Total pages in book: 89
Estimated words: 83755 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 419(@200wpm)___ 335(@250wpm)___ 279(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 83755 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 419(@200wpm)___ 335(@250wpm)___ 279(@300wpm)
“You needn’t worry about that, but yes,” she accepted with a nod. “My men will follow my orders to the letter. Anyway, I have some information for you. It proves that the organization has its hands on pretty much anything. Would you like to hear it?”
“I can’t wait,” Cesare spoke, standing beside me.
“The armored truck you robbed belongs to a casino chain owned by Atlas Construction, a conglomerate based in Las Vegas,” she announced, her voice a tad louder. “The organization’s been investing in construction for well over a hundred years. And, though no member sets foot in Vegas themselves, they rely heavily on the profit of those casinos. Atlas is run by a man named Howard Kanin. He’s put a hit out on both you and my men. He says we failed to keep our end of the bargain, and you are a nuisance that has to be eliminated.”
“What about Piper Briggs?” Matteo asked, flashing a sideways glance at me. “He’s put out a hit on her, too?”
“I was just about to get to that,” she claimed, her voice losing both volume and nerve. “I’m afraid the answer is ‘yes.’ Ms. Briggs is in grave danger. So is the doctor who patched you up, Cesare. They must be warned. I would have taken care of that, but they don’t know me or my crew. One of you must do this.”
“You never told us she was your friend,” Cesare complained. “Why? Is that some kind of big secret or something?”
“No. She was just irrelevant, until this morning,” she responded. “That’s when I got the information I just gave you. Gentlemen,” she paused and reached into her purse. She pulled out a piece of paper with three names and phone numbers and handed it over to Cesare. “This is my men’s contact information. Call them and have them meet you. Whatever personal feelings you have for them, now is the time to set them aside. Goodnight.”
“Thank you,” Cesare offered her a nod of gratitude and walked her back to his door, Matteo and I eyeing each other in silence.
“I think we all know who we’re paying a visit ASAP,” Matteo said, shuffling off.
“Yeah,” I murmured, my friend looking back at me. “Just so you know, I’ve already told her she could be targeted, so, this won’t really shock her.”
“Come on. Let’s go,” Cesare requested, gesturing me closer. “I’m calling her from the car—she might be at work.”
The echo from his front door fading into nothingness, the three of us waited for the elevator. This wasn’t how I’d imagined my next meeting with Piper. It would involve just her and me and no one else. But that had been on my mind, until the moment I heard what she’d been up to with Cesare and Matteo. After that, any ideas for my next date with her went down the drain. Now, she had to know about the danger to her life, along with how much her little games had upset me.
31
PIPER
“He’s stable.”
The entire room breathed a collective sigh of relief.
A hit-and-run victim had demanded our full, undivided attention. At just twenty-six, this man had to be saved. Fatalities in those cases hit hard. Whenever someone too young passed on, most of my colleagues were too distraught to utter a word for days. So was I. Their families demanded answers, but we could handle them. Losing someone in their prime was very difficult to deal with. Knowing that a person with their whole life ahead of them died on our watch.
I left the OR, my body craving some caffeine. Not because I wasn’t already on edge, but because I considered a hot cup of coffee my reward. Taking a few minutes to calm my nerves, all the while sipping some cappuccino was how I had survived three years as an ER nurse.
However, as I headed for the elevator down the hall, a glance at the entrance effectively ruined my plans for a cup of coffee.
Matteo, Cesare, and Leo were in the opposite direction, alongside one another, their gazes fixed on me.
Waves of cold sweat washed over me. For a moment, I thought I was having a bad dream. They had to have known. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have shown up together. I also figured out why Cesare had texted me so late at night. With him just fifteen feet from my spot, I realized I shouldn’t have answered at all. I should have avoided typing “work” on my cell phone.
“I am so busy,” I emphasized, turning around.
Too late… They all passed me by and came to a halt just inches away, staring down at me.
“Boys, isn’t Ms. Briggs an ER nurse?” Cesare posed a question, not taking his eyes off of me.
“Yep.”
“Do you see an emergency around here? Because I don’t,” he declared, curling his index finger towards me.