Total pages in book: 188
Estimated words: 182255 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 911(@200wpm)___ 729(@250wpm)___ 608(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 182255 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 911(@200wpm)___ 729(@250wpm)___ 608(@300wpm)
“Then, yes. Act. But if house is quiet, be smart.”
“Hurry the fuck up.” Seth exhaled hard. “And Nik? Thanks.”
“Save thanks for after killing. We have much to do.” Another dark chuckle. “Then? You owe me very expensive vodka.”
“Done.”
“Good. See you soon, friend. Try not to die before I arrive. Would be very inconvenient.”
The line went dead.
His finger hovered over Tony Marconi’s contact…and hesitated. He was ninety-nine percent sure his former partner was clean. But his dad had clearly thought the same thing—and look where that faith had gotten him. On the off-chance Tony was dirty, the last thing Seth wanted to do was tip him off. And if his pal was innocent…best not to put him in danger.
With a curse, Seth tossed the phone onto the passenger seat and made the final turn into his mom’s neighborhood, hoping like hell he could keep everyone alive long enough to neutralize Gene.
The football game droned through Grace’s family room like it was any other Sunday. The announcers shouted about a fumble recovery as the crowd roared. The jarring normalcy grated on Heavenly’s increasingly raw nerves.
Gene hadn’t lowered the gun for an instant since he’d shot Beck. He’d simply trained it on her, Grace, and Hudson—steady, unwavering.
A constant, throat-clogging threat.
Across the room, Beck looked alarmingly pale as he slumped against the wall, still pressing a hand against his wounded shoulder. Heavenly watched helplessly as blood seeped between his fingers, trickled down his shirt, and dripped to his lap. With every passing minute, his breaths turned rougher yet shallower.
He was losing too much blood. What if he passed out? What if he bled out and—
She squeezed her eyes shut, unable to finish that thought.
Everything inside her screamed to go to him, to help him. But if she took even one step in Beck’s direction, Gene would shoot. And once he started, would he just kill everyone?
Everything seemed so surreal. An hour ago, guests had been here, celebrating Carl and Grace’s marriage. There had been laughter, congratulations. Joy and love. Heavenly’s biggest problem had been wondering what troubled Seth and whether Grace would accept the fact that he was in a committed threesome.
Now Heavenly feared they might not leave this house alive. Each horrifying moment felt like a twisted nightmare. But it was every bit as real as the gun Gene had no qualms using.
Grace sat rigidly on the far side of the couch, hands trembling in her lap, lips moving silently. Praying. Her face was pasty white, eyes wide and glassy with shock. Heavenly reached over and gave the woman’s shoulder a squeeze. Seth’s mother must not only be terrified, but grief-stricken. She’d lost one husband to violence years ago. Would she lose the other to the same fate?
Between them, Hudson sat statue-still and angry, his gaze locked on the crooked cop, tracking every shift, every breath, his phone forgotten in terror on the couch cushion beside him.
Gene glanced down at his own device again. He snarled at whatever he saw on the screen. His nostrils flared. His rage spiked. His grip tightened on the gun.
Heavenly’s stomach twisted, tangling with her unrelenting fear.
She didn’t know what had happened, but it was something Gene hadn’t expected. Something that filled him with fury.
Something to do with Seth?
It had to be. Heavenly couldn’t think of any other logical reason Seth wasn’t back yet. Unless he was already…
She blocked that horrible thought from her mind.
Seth had to be out there fighting back to thwart Gene and his twisted plans. If Seth was dead, Gene wouldn’t have sneered minutes ago that “Saint Seth” would be coming to save them. Instead, Gene would be celebrating. He would have everything under control.
His expression very much said he didn’t.
Yes, she was guessing, piecing together scraps of logic while terror screamed louder than her thoughts. But she clung to hope. She had nothing else.
Seth must be alive. He’d do whatever it took to keep history from repeating itself. He would risk everything—go scorched earth, burn down the world—to ensure he didn’t lose his woman and child again.
Gene’s voice cut through her thoughts suddenly, sharp and edged with fury.
“Your precious Seth thinks he’s so fucking clever. But I’m smarter. I know he killed Bob.” Something cruel flickered in Gene’s eyes as he turned the barrel of the gun on Grace. “Did you hear me? Your fucking son offed Bob Ellis!”
Grace flinched.
Heavenly’s breath caught.
“Then ‘Bob’ texted me to say Seth was dead. Does your cocksucker of a kid think I’m a moron?” Gene railed in frustration. “Jesus, how is twenty years of hard work going down the drain in a single goddamn day? I knew your precious Michael had collected evidence against me. Since the day after his funeral, I’ve looked and looked for it. And nothing. But your motherfucking kid found it less than an hour ago at a nearby storage unit.”