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)
“So they’ll be saying something to him now?”
“No. They’ll wait until we leave.” She waved at the cameras and took us to apartment G. “The one thing Benny never understood about the Chops is that no white man that isn’t born here can ever truly run the place. It doesn’t matter how much money or power he has. These buildings are cold, but there’s family in here. Any informants Benny thinks he has here, comes to me first.”
“And why’s that?”
She pulled out her key and slipped it into the door. “Because I’m a boss, Chase. That’s why.”
I’d given her the key downstairs, when the landlord handed them to me as the new owner.
She’s a boss?
Things didn’t make sense. From Jasmine’s view, her mother remained this hardened woman who took care of her grandchildren and expected support from Jasmine. Yet, my dealings with Sophia showed a woman that would make gold-diggers frown and wag their head. Today, a new version appeared, the boss.
Boss of what? And how will that get Jasmine back to me? I won’t go another day without her. I had to at least see her, if only from a far. Where are you, Jasmine?
“Brace yourself.” Sophia opened the door and stepped through. “It’s not too bad if you don’t ask a lot of questions, just get in and get out.”
A bleachy fragrance swam in the air. Buzzing floated off in the distance as if an old fridge or stove was connected and would soon be shutting off forever.
I stepped inside. Sophia continued forward on her own mission.
“Hold up,” I said.
“We don’t have time to hold up.” She headed off. “I have things to do. You have things to do.”
“What will you be doing?”
“Being a boss.” She rushed off.
“Apparently.”
The place was empty of furniture, but filled with huge blue barrels that outlined all of the walls. Ice clung to the tops. A haunting chill ran in the space. The walls and ceiling held the same gray paint that was in the hallways. Sophia’s heels clicked against the polished floor in front of me. She wasted no time, passing by the small blue barrel-filled rooms that could have been a living area and dining place.
Pulling my jacket closer to me, I turned to my guards. “Two of you stay out here. Two come with me.”
I spent no time figuring out what they decided, walked in after Sophia, and touched one of the barrels. A cold shock hit me. I shook my hand to get the chill away. “Sophia.”
She poked her head out of a door farther down the hallway. “What?”
“What are these blue barrels?”
“I thought I said that this place would be less scary if you didn’t have any questions.”
“Only stupid people don’t ask what’s going on.” I moved closer to where she ducked out her head.
“What are these blue barrels?”
“They’re not barrels. They’re 57 gallon refrigerated drums.”
“Refrigerated drums? Are you sure?”
“Yes, I’ve had to buy them for him over the years. Are we done?”
“What does he have in them?”
“Bodies, Chase. What else would Benny have in refrigerated drums?”
Gritting my teeth, I stopped right there. “What?”
The door closed behind me. I wasn’t ashamed to say that I jumped and checked for the sound. The two tallest guards came inside with me.
Sophia clapped her hands. “Chase?”
“Yes.” I scanned the drums. A cold shiver ran through me.
“Chase?”
“Yes.”
“His office is the last room down the hall. That’s where you’re going to get his names for all of his passports and credit cards. Some of the ones he’s not using will be in there too, narrow it down.”
I signaled for one of the guards to go to the room and returned to a drum that was labeled sad faces.
Why would he label it that?
“Chase?”
I shook my head and turned her way. “What?”
“Focus.”
“Why did he call this sad faces?”
“Did you hear me earlier? The drums are full of cut-up human bodies. Heads. Torsos. All feet go in one drum. All hands go in another. I’ve helped him catalogue. He has some for genitals, others for knee caps. One year he had a thing about knee caps. None of this is important. Let’s get what we came to get and then jet.”
“But—”
“Now I told you that his people are my people. That doesn’t mean we have that much time. It just means that we have a head start. His informants still have to tell him we were in here. He’ll know why, and when he does, it’ll be time to run. If we hurry we won’t be racing away. We’ll be luring him into a trap. You got me?”
“Yes.”
Sophia’s head disappeared.
If his office is at the end of the hall, then why is she in the other room?
I grabbed the last guard’s arm and whispered, “Go in there with her. See what she gets. Let me know.”