Total pages in book: 29
Estimated words: 27696 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 138(@200wpm)___ 111(@250wpm)___ 92(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 27696 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 138(@200wpm)___ 111(@250wpm)___ 92(@300wpm)
“I brought you some coffee,” Taylor murmurs, stepping outside with a mug in her hand before setting it in front of me. “I’m still getting used to that fancy espresso machine, so I hope the joe is fine.”
I take a sip of the steaming liquid. “It’s delicious, thank you.”
“Of course.”
Then, my beautiful girl settles down with her own mug and looks out over the garden as well. We’ve both been quiet since leaving New York, but maybe it’s time we talked about what happened. Taylor won’t bring it up without prompting, so I decide to start the conversation.
“Thank you for coming with me,” I say in a low voice. “I know this past week has been scary, and I hope you’ve been able to settle down a bit.”
Taylor nods before turning sharp eyes my way.
“But where are we? We’re obviously far from New York, but where exactly? You haven’t told me.”
I weigh my options for a moment before deciding to be forthright.
“We’re in Moldova, honey. I didn’t want to say at first for security purposes, but you have a right to know.”
Her nose crinkles.
“Is Moldova that former Soviet republic near the Black Sea? The one next to Ukraine?”
I nod.
“Yes, although it’s culturally probably more like Romania than the former USSR.”
She nods, her expression closed.
“I see.”
I stare at her.
“What are you thinking, sweetheart? I know what happened was scary and we had to move fast afterwards. It wasn’t safe to stay in NYC so I had to make a split-second decision, but I promise you we’re fine here. This place is a fortress, as you can see,” I say, gesturing to the high stone walls. “And no one knows that we’ve even arrived.”
“I noticed,” she murmurs. “No one asked to check my passport at any time. In fact, we didn’t even go through customs.”
I nod.
“When you fly private, the customs officer generally comes on-board to do all that. But in this case, we’ve been traveling incognito, honey. There’s no record of our flight.”
She stares at me.
“Is that possible? The FAA isn’t all over that?”
I shrug.
“It’s not legal, but it’s possible, if you know the right people and have enough cash on hand to make it happen,” I clarify.
She nods.
“Oh. I see.”
But then I take her hand, my expression urgent as I lean forward.
“I hope you’re okay with what’s happened so far. As you can imagine, the Genoveses have made a lot of enemies during our time in the business, and believe it or not, that wasn’t the first attempt on my life.”
Taylor stares at me, her pink pout parting with astonishment.
“It wasn’t?”
I shake my head.
“Unfortunately, no. Violence is part and parcel in our world, and so yes, attempts have been made before.”
Taylor gasps, her face going sheet white.
“But who was it? And why were they after you?”
I sigh, my shoulders slumping.
“To be honest, we don’t know at this point. My best guess is he was a henchman from another crime family hired to do the dirty work, but the intelligence isn’t concrete at this point. But he’s dead,” I say in a grim tone. “My shot caught him square in the chest, and he was likely dead before he hit the floor.”
The beautiful brunette stares at me.
“Holy cow.”
I nod before smiling mirthlessly.
“As you can imagine, I’m a wanted man in New York now. Murder is a serious crime and there’s no way we could have stayed and dodged an investigation.”
Taylor stares at me.
“But you’re innocent! That guy shot first, while you were in your own garden.”
I shrug.
“Prosecutors don’t care about that kind of shit. Besides, the Feds have been sniffing around my operation for years now, and this would give them the perfect opening to start digging away. Can you imagine that? Subpoenas, depositions, and that shitshow coming to town? I don’t think so.”
Taylor pauses, staring at me.
“But it’s okay because you were trying to legitimize the business, remember? They would see that. You have to get credit for doing the right thing.”
I shake my head slowly.
“You’re sweet, honey, but it’s not enough. Not when I did the wrong thing for so long. The Feds would be all over me, and would likely tear everything apart brick by brick. Literally, I think they would tear apart my houses and clubs brick by brick looking for whatever it is they want to find.”
The beautiful woman nods, her expression shuttered.
“I see. So what happens now?”
I take her small hand in my own, my heart racing. It’s do or die, and suddenly, I know what I want. The only question is if Taylor wants it too.
“Sweetheart, here in Moldova, I have connections. This country isn’t exactly on the best diplomatic terms with the United States, so I can relax a bit here. I’m not saying that we’re dodging the American government, but in some ways, I am. I just need some time to lie low as things blow over.”