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EIGHTEEN.
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Little Bird NINETEEN.
As Holden closes the door behind me after I enter the room that I share with Ace. An icy chill surfs the fine line of my spine.The room is quiet and empty.I’m not a huge fan of being left alone during the night.The thought of being claimed by the darkness is pure torment.It’s usually the time when my anxiety wants to make a surprise appearance, leaving me to feel isolated, and totally worthless.I suppose that’s to be expected when you can almost count how many times you left the villa on your fingers and toes after celebrating your sixteenth birthday.Granted, I was no princess locked up in a tower waiting for her prince charming to come and rescue her.There is no Prince Charming in my world.Only beasts who claw and fight their way through the masses to get to the top.I was always told that I was a prize. A treasure to be cherished.But I know the truth. I’m just an object to be used and abused as one sees fit to.And now, I’ve been sold to the highest bidder.A titter is tor
Little Bird TWENTY.
ACE. Sucking on my upper teeth, I loosen my fists and settle back into the chair I occupied upon his arrival. Placing my left foot over my right knee as I lean back, “tell me more about this drug.” I demand through gritted teeth, knowing that I’m about to break my vow. “I can do one better. I can show you.” Pulling out a small vial from the inside of his jacket, Ismail holds it between his fingers. “This beauty right here is called Delilah. The high is out of this world and the come down… there’s no cotton mouth, dizziness, or shakes.” Removing the cap, he sprinkles some of the black powder on the back of his hand and uses the pad of his finger to smear it across his skin. I lean forward with my eyes growing wide when the powder begins to turn candy apple red, glowing under the laser lights. “It sure is pretty,” I admit, playing with my zippo, impressed. “The quality?” “Pure.” “And it can’t be cut?” “No, it’s been carefully crafted, and I heard the sources' pharmacist spent a
Little Bird TWENTY-ONE.
I jolt wide awake, sitting upright in the bed, clutching the base of my throat as I try to catch my escaping breath. My chest rises and falls with every shallow breath I take. Tears burn my eyes as they dart around the room that is still dark with a hint of moonlight peeking through the curtains, illuminating part of the room. Dipping my head, I let the tears of despondency fall from my eyes, leaving a trail of emptiness behind in its wake. My heart feels like it’s turned to lead, and my chest is struggling to hold it in place – threatening to plummet into the pit of my stomach. A touch of hollowness invades every logical sense in my body when I think back to what Blake said about my father. I guess his words struck a nerve in my heart without me realising it at the time, and a large part of me can’t help but feel like his accusation was genuine. It makes sense as to why I’ve never felt like I belonged anywhere, even when I was surrounded by my classmates in high school. Usi
Little Bird TWENTY-TWO.
After my shower, I walk downstairs, entering the kitchen with my belly rumbling. “Good morning, Ms. Black. Would you like a coffee with your breakfast?” Alana asks me as she looks up. “Umm, no, thanks, I’m not a fan of coffee. It seems to just go right through me.” I explain as I sit down on the barstool in front of her. “Has Ace already left for the day?” As she places my plate of food down in front of me with a large glass of freshly squeezed orange juice, she nods her head, flipping the tea towel over her shoulder. “Yes, he left about an hour ago.” My brows knit together, “oh, okay. I thought after last night, he would have stayed home and caught up on some sleep.” Tucking my hair behind my ears, I try to mask my heating cheeks from her. That didn’t come out the way I wanted it to. “Mr. Ripley has also requested that we go to the clinic and get you on birth control this morning.” Twisting my lips as I eye my food, “did he say what kind of birth control?” “No, he has left
Little Bird TWENTY-THREE.
“Please, please, please…” I whimper, violently pressing the button on my seatbelt as I try to release the clip from the buckle.But it’s not working. No matter how hard I push down on it, it just won’t budge, and I begin to panic, yanking on the belt across my chest instead. But that’s jammed too, and I’m… stuck.The rotting sensation of death knocking on my door drills deep into my bones.This can't be the end for me. There is so much I want to see and do with my life. “I’m stuck. I can’t get out,” my voice trembles as my gaze locks on Volkovs’ once again.His eyes soften with a hint of doom swirling inside them, “please, Ms. Black, don’t panic.” He says calmly like he’s trying to convince himself more than me that everything is going to be okay.A wince is torn from his throat when he shifts, lifting his injured arm to his chest with his other hand and instantly, I can tell it is broken.His head suddenly jerks to the side when the sound of crunching glass echoes across the atmos
Little Bird TWENTY-FOUR.
ACE. As I swiftly grasp the compact bundle of papers that Ismail had dispatched, a resounding knock on my office door at Club Infinity demands immediate attention. I've been diligently tracking every single minute, fixating on the relentless movement of the hands on the grandfather clock as if I possessed the skill to manipulate time itself. I yearn to uncover the depths of Ismails' knowledge regarding Birdenes' adoption. I will exploit it ruthlessly against the Black family to secure the pipeline from Flynn without hesitation. I wanna be the lord of this whole damn city. But to make that happen, I have to get my hands on the Black family's turf, along with the Serbs, and the Kade family's turf. The Drakos' and Lopez family can keep their turf due to the blood contract my grandfather signed with the heads of their families twenty-two years ago. Besides, their dealings bring more foot traffic to my side of town, which means more bodies are filling my clubs during the weekend
Little Bird TWENTY-FIVE.
ACE.“Branko, my side now, little brother,” Dejan commands in an authoritative tone that drips with irritation.Branko slowly moves to stand tall at his brothers' side, “sounds like Ace Ripley is a little butt hurt that his crush was caught in the crossfire.” He chuckles vigorously, causing his shoulders to bob up and down.“I’m too old for a crush, you fucking moron,” I spit out at his childish comment. "But I will tell you this. Birdene Black is like a drug. Intoxicating, addictive, all-consuming. As much as I desire to hate her, never hear or see her... I crave to bind her to me.” My body trembles as the words leave my lips in a possessive tone. Contemptuously, “you’re in love with the hazel-eyed beauty. Cute!” Branko replies, wagging his brows. “Maybe I should’ve taken her and showed her how a real man fucks.”Lowering my gun as Dejan stands in front of Branko like a human shield, “funny that. I’m almost certain your limp dick wouldn’t make much of an impression on Birdene. All t
Little Bird TWENTY-SIX.
Pain as I’ve never felt before licks every inch of my body as I slowly surface from the darkness. Coughing and wincing in pain, I pry my eyelids open, desperately trying to fill my starving lungs with enough air to keep them pumping. As my gaze falls on Volkov, my bottom lip trembles as reality hits me like a freight truck. Everything that had occurred before I lost consciousness flickers before me. I whimper in a tearless cry, feeling somewhat guilty for Volkovs’ death.Granted, I didn’t know him very well, but he tried to save me until the very end.“I… I’m sorry…” I whimper as I crawl over his body, feeling his sticky blood cling to the bottom of my palms like a second layer of skin. I painfully crawl through the broken windshield, slicing parts of my flesh in the process from the shattered glass that is strewn everywhere.I try not to concentrate on the pain. If I allow myself to absorb it, it will consume me entirely and prevent me from doing what I need to do next.Staggerin
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