Total pages in book: 38
Estimated words: 36221 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 181(@200wpm)___ 145(@250wpm)___ 121(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 36221 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 181(@200wpm)___ 145(@250wpm)___ 121(@300wpm)
“Yes.”
“And her sister is the one with sticky fingers, right?”
“Yeah, Marvin made it clear Xanadu is the one who took your money. Apparently, he was blinded by love.”
“Now he’s blinded by death. The fool.” He scowls and hands me a drink. “Whatever trouble he was in, he should’ve come to me with it. Now I’ve got two problems instead of one–the missing money and some piece of shit who thinks he can spill blood on my turf with impunity.”
Squeals echo down the hallway, and we both turn.
“Oh my God, look how fluffy!” Zoey calls.
“That’s Ribbon, my new kitten. Nick got her for me as a surprise. Isn’t she adorable?” Sophia’s heels click as they pass, likely following the kitten toward whatever fun it’s chasing.
Nick smiles absently, his gaze on the door. Like me, he wants to go out and watch the women. I admit, I could do nothing but look at Zoey and be perfectly content. It’s the bizarrest thought, but it’s true. Just being near her makes me feel comfortable in a way that I’ve never experienced.
“You have that look.”
I realize Nick’s attention changed to me while I was thinking about Zoey. “What look?” I take a drink of my whiskey.
“The same one I must’ve had when I first realized Sophia was meant to be my queen.” He looks at me over the rim of his glass. “You’re lovestruck, old friend.”
I open my mouth to deny it, but no words come out. Love isn’t something I’ve even considered. It seemed like something a fool would chase after, a fleeting thing that had zero permanence. Then again, when I think about Nick and Sophia, I have to admit their love is so real it’s almost a palpable presence. And if I look even closer, I have to admit that the way I feel about Zoey … Well, it might not be too far off.
“She’s quirky. Different. I don’t even know her that well, to be honest. But she’s got this way about her, you know? And she’s so loyal to her sister. She’s had a lot of bad luck in her life, but she still sees the bright side.” I try to put Zoey into words and find myself falling severely short.
“You don’t have to tell me. I felt the tension between the two of you the moment you walked in.” He raises a brow in question. “Have you two …”
“No.” I pull at my collar as heat ripples along my skin. “But she’s mine, all the same. I told her I’d help her find her sister … for a price.”
He grins, the dark look on his face giving him the appearance of some fearsome beast, perhaps a shark, perhaps a tiger. “A price? I can imagine.” He laughs into his drink. “In that case, let’s find this Xanadu sooner rather than later. I want to see what comes of Zoey’s payment to you.”
“You’re getting a real kick out of this, aren’t you?”
He shrugs. “I’ve found my queen. It’s long past time for you to find yours.” He puts his glass down. “Now. As for information on the trigger man and Xanadu, I’m afraid my leads haven’t produced much. However, I did interview some of the workers at the club. It seems that Xanadu had a stalker, and she was terrified of him. I don’t know what that has to do with her stealing my money, but it might have everything to do with the gunman at the club. Maybe her stalker wanted to get rid of the competition, but he created another problem for himself when he realized there were witnesses. Did Zoey mention a stalker?”
“No.” I place my empty glass on the tray beside us. “I get the feeling Zoey’s sister sheltered her from a lot of bad things, including her line of work, stealing the money, and whoever was after her.”
He leans back. “You think the money and the stalker are connected somehow?”
“Could be.” I shrug. “I’m going to have to do more legwork. I’ll start at the trailer where they were living. It’s already been tossed, but there could be a lead there. Maybe he left a–”
“Look at her go!” Zoey cries, and the footsteps rush back down the hall.
Sophia laughs. “She loves that catnip mouse.”
Even with our dark discussion, both Nick and I smile when we hear our women’s voices. That thought strikes me. Our women. My woman. Zoey is my woman. Some part of me has already accepted it, and I can already feel the rest of me falling in line.
“Yeah, just look at you, Leone. Lovestruck.” He smirks and opens the office door.
When I catch sight of Zoey, my heart does that leap again, and I realize that not only is he right, I’m glad that he’s right.
Zoey is meant to be mine. I just have to prove it to her.