Total pages in book: 61
Estimated words: 58090 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 290(@200wpm)___ 232(@250wpm)___ 194(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 58090 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 290(@200wpm)___ 232(@250wpm)___ 194(@300wpm)
Paige grinned at me. “Mmhmm, and girl, I’m telling you, if I was single…” She shivered her shoulders.
I laughed and reached for the phone to start making the order so the bar would be well-stocked for the following weekend. Before I dialed, I shot another look at Paige. “He’s with Richie?”
Paige nodded. “At least, he was when we met him. I think he used a guest pass or something. He’s not a member…yet.”
I didn’t say it to Paige, but if this Eric guy was a friend of Richie’s, I wasn’t really interested. Richie gave me the creeps, and anyone associated with him would likely have the same effect.
Besides, I wasn’t Tori anymore. I was Avery.
And Avery didn’t have room for a relationship. Her life was complicated enough as it was.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Bennett
I couldn’t fucking believe I just saw my ex-girlfriend working the bar at the trendy Hollywood sex club. Tori was usually running around in the back of my mind. Of course, that wasn’t anything new. But having seen her—she was now front and center, and I had to force myself to remember the gravity of the meeting I was walking into. Apparently, fear of death wasn’t enough to push her from my thoughts.
Now, I knew where she was, but that brought up more questions and pricked at the soft, damaged part of my heart where she still lived.
“Starr, damn, snap outta it,” Richie said, waving his hand at a seat on one of the couches in his private room. “This is my friend Joe.” I reached out to shake his hand.
“Nice to meet you, Joe.” He didn’t move and kept the damn dark glasses on. I pulled my hand back. “Okay then. My apologies, gentlemen,” I said, keeping my tone smooth. “This place is just a feast for the eyes, isn’t it?”
I made a show of glancing around, wide-eyed, then returned my eyes to Richie. “But you’re right. Let’s get to it. I’m certainly not here to waste anyone’s time. I’m sure you’re eager to get to other things.”
“Have a seat, Starr. You want a drink?”
“No, sir. I’m just here to sell my goods.”
Richie took a swallow of his drink and set the glass down. My heart was on overdrive—not to mention my head. I wanted to get this meeting done and over with as soon as humanly possible—especially since I had no idea where Tori was, and this Joe guy looked a little sketchy.
“So, you have some inventory that you need moved. And you think I’m the guy to do it? All I wanna know is…why should I take this shit off your hands? It hot?”
“No!” I held up both hands. “Not at all. That’s not how I roll.” I sighed. “Listen, man, I’m leaving for the Middle East next week. I need to get this warehouse cleaned out. If it’s too much for you and your men to handle, just let me know. No hard feelings. I have two other buyers who’d jump on this stuff. Your name—”
“—who?”
“Buyers?”
“No, your mother.” He sneered. Joe snorted. Not a good sign.
“Ha! Mr. Dalton, we don’t wanna bring Mom into this, do we?” I chuckled. This guy was something else. One thing I’d learned from watching him day after day was that he had a big ego, and I was learning really fast how to stroke it and make him think he had the upper hand. He wouldn’t want any of his competition to get something over on him. And if he had the goods—he’d know they didn’t.
“This is all top-of-the-line US-made, military-grade equipment—not that Chinese bullshit. I’m selling you these arms at twenty cents on the dollar of what I paid for them. You can’t find this shit anywhere. And if you play your cards right, you could make a fuckin’ fortune.”
Damn, I sounded like a fucking used car salesman. Which, ironically, was the Dalton family’s day job. Used cars, prostitutes, money laundering, racketeering, murder. His whole fucking family was worth close to a billion dollars.
“You’re walking on thin ice, Starr,” Richie said, his voice gruff.
I smiled. “Better than swimming, no? You in?”
I reached into my pocket and grabbed a key ring with two keys and a business card, holding it in the air so Richie could see it. “I have a rented cargo van parked outside loaded with an assortment of toys.” I tossed the keys over to him. “You can’t miss it. Says Joey’s Rentals right on the side. This is a small sample to show you just how serious I am.”
“Go on,” Richie grunted.
I handed the card to Richie. “This is the rental company. They have a night drop-off, and after you’ve gone through and collected everything, I’d appreciate it if you have one of your men drop it off later.”
I reached into my jacket’s interior pocket and retrieved my cell phone. With a few swipes, I pulled up a video I’d shot earlier. I pushed play and handed it across the table.