Total pages in book: 224
Estimated words: 215705 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1079(@200wpm)___ 863(@250wpm)___ 719(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 215705 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1079(@200wpm)___ 863(@250wpm)___ 719(@300wpm)
“How?”
“It doesn’t matter how. It matters that I do it. I’ll even broker your buy-in, but then it’s done. We’re done. In or out, but know this: If you say you’re in and you fuck me, I will bend you over, and fuck you so hard and fast, you’ll wish you were dead. I’m making you money and saving you on that divorce. You owe me peace.”
“And you’ll have it,” he assures me. “Peace.” He offers me his hand.
I grab it and turn him to shove him against the window. “Touch my woman again and I’ll kill you. Do you understand?”
Elijah holds his hands up. “I was trying to scare her. I wasn’t ever planning to hurt her.”
“I. Will. Kill. You. Do you understand?”
“I understand,” he says. “It’s done. We’re done except for the part where we make money together.”
I reach in my pocket and hand him a data drive. “Proof of your illegal activities. I could release this to the press and do a whole lot more damage than you did to me today.”
“I told you,” he bites out, no denial to be found, “we’re done except for making money.”
“We’re done or you’re done,” I say, and I let him look in my eyes and read how deep my promise to kill him runs. When I’m sure he knows exactly where I’m coming from, I release him and leave. Once I step out of the offices, Blake is waiting for me in the lobby.
“Well?” he asks as we walk toward the exit.
I stop walking and we turn to face each other. “What he does next decides if this is war or peace.”
“We’re listening and watching,” Blake assures me. “What’s your gut?”
“I gave him a chance at peace he doesn’t deserve because Carrie matters more than my need to ruin him, but if he crosses me now, I will put him down in every sense of the word. If you can’t handle that, walk away.” I turn and head for the door, ready to be back by Carrie’s side, but it’s not that simple. I need to know where this is headed with Elijah and be ready to make a move to destroy him.
Blake steps to my side and glances over at me. “I’d recommend our offices as your next step. We’ll be well-armed and in striking territory should Elijah make any moves that aren’t what we expect.”
I nod and a few minutes later we’re in an SUV headed that direction when my phone rings with Grayson Bennett’s number. “Fuck,” I curse before answering the line. “Grayson,” I greet.
“I don’t believe you used that woman as a shield,” he says. “I believe someone couldn’t beat you so they decided to cut you.”
“That’s exactly what happened.”
“How’s Carrie handling it?”
“She’s a soldier,” I say. “But I don’t want her to have to be.”
“Tell her my business is secure. That should help. Let me know if you need anything.” He disconnects and I send Carrie a text: Grayson is still on board. That’s all you, baby. He hated me until you. More soon.
Her reply is instant: Not soon enough, but all is well here. I got this.
I reply with: And I got you.
Her response is instant: Yes. You do.
Those words say so much. They’re trust. They’re confidence. They’re about the wedding we’re going to start planning tonight. I glance at Blake. “Any leads on a good dog that needs a good home?”
He laughs. “No, but I think we could find a few options. Sounds like that gut of yours is feeling pretty good.”
“Grayson Bennett just assured me we have his business and Elijah would be a fool to pass up the offer I gave him,” I say, “so yes. I’m feeling pretty fucking certain this is going to be sunshine not shit by the time this day is over.”
“Well then,” Blake says. “A puppy or a dog of any certain age?”
“A puppy, I think. They live for too few years. We need as many as we can get with this pup.”
“I’ll see what we can find,” he says. “You know what the fuck they say, man. First, it’s a puppy and then it’s a baby. That’s why you don’t have a puppy or a dog.”
“No baby for us,” I say, though some part of me knows that I’d say yes to anything for Carrie. If she wants a baby, we’ll have a baby, and holy fuck, where did that come from? “I just need to get my ring on her finger,” I add.
And with that thought, I set aside all the hell of this morning, and start thinking about something that really matters: my future wife. I start to think of a way to make Carrie’s wedding in Rockefeller Center happen. That’s when it hits me that Grayson Bennett is filthy rich and owns half the city. I dial his number and get to work on making Carrie my wife sooner rather than later.