Total pages in book: 105
Estimated words: 98398 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 492(@200wpm)___ 394(@250wpm)___ 328(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 98398 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 492(@200wpm)___ 394(@250wpm)___ 328(@300wpm)
“I’m a district attorney. And I will not rest until you spend the rest of your life behind bars.”
Anger ran through my veins. Anger at my mother, my friends and their fucked-up connections, and at my fucking paralegal who still wasn’t packing.
Luckily for me, I had the perfect target in front of me.
“I ain’t doing shit. Your little girlfriend’s getting kicked out cuz she ain’t on the lease. And if you think having those cops parked outside is intimidating me, you can fuck off.”
“No, she is leaving voluntarily, and you are going to spend the next several months in court, where I will personally make your life a living hell. By the time I am done with you, the city of New York will own this building and you won’t get a penny. In fact, you are going to spend the rest of your miserable little life paying off the fees I throw at you.”
“You can’t do—”
“I can, and I will.” I took a step closer to the filthy rat of a man in front of me, holding my breath as I spoke. “You had better hope no one dies or even gets so much as the fucking sniffles while you’ve had the heat off, or I will make sure you are charged with manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide. Do you hear me?”
The color in the man’s pock-marked face drained, and he took a few steps back while he looked around, his mouth opening and closing like he was trying to find the words to explain or excuse this atrocity.
“Expect a visit from the housing authority. Turn the fucking electricity back on. Now.” I slammed the door in his face, turned to look at Eddie, and yelled, “Why aren’t you packed yet?”
“Did you seriously just get me kicked out of my apartment? I have nowhere else to go.”
“I have already explained that I have an apartment lined up for you.”
“And I explained I’m not going to stay at your place and be your whore. I’m not going to be your dirty little secret. I’m not going to be your little kept woman in a hotel room.”
I rolled my eyes and looked at her. “Stop being so dramatic. We’re leaving now. I’m not putting you in a hotel or my apartment. There is somewhere else I can let you stay while I get this shit show sorted.”
“You can’t just—”
Her words were cut off when I gave up, picked her up, threw her over my shoulder, and carried her out of the building.
CHAPTER 19
EDDIE
The second Harrison put me in the back seat of his sedan, I slid across and tried to get out of the car through the other door.
Apparently, the driver was on Harrison’s side and he locked it. I shot the driver a dirty look and sat there with my arms crossed, stuck in the Mercedes-Benz.
“Where are you taking me?” I asked through clenched teeth.
He didn’t respond, just stared at his phone, typing occasionally, refusing to look at me or answer my questions.
The Mercedes pulled into traffic. The apartment buildings went from rundown, seven- and eight-story tenements, to industrial-style high-rises covered in glass, to older but well-maintained brownstone buildings. It was a journey across the economic spectrum, ending in old money New York, where baroque motifs gave the entire block a beautifully elegant, historical feel.
We arrived at a brownstone building that looked to be about fifteen or so stories high and had a uniformed doorman standing in front of the glass doors, waiting to open them for us.
I wasn’t sure where we were, the Upper East or Upper West Side, but I knew I didn’t belong here. I crossed my arms over my chest and looked at Harrison, waiting for him to explain himself or at least tell me where we were.
He grabbed his leather laptop case and the tote bag filled with my clothes and got out of the car.
I didn’t follow.
As far as I was concerned, there was no reason to get out of the car.
He leaned down and peered inside with a furrowed brow. “Eddie, get out of the car and follow me inside, or I will pick you up and throw you over my shoulder again. I do not have time for your childish antics.”
One look at this man, and I knew he wasn’t bluffing. He would absolutely pick me up and throw me over his shoulder like a petulant child. Again.
And I didn’t think anyone walking along the streets here would be any more inclined to stop him than they would be in my neighborhood. If anything, they’d chastise me for disturbing the peace.
God forbid my kidnapping inconvenience anyone else.
I knew I was being dramatic, but I was cold, hungry, unemployed, and now homeless. That earned me the right to a pissy attitude in my book. With an annoyed huff, I slid out of the car and followed Harrison into the building.