Total pages in book: 29
Estimated words: 26584 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 133(@200wpm)___ 106(@250wpm)___ 89(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 26584 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 133(@200wpm)___ 106(@250wpm)___ 89(@300wpm)
“I’d rather know,” she insisted.
Sighing, I curled up into a sitting position and settled her on my lap, straddling me. “I promised I would tell you anything I could, so despite my need to protect you, I’ll let you know if something comes up that could go sideways.”
Rhiannon’s tense shoulders loosened, and she put her arms around my neck. “Thank you,” she whispered before giving me a kiss that quickly spiraled out of control.
I was about to pop her onto my dick and watch her ride me until we both exploded in bliss when I remembered that I had to be at a fucking meeting.
“Fuck it,” I grumbled before I did exactly what I wanted.
“You’re late,” Maverick grunted when he joined me in the hallway, and we walked toward the president’s office together.
“Check your own watch, jackass.”
The VP’s mouth curved into a cocky grin. “Molly needed my help with something.”
“Guessing it was the same thing Rhiannon needed my help with,” I quipped as we entered the office.
“Seriously?” Stone snapped. “You’re late because you were fu—”
“Don’t finish that sentence, Stone,” Fox interrupted with a scowl. “Unless you want an ass-kicking that would put you in traction for a month.”
Stone pressed his lips together and crossed his arms over his chest as he leaned back into the couch he was sitting on.
“You’re being more of an asshole than usual,” I observed as I took one of the chairs at a small, round table on the opposite side of Fox’s desk.
Stone’s frown intensified—which wasn’t saying much since he was generally in a foul mood—but he didn’t say anything.
“He’s pissed at me,” Fox explained, not sounding nearly as angry as I would have expected.
I raised a brow, and Mav chuffed as he went around the desk and settled himself against the wall just to the left of the prez. “Britta?” he guessed.
Stone growled, and it suddenly clicked into place. Britta and her mother had come to us a couple of years ago. They were on the run from someone and needed to disappear. It had been clear that Britta had caught Stone’s attention, and it had been hard to miss the sparks between them, but she’d been barely sixteen at the time.
Fox had taken care of the details, and mother and daughter were soon gone without a trace. Stone had petitioned Fox to let him have their information so he could watch out for them, but Fox had turned him down every time.
Stone couldn’t see it for the wise move it was. Fox didn’t want his presence bringing attention to the pair or risking that Britta would notice him and blow her cover trying to see him.
“She’s eighteen,” Stone snapped.
“And we still haven’t eliminated the threat to them,” Mav argued. “As soon as we do and it’s safe for them, you’ll have their location.”
Stone unfolded his arms, and his hands curled into fists as he rested them on his knees. “I protect what’s mine.”
“Enough,” Fox barked. “Do not question my orders, Stone. I’ve let you get away with a lot of shit when it involved Britta because I understand your frustration. But if you take it too far, I’ll have your patch. Understood?”
Stone watched him warily for a moment, then nodded and tried to relax.
Fox jerked his chin up and down with finality, then turned to face his computer. “An informant just passed along word of an auction he’s heard about. Gave us a time and location, but he wasn’t sure how accurate the intel is.”
“Fuck,” I muttered.
“Same motherfuckers?” Stone asked.
“Looks like it.”
We’d been stalking a trafficking ring for a few months, but every time we got close, they were gone—along with the girls—by the time we arrived. With every miss, the need for blood grew. When we finally found those pathetic excuses for human beings, they were gonna know what pain truly felt like.
“Where did the information come from?” I asked since our informants had been less than reliable in the past.
“Wouldn’t tell me,” Fox grunted. “But he was adamant that it was accurate. Never seen him so determined to have me believe him.”
“Inside man?” Mav suggested.
Fox shrugged and scrubbed his hands over his face. “No fucking clue. But if we don’t take these assholes down this time, heads are gonna roll. I will bring in every informant, every person who ever gave us even the slightest inkling that they knew something or might have been involved. By the time we’re done with them, they’ll be spilling every fucking secret they have.”
“Details?” I asked.
“New York. In the port district.” He handed me a slip of paper, and I glanced at it to see a date, time, and address.
“That’s over a thirteen-hour drive,” I grumbled.
“Gives me time to touch base with Nic.” Nic DeLuca was a friend of Fox’s and the head of the New York Mafia. “His organization has been after the same group, so I asked him to do some digging into the accuracy of the tip. And no one will know you two.”