Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 92071 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 460(@200wpm)___ 368(@250wpm)___ 307(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 92071 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 460(@200wpm)___ 368(@250wpm)___ 307(@300wpm)
I couldn’t stop smiling.
The more she spoke the more I smiled.
I must have looked like a love-struck fool, but I didn’t care. I was home.
I was finally home.
Chapter 47
Zola
It was almost lunch when I awakened. I had dreamed of Sarah and Matthew. A confused dream that I couldn’t remember properly, but I felt guilty for their deaths. Not so much for Sarah, especially if she had betrayed me, but definitely for Matthew. He had been tough, quiet, and kept to himself and I had felt reasonably safe in his presence. But then a single bullet shattered that all to pieces.
I wouldn’t even be alive if not for Dante. I turned to look at him. A few weeks ago, I would have been hard-pressed to find anything favorable about him, but now his strength had become a pillar for me to lean on.
I watched him.
There was a regality about him that couldn’t be denied. I couldn’t help but also note his vulnerability. And if I looked even deeper, a strange innocence and purity. Like the lotus plant that grows in filth and yet its flowers rise above the mud, spotless and unsoiled.
When he was awake the force of his presence prevented me from seeing him as anything other than intimidating, but now, in his unguarded state, I could see traces of the man/boy I first met years ago. The deep urge to touch him arose but I didn’t want to wake him.
A crazy thought occurred to me and I froze with fear. I don’t know why I never thought of it before, because it was the most obvious thought. No one else had a bigger target painted on their back than Dante did.
Without thought my hand went to the strand of hair falling over his eyes.
His eyelashes fluttered in awareness and I could almost feel the change in his body.
“Sorry,” I whispered. “Go back to sleep, don’t mind me.”
We looked at each other.
“Are you alright?” he asked. “How’s your neck?”
“It’s completely better.”
“Then what causing the crease between your brows?” he asked.
“I was frowning?”
“Mmmm.”
I got to the point. “Ugo wants to kill you. How can you remain so calm?”
He looked straight into my eyes and his voice was cool and detached.
“A man can die many times or he can die once. I decided long ago to die only once. I learned to make peace with the idea that in the blink of an eye, I could lose everything. Even my life. So, what’s there to be scared of?”
I looked at him and could feel my heart rate picking up, a very clear indication I hadn’t made peace with losing him whatsoever.
Chapter 48
Dante
Ihad a plan. It would be no small feat and the risk it carried was that Zola could lose me. If that happened, she was free game for Ugo, and he was sure to shred her to pieces. I was ready to die rather than remain with Ugo and now I was ready to kill to protect Zola.
Larry, my operations manager, walked into my office. I nodded towards one of the chairs in front of my desk and he parked himself in it.
“Seven employees quit today,” he said. “And another eighteen applied for a sudden leave of absence.”
I shrugged. “I’m surprised it’s not more.”
“If another murder happens, our operations will be in serious jeopardy, and I can imagine that it will be very difficult to recruit employees for their replacements.”
“Another death will happen,” I said. “It’s only a matter of time. Ugo will be sure to make it happen to disorganize and humiliate me.”
He seemed taken aback by what I said, but quickly recovered and gave a suggestion. “Do you want to speak to them? I could arrange a conference meeting now.”
“No,” I shook my head. “The video is sure to leak out and then it’ll be all over the news. I’ll send a memo. What I need more than anything else at this time is very limited visibility. Remember that Zola is still technically missing. Detective Hudgens has been trying to get a hold of me all day and has threatened me with an arrest.”
Larry’s eyes widened. “Will he actually do that?”
“He can, but he won’t. He’s just playing the waiting game. He has nothing to lose and I have everything to lose. But if the next death happens, I will be immediately called in for questioning. They will have no proof, and anyway, they know it’s not me so they won’t hold me for too long.”
He nodded in response.
It made me realize I needed to prepare Zola for this. I had to tell her about all the dangers we were facing so nothing would come as a surprise and she wouldn’t be frightened or lose hope.
My secretary called to say, my lawyer, Foster, was outside. Larry left and she showed Foster in. I nodded at him as I picked up the phone and called Hudgens.