Total pages in book: 130
Estimated words: 129571 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 648(@200wpm)___ 518(@250wpm)___ 432(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 129571 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 648(@200wpm)___ 518(@250wpm)___ 432(@300wpm)
I got ready to say something and paused for a second.
“Why are you looking at me like that, Jasmine?”
“What are you saying?”
“I’m saying that, if they don’t stop, then I’ll have to stop it myself. And we understand how I handle things.”
I made a note to get therapy as soon as I left London. There was no way I would be sane after this trip. “You better not be making any threats when they’re concerned.”
“I don’t make threats. I have my things. I don’t bother you all, unless my certain ideals are messed with. Chase is demon spawn. His slime touched you. Because of him, I’m revealed to all of you. I couldn’t let him be happy.”
I held my hand up again. “But, there’s no need to talk about Chase anymore. I doubt he’s happy now. What you needed is done. Let’s return to Troy and Vivian.”
My appetite left me. I’d been eager to try some of the things Benny had listed off. In the end, my stomach always overrode logic, but now Benny brought up my twin and best friend. Well, my twin and my sister. Enough was enough.
How many more people had to be ruined? No. Rock up, Jasmine. Rock the fuck up.
I pointed at him. “Don’t even think of hurting my brother or Vivian. Don’t even talk about it.”
“It’s incest.”
“It’s handled.”
“By who?”
Death. His death. It flashed in my mind. I had no idea who would slash his throat or pull the trigger or crush his skull, but I witnessed it in my head, and that was enough to stiffen and harden me.
I touched my chest. “I’ll take care of Troy and Vivian. You stay out of it.”
He seared me with a deadly gaze. “If you don’t, I will.”
“What does that mean?”
“I’m not sure yet.”
My eyes watered. I was so goddamn tired of being close to crying. “Don’t you even think about killing either one of them.”
He frowned.
His name ripped out of my mouth like the sound an injured animal would make. “Benny!” Tears fell from my eyes. “Look at me.”
He’d already been staring, but I had no idea if I had the monster’s attention, that murderous beast that moved inside of him.
My next word was a ragged plea. “Benny. Don’t ever think that way.”
He closed his eyes and sighed.
“Never,” I whispered. “There has to be a point. There has to be a limit. You can’t kill everyone.”
“You sound like your mother.”
I hoped that was good. Knowing my mother, probably not.
“Troy and Vivian are your children,” I begged. “Death isn’t an option.”
“Then we need to handle this.”
“No!” I hit the air. “I will handle it. Me. No one else. Not Benny. Not ... who the fuck else. I got this. What is the solution? What do you need to be okay?”
“Them moving on.”
“Good.” I extended my shaking fingers. “Then we agree that I’ll take care of this?”
“Yes.”
“Shake my hand, Benny.”
His serious expression faltered into the man that I remembered. The guy that all of my life I considered second to Christ. The man who’d saved me from horror.
When I was a kid, my mother’s boyfriend had snuck into my bedroom late at night and come close to raping me. Troy killed him. I called Benny. By then, I knew he fixed things. How? I had no idea. I just understood that if death lingered, Benny would come through and clean it up. Back then, he didn’t symbolize the king of pyschos. He was my hero.
That was the face that stared back at me.
“Okay, Jasmine.” He shook my hand. “I won’t hurt them. I’ll stand back and let you handle it.”
I exhaled, not even realizing that I’d held in my breath. “Thank you.”
“You’ve got three days.”
“What?”
“Back to the food. The best bagel is also on Brick Lane. I’m talking Jewish bagels.”
Three days or what?
In the back of my head, fear swayed from side to side, making me uneasy. I did my best to remain solid and keep up the strong Jasmine. “I don’t think you can identify certain bagels as Jewish.”
“Bagels are the poster-child for Jewish baking.”
“I’m going to need you to never say that.”
He chuckled again. “It’s the truth.”
And I pretended like it was the old days, when we argued about race and food. “Yet, it sounds like you’re a bigot. Jewish bagels is like saying the black fried chicken. People just don’t do that.”
“Yet, black people make the best fried chicken.”
“And this is where we end this conversation.” I forced a smile, but in the back of my head, my entire world imploded within itself.
Three days? What does he mean? This is too much. Rock up, Jasmine. Save Chase. Save Troy. Save Vivian. Save myself.
Chapter 7
Chase
In my limo, Sophia and I drove toward South End. My security team rode behind us.
I can’t believe you left me, Jasmine. Damn you! Our love is strong. It’s powerful.