Live And Let Die Novels & Stories

His breathing was rapid and his veins bulged as if he wanted to crush the phone. At the same time, the person in the seat in front of him exclaimed, "Mr. Jennings, Astrid died four years ago!" I did not hear the rest as Death had arrived. "The time has come, Astrid. Are you ready for your soul to be annihilated?" I gently stroked Nicholas's cheek and nodded slightly. "Yeah, let's begin."

I fought the nausea rising in my heart and opened a live stream on my phone. "Benjamin Zoller," I began, my voice trembling. "You know the death of a loved one still haunts me. When I found out you had cancer, the thought of joining you in death resurfaced in my mind. "I wanted to stay by your side until the very end, but... Seeing how deeply in love you are with her, it feels like my heart is being torn apart. I can hardly breathe." Hearing that, Benjamin took two steps closer in panic.

My exit ticket was tucked behind a loose brick. It was Luca's prized snub-nose .22, the one he'd given me before he chose Rosa and shredded our vows in front of the Five Families. The System was gonna let me go home. All I had to do was die. I pressed the muzzle tight to my temple, finger curling steady around the trigger. I closed my eyes. Across the East River, Manhattan's fireworks burst in the sky, distant laughter riding the wind. None of it meant a damn thing. My own heartbeat was pounding so hard against my ribs that it drowned out everything else, like someone was turning the world's volume down, notch by notch.

"I've got our whole chat on tape. Tell me the truth, and we'll split the lottery winnings. Lie to me, and I'll have you charged with murder, spending your lottery winnings behind bars for the rest of your life." Brandon's face went white as a sheet. He spilled the beans in a heartbeat. "There's a safe deposit box at Sapphire Ridge Bank. That's where the ticket is! The password? My mom's birthday."