Total pages in book: 76
Estimated words: 71911 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 360(@200wpm)___ 288(@250wpm)___ 240(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 71911 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 360(@200wpm)___ 288(@250wpm)___ 240(@300wpm)
One of his men pulled it out for him—like he was a fucking girl.
He got comfortable and looked me over. “Did you walk here?” He cocked his head slightly, an arrogant shine to his eyes.
“I like the rain.”
He gave a slight nod. “Spoken like a sensitive pussy.”
It was hard to stay in that chair and do nothing—not because of what he said, but because of who he was. If I could strangle him with my bare hands, I would. I would watch the life seep from his eyes and squeeze harder. Make sure he disappeared in an old oil drum and sank to the bottom of the ocean for all eternity. “You know what I want, Bolton. Make your demand.”
“And you know my demands because I’ve already made them, Theo.” He turned serious, switching into negotiation mode.
“I’m not giving you a cut of my empire—”
“Then I’m not giving you his bones.”
Grief was a strange sensation. There were days when I felt nothing. And there were days when I felt it all at once. Guilt. Rage. Loss. But I had to wear a mask so sharp it could slice through brick.
“And I’m not giving you a name.”
“You have the north. You don’t need the south.”
“Well, I’d love to have another yacht…so I disagree.” He smirked.
“You came all the way here to negotiate, but you don’t seem interested in doing that.”
“I could say the same for you, Theo.” He sank into the chair and crossed his arms over his chest. “The Brotherhood never shares the source of its contracts. Once I give you the name of who ordered the hit, my reputation will take a blow. So you need to pay me for that.”
“And I’ve offered to pay you handsomely—”
“I don’t want a lump sum. I want another source of income. Five percent of your business would suffice.”
“If I do it for you, I’d have to do it for others—”
“We can keep it between us, Theo.”
“The answer is no, Bolton. Your request is unreasonable, and we both know it. You think my emotions will cloud my reasoning, but they won’t.” It might kill me inside, but I would never show them, not to anyone, not even to Axel. “Take my offer, because it’s the best one you’re going to get.”
A flicker of rage moved across his gaze, but once he blinked, it was gone. “I thought your brother would have meant more to you.”
“He meant more to me when he was alive, Bolton. But he’s dead—because of you.”
“You know it wasn’t personal.”
“It is personal because I could have outbid your contractor.”
“You know that’s not how it works, Theo.”
“Then let me tell you how it’s going to work.” I controlled my voice as best I could, but it rose slightly. “You’re going to take my deal and give me his body. We go our separate ways. You keep the north, and I keep the south. Refuse, and I will take both territories and do worse to you than what you did to my brother. The Brotherhood will be under my regime—and I will deploy it for my own gain.”
Bolton listened to my words with a hardened gaze.
I waited for him to yield, to realize greed wasn’t worth poking the bear. A big, pissed-off bear.
“Reputation is everything, Theo. And I’m not going to compromise it without substantial gain.”
Wrong answer. “Whether you tell me outright or I cut the answers from your throat, the outcome will be the same. But let’s do it your way because it’ll definitely be more fun.”
3
ASTRID
When I got home, the house was quiet and abandoned, like no one had been there for days. I flicked on the lights and hung my wet coat on the coatrack before I kicked off my heels. The kitchen island still had the bottle of wine I’d left there and the wineglass I hadn’t finished. My phone finally had enough power to turn on, so I turned it on, expecting text messages, but there was nothing.
I set my dress to the side for the dry cleaners and washed away my makeup. It was late and I was tired, but I wanted to stay up and wait for my husband to come home. The husband I hardly saw these days…
The man who’d changed my tire was still on my mind, battling the storm like he was a mighty oak that didn’t bend in the wind. He’d told me to get off the street, and those words still bothered me.
That was probably why I couldn’t sleep, because I was worried.
I sat on the couch with my favorite bottle of wine from Barsetti Vineyards. It was from the 2016 harvest, my favorite year. I sat there alone, looking out the windows and seeing the rain hit the panes. I was on the ground floor of our three-story villa, so I couldn’t hear the rain hit the roof.