Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 77295 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 386(@200wpm)___ 309(@250wpm)___ 258(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77295 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 386(@200wpm)___ 309(@250wpm)___ 258(@300wpm)
“Yes.”
The words died in my mouth when I heard his answer. “Really?”
He dipped his head like he might kiss me, but he didn’t. “Really.”
The flood of relief was indescribable. I wanted to hold on to it as long as possible, but I had a big problem on my hands. “I don’t know what to do about Kyle…or the other guys on the list. Jerome says—”
“I’ll take care of Kyle.”
“Jerome says he’s dangerous—”
“And I’m more dangerous.”
“I just don’t want anything to happen to you because of this—”
His hand cupped my face, and he kissed me. Kissed me good. Kissed me the way I loved. “I said I’ll take care of it.”
TWENTY-EIGHT
GRAVE
I didn’t know Kyle personally. But I knew who he was.
He worked with the Skull Kings to get automatic weapons into Northern and Eastern Europe. It was a job he inherited from his father, shot and killed on the job. He and I had that in common, except my father was smart enough to stay alive and enjoy retirement. It was against protocol to enter the bar with weapons, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he was carrying anyway. If I could get him to pull his gun on me, he would be banned from the bar permanently, and that might fix my problems altogether.
I crossed the room and found him sitting at a table alone in the corner, wearing a three-piece suit like he was some kind of bank teller. I hardly ever wore suits, and it wasn’t because I didn’t mean business. I could accomplish that buck naked if I wanted to.
I helped myself to a seat across from him.
He was typing on his phone a second ago, and once he realized I was there, he studied me for a few seconds before he slipped the phone into his pocket, never taking his eyes off me. He assumed I was a threat—and that was the right assumption to make.
“Listen to me.”
He relaxed in the chair, his eyes focused on mine without blinking.
“Elise is out of the game. That means your contract, and every contract after you, is void.”
His arms slowly crossed over his chest. “You aren’t Jerome, so why the fuck are you telling me this?”
“Because I’m not afraid of you.”
His eyes flicked back and forth between mine.
“Elise asked me to be a long-term client, and I’ve agreed. This is what she wants, and before you give her any grief about it, let’s settle this. Man-to-man.”
He was quiet for a long time, like he might not say anything. Then he got to his feet. “This is between her and me. Not you.”
I got to my feet and stepped into his path.
Now everyone in the bar had turned to watch us. We didn’t raise our voices, but our body language did all the shouting.
His eyes narrowed. “Don’t fuck with me.”
“Same to you.”
Another bout of silence.
“I’ve been on the list for eight months. I’m not waiting another day.”
“I said she’s out of the game. What don’t you understand?”
“Asshole, just because you don’t want to stop fucking her doesn’t change anything. She made a deal. I’ve paid up. She’s mine.”
“I told you to listen. She asked me to be her client. Not the other way around. Elise doesn’t want to fuck you for money, or any other guy on the list. It’s nothing personal. Jerome will give you your money back—”
“I don’t want the money. I want the woman I paid for—”
“And that’s not going to happen!” My voice echoed off all the walls. The silence that followed it was even deeper than before. “I’ll pay you an inconvenience fee. Name your price.”
“Get out of my way, or I’ll kill you.”
“Shut your goddamn mouth, or I’ll kill you.”
He cocked his eyebrow. “You know who I am?”
“Do you know who I am?” I snapped. “I can have your organs in three different people by tomorrow morning. A man can have your heart. A woman can have your eyes. A child can have your kidney. Then you’ll just be a leftover carcass.”
His eyes continued to flick back and forth.
“Take the money. Buy another woman.”
“You buy another woman.”
“How many times do I have to say it? She picked me.”
Judging from the look on his face, this wasn’t over. Far from it.
“Twenty million in cash. I’ll have it dropped off at your doorstep in three hours. That’s my one and only offer. Twenty million for literally doing nothing.”
“Nothing? That’s the price of my inconvenience—and that’s far too cheap.”
TWENTY-NINE
CAMILLE
When I walked down the stairs, I halted when I saw the enormous tree that stretched toward the ceiling. It had to be nearly twenty feet tall. White lights were wrapped around the branches, and shiny ornaments took up the empty spaces. Hugo was on an enormous ladder, putting a few more in place.
“A Christmas tree?” I asked in surprise.