Total pages in book: 88
Estimated words: 86883 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 434(@200wpm)___ 348(@250wpm)___ 290(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 86883 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 434(@200wpm)___ 348(@250wpm)___ 290(@300wpm)
More pieces click into place. “You killed them too.”
“I thought about blowing them up and being done with it. But truth be told, after Harrison, I kind of developed a taste for it. Who would’ve thought all those sessions at the gun range with you would prove so useful? Not to mention deliciously addictive.” She inhales with a look of deep satisfaction, and then exhales with a moan, like she’s just inhaled the enticing aroma of a good meal. “There’s nothing like the rush of mowing someone down with a Beretta. Even better if you have two.”
My God, she’s more insane than I thought.
“But how did you even pull it off? Tony Vinocelli was a zealot for security.”
“One thing your father taught me… every stronghold has a weak point, and if you find that weakness, then you’ll find your way inside. Fausto was my ticket in. It wasn’t hard to turn his head. I was a familiar face. Someone he’d thought about banging but never tried, so when I approached him and offered him his wildest fantasies on a plate, he didn’t think twice. We met in the same hotel room for weeks before he finally invited me to spend the night in the pool house in the family estate.”
The look of displeasure on her face turns to disgust. “Tony Vinocelli had crazy security surrounding his home but only had two bodyguards inside. Crazy, arrogant fool. So I killed Fausto first. Then I ran into Giulio on my way into the main house and shot him too. The bodyguards were at the dining table playing cards and didn’t bat an eyelid when the ditzy brunette Fausto was banging came inside looking for a glass of water. The first one didn’t see it coming, but the second one did, even managed to pull his gun, which was a rush, but I shot him in the chest before he could pull a round off.”
I have no words. I can only stare at her.
“I found Tony coming out of his bedroom. He’d heard the noise downstairs. When he saw me, he looked so confused. Almost as if he couldn’t believe it was a woman who was going to end his life. Do you know what his last words were? Not you. That’s what he said. And I have to admit it was a little insulting. I mean, why not me? So I shot him twice in the chest and down he went.”
By the gleam in her eye, I can see the enjoyment she feels as she recalls the massacre.
“You know, there’s nothing quite like the stillness of a house when all the people inside it are dead.” She sighs. “It’s something that’s always intrigued me.”
“Always?”
Jesus, how many times has she done this?
Then it clicks.
“You killed your parents,” I gasp. “It wasn’t a murder-suicide.”
The pleasure drops from her face. “Do you know what my father used to do to me while my mother was sleeping off another bender? He took from me what he no longer wanted to take from her, and she didn’t protect me like she was supposed to. I told her once, and she slapped me across the face. What else was I meant to do? They both deserved to die.”
Okay, somewhere in my slightly empathetic mind, I can see her point of view. After all, a lot of people have wished for revenge on those who have hurt them. But whatever darkness grew in her during those years didn’t die with her parents. It grew more powerful. To a point where she could kill five people in one night.
“You enjoyed it. Killing Harrison. The Vinocelli murders.”
“Of course I did. Consider it payment for services rendered. Do you know how tiresome it was to endure Fausto’s clumsy lovemaking? It felt good to finally be able to shoot him in the face because I couldn’t endure one more grope from the disgusting pig.”
Massimo told me Fausto was shot four times. Now I know why.
“Besides, I couldn’t afford to have any loose ends.”
“Yet here we are, or is that why you lured me out of the cabin? You obviously plan to kill me too.”
Her eyes gleam with psychotic excitement. “I knew I’d have to take you out eventually. If you’re one thing, you’re persistent. I knew you’d come looking for your money.” Her cruel lips twist. “But I didn’t count on you going to Massimo. Oh, I knew you had a good set of balls on you, but not the giant ones you needed to turn to the enemy for help. I admit, I didn’t see that coming.” She tilts her head. “And if I’m really honest, I admire that. Actually, I always respected that about you. Your resilience. But unfortunately for you, it’s interfered with the rest of my plans.”
The cold ache of betrayal tightens in my throat. “Which are?”