I didn’t.
Fuck.
I sighed. “I can get your money.”
He raised an eyebrow. “You’re shitting me.”
“No, I’m not. Just let me make a call.”
He chewed the corner of his lip as he let my offer marinate, and after a few seconds, he chuckled. “You know what, I think I’m gonna pass.”
I blinked. “W-what?” He didn’t want the money?
“Yeah, you see, I don’t want your money. I want my money. And you don’t have that. Kenny does.”
What the hell did it matter? “Money is money. It’s all fucking green.”
He laughed again. “I think I like you.” Then he muttered, “Too bad.” He tilted his neck to the side, sending a loud crack through the quiet kitchen. “This is about more than money. This is about Kenny thinking he can fuck with me and get away with it. I let your ass bail him out, and he doesn’t learn a lesson, does he? You got kids?”
“Uh, no.”
“I do. I got a few. Three, maybe four, and you gotta teach them. Can’t do every fucking thing for them.”
This person had children? And he didn’t know for sure how many? What the fuck?
“So…”
“So, I think I’m gonna do somethin’ that’ll teach my man Kenny a real lesson.”
I never saw it coming. He swung that bat so fast it moved like the snap of a whip, but I sure as hell felt it connect with the side of my knee.
Pain burst through my leg, and I lost control of the muscles. My knee buckled, and I went down hard with a loud cry. He hit me again before I could register my body position on the floor, this time across the ribs. It hurt a million times more than the leg. I screamed and curled up on instinct.
I could feel him step closer, so I mindlessly kicked out, connecting with what was probably a shin.
He grunted. “I wouldn’t have done that if I were you.” Then he chuckled. “Actually, I woulda have, but you shouldn’t have.”
This time, he kicked me with his fucking combat boot, sending me sliding across the kitchen floor. I tucked in, trying to protect my vital organs as he came at me again and again with his boot and the bat.