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)
“So, this is it? This is your best offer?”
Motherfucker.
I leveled him with my stare. “Take it or leave it, man. I told you. I’m selling these for twenty cents on the dollar of what I paid for them. You can’t even get close to these kinds of weapons at any price. You’ll be the only kid on the block with a laser-guided rocket launcher.”
Richie tilted his head and considered me for another long minute.
“We good?” I waited, not daring to break eye contact. The next move was his to make. All I could do was stay calm and keep my shit together. I had to. I was out of options. For me. For Tori. For the future.
I breathed deeply through my nose, hoping he couldn’t hear it. My heart pounded in my chest. He had to say something.
Richie gave a fractional nod. “Okay. Let’s get this taken care of.” He stood up and turned toward Jake. I noticed a piece in the back of his pants. I always carried mine in my boot when shit was about to go down and was surprised he was so blatant about it. Surely, Reed Parkston wouldn’t appreciate having people coming into his club locked and loaded. Would he? I still wasn’t sure where he fits in this whole puzzle.
Richie gestured at me. “Come into my office.”
I gave an awkward chuckle, glancing at his two goons. “I thought this was your office.”
“Nah, too many ears and eyes, follow me.”
He started toward the door. I had no choice but to follow. But my senses were on red alert. Something was up. Why were we leaving the red room? Jake was on our heels, and Richie grunted for him to stay behind. He led me through the door and made a sharp right into another door. Once inside, Richie locked it behind us.
From what I could see, it was a small office. It was fairly plain, with a desk, two chairs, and a couple of filing cabinets. A large computer dominated the small desk. Was this really Richie’s office? What the fuck did he need with an office inside Parkston’s? It didn’t make any sense. All I knew was something felt off, and I was trapped.
“You got the bank info?” Richie said, his clipped tone snapping me from my observations. I fished a card from my back pocket and handed it to him. He took it and started to punch information into the keyboard.
“I’ll get a text from the bank when it’s done. Technology shit, ya know?” I explained without looking away.
After that, the room fell silent. Each second seemed to span on for minutes as Richie stared at the screen and occasionally clicked at the mouse under his beefy hand. The glow from the screen was the only light in the room and made me even more uneasy. I shifted my weight from foot to foot, feeling like a kid waiting for his allowance. This was not how I expected the deal to go down. Fucking bastard loved to show who was boss. Hah! If he only knew.
My phone chimed, and I knew it was the bank. I’d set the notification to a unique tone for deposits over three million dollars. Richie straightened and came around the desk. He clapped me on the shoulder and said, “It’s done, Starr. Let’s go get my shit. I’m anxious to see all my shiny new toys.”
A chill went down my spine at the tone of his voice and the almost gleeful look on his face. What a sick fuck. Weapons weren’t toys, and people like him were the fuel behind all the bad shit in the world.
I had to stop him and his ilk. If it was the last thing I did.
Richie paused, his hand on the doorknob, and leaned in a little closer, “I swear to you, Starr, if you fuck with me—I’ll fucking cut your dick off and choke you with it.”
“Damn, Richie, is that how you talk to all of your business partners?” His expression didn’t change. He kept me pinned with his fierce glare. Shit, this guy’s dead serious. “I already told you, there are no feds. It’s just me. Why would I risk fucking you over? If you like the goods, I can get you more. It doesn’t make sense for me to roll ya. So chill the fuck out. We’re square.”
Richie jerked open the door without a word, went back into the red room and nodded to Jake and the other goon. “Let’s go.”
They started toward the door, and Richie turned and walked straight through the dance floor. The people on the floor separated like the Red Sea. He acted like he owned the place. Damn! Did he? Was that what Reed was talking about last night?
I didn’t appreciate the lack of communication that was going on over this business deal. Jake and Mr. Thug were hot on my tail. Finally, I turned back to them and said, “Hey guys, it’s cool. I don’t need an escort.”