Total pages in book: 178
Estimated words: 170884 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 854(@200wpm)___ 684(@250wpm)___ 570(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 170884 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 854(@200wpm)___ 684(@250wpm)___ 570(@300wpm)
At that, Ling blinked rapidly before settling on Lexi. Her lip curled. “And who’s going to stop me, Lexi? You?” She scoffed, and then she was irate. “You and yours, always been trouble. I mean, personally, I don’t know what the hell he sees in you.” She looked Lexi up and down slowly. “You’re really very... ordinary.”
“Let’s talk about this,” I muttered. “What do you want, Ling?”
Ling thought about that a moment before her eyes flashed. “I want you to suffer.” To my absolute shock, Ling’s eyes shone with unshed tears. “I want you to hurt.” The first of her tears fell as she went on. “I want you to know how it feels to lose someone you love, Twitch.” Her body shook in silent sobs. “For the first time in my life, I was happy.” Her lip curled. “And then you came back and ruined it.” She took in a deep breath and blinked away the wetness at her eyes. “Az and I were happy together. But you didn’t like to see me happy, did you? You were jealous that I didn’t want you anymore, weren’t you? So you just had to get involved.” She looked sad then, and I realized I’d never before seen Ling wear sadness so openly. “I loved him so much. And you took him from me.” Ling smiled down at my son lovingly. “Tit for tat, baby.”
She was crazy. “I didn’t take him from you.”
“You did,” she insisted.
“No, I didn’t.”
“Yes, you did!”
“You shot him, Ling. You shot him in the back as he walked away from you.” I paused a moment. “That’s all on you.”
She stood then, and the way my son’s mouth gaped was so unnatural that I knew this had to end soon so we could get him the medical help he needed. His arm flopped out to the side, and as Ling opened her mouth and bellowed, he didn’t even flinch. “It’s your fault he’s dead!” She panted, looking deeply pained. “He never would have left me if it weren’t for you. He would be here with me if you just kept your fucking nose out of my damn business, you asshole!” Her lips quivered. “You’re the reason he’s dead.”
My inner ear hummed as Luna spoke on a hush. “I don’t have a clear shot out here guys. I can’t see the boy.”
Fern added, “Me neither.”
Thiago spoke gruffly. “No go.”
I needed to buy some time. I stepped forward, and as I did, Molly and Tama stepped in time with me. “I’m sorry.”
“Yeah.” Ling nodded, but her expression remained fierce. “You’re sorry now, aren’t ya? Because I have something of yours. Something you love very much.”
When Ling lifted her gun, Lexi took a small step forward and gasped out, shaking. “You touch one hair on his head and I will fucking gut you. Do you understand me, you dumb bitch?”
“Ooh.” Ling smiled widely and looked over Lexi with a newfound appreciation. “Meow, Lexi. Who knew you had it in you?”
She took a step back, toward the window, and Luka, being the only line of communication with the Vegas, started to monologue. “Get away from the window, Ling. It’s not safe.”
Ling smiled sadly. “We both know I’m not getting out of this alive, Luka.” She peered down at A.J. warmly. “And wherever it is I move on to, I plan to take my son with me.”
My stomach dropped. Like hell she was.
That was when Luna said, “Let her open the window.”
What?
Luna had to be fucking with us.
My heart began to thump.
No way was I letting my son anywhere near an open window on the tenth floor.
I took a step closer and raised my hands in surrender. “Take me instead.”
Ling stepped into the nook with bare feet and reached back blindly to unlock the window. Her mouth pursed. “Hmmm. Nope.” She looked me over. “Although, I stick by what I said, baby. Death is a good look on you.” When she pushed open the window, a crisp breeze blew in, and as she lifted her gun and aimed it at me, she muttered, “Let’s make it permanent.” Ling’s finger lightly pressed on the trigger and she grinned twistedly. “See you in hell, baby.”
Everything began to move in slow motion.
Ling’s grip on her gun tightened.
I readied to die.
Lexi moved to stand in front of me, her arms wide.
Everyone rushed forward.
And that was when it happened.
Suddenly, Ling was pushed back into the room with such force, she was hurled unceremoniously six feet away. A.J was thrown from her arms, and where he landed, he remained unmoving. He didn’t respond to the fall, and I knew something was very wrong. For a split second, we all watched him, wishing, hoping he would awaken. But he didn’t.
Lexi and Manda dashed over to him, looking him over. Molly joined them, carefully taking instructions from Manda as she checked his vitals.