Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 93048 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 465(@200wpm)___ 372(@250wpm)___ 310(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 93048 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 465(@200wpm)___ 372(@250wpm)___ 310(@300wpm)
“We’ll hold off on that for now. What about this Rocco fella then?”
“The idea’s simple. We find out who’s supplying his meth, hit him during a shipment, and make him an offer. Sell his clubs to your family and profit or we murder him and take the club after he’s dad. Either way, we win.”
Ronan whistles. “Brutal. Efficient. I like it.”
“Thank you.” I give him a demure little bow. “It’s a talent of mine.”
“And what if we can’t figure out where the drugs are coming from?” Niall asks.
“We’ll work on it. This is just a rough outline, but once we start putting pieces in place, we’ll get a much better idea of where to go. Maybe blackmail’s a better route, or maybe Rocco’s got a weakness we can exploit. But we start with him.”
“Wonderful,” Ronan says, clapping his hands. He leans back from the bar and looks at his cousins. “All right, you two, you’re both dismissed. Seamus, I hope you weren’t taking notes.”
“Wouldn’t dare,” he grunts as he gets up and glances at me. “Nothing worth noting down, anyway.”
Niall rolls his eyes and drapes an arm across Seamus’s shoulders as he steers the surly Irishman away. “What crawled up your ass today, big fella? Got something against the pretty Italian girl?”
“Something,” Seamus grumbles as they walk off.
I watch them go, frowning. “He doesn’t like me.”
“Factions.” When I look back, Ronan looks serious. “Told you, love.”
“Why keep him around then?”
“We need somebody reporting back about how clever and useful you are. Enemies close and all that.” He comes around the bar and sits in the stool next to mine. I shut the folder, preparing to leave, when he reaches into his jacket and produces a gun.
I stare at it. He stares at me. We meet our gazes, and he’s smirking again.
“What’s this for?” I ask finally.
“I want you to carry it.” The weapon’s a small, snub-nose revolver, probably shoots .22 caliber bullets. Not a lot of power, but good enough for everyday carry and a little extra protection.
“No thanks. I’m not interested.” I try to push it away, but he doesn’t budge.
“Julien seemed serious when he was asking about you the other day and I’d feel better knowing you at least had a halfway passable weapon on hand in case anything happened. You do know how to shoot, yeah?”
I sigh and punch him lightly in the thigh. “Yes, asshole, I know how to shoot. My dad took me to the range twice a month for over a decade.”
“Then this shouldn’t be a big deal.” He pushes the gun at me, looking serious. “I can’t be around you all the time, love. Carry the piece.”
“This is dumb.” I take it from him and shove it into my bag. “It’s not necessary.”
“But it makes me feel better, and that’s worthwhile. Now, this Rocco fella. You’re serious about him? You think this’ll work?”
“I think it’s a good start anyway. I can’t promise anything.” I push away from the bar and get up. “What about Seamus? Is he going to be a problem?”
“Let me handle him. We can trust Niall, too, in case you weren’t sure.”
“I had a feeling.” I glance at Ronan and he’s watching me with real interest. His eyes slide down my body, along my tights, up to the skirt of my modest dress, and back to my eyes. “Can I help you with something?”
“Not at all. Just thinking about the little show you put on for me the other day, that’s all.”
“It wasn’t a show, you prick. It was more like sexual assault.”
“I’d never.” He grins and puts a hand over his heart. “I much prefer them willing. Begging is always best.”
I lean toward him, putting the sweetest little smile on my face I can manage. “You will never hear me beg, asshole.”
He laughs as I walk away. “We’ll see,” he calls out and my teeth clench because I’m worried he’s right, we really may see one day.
Chapter 12
Ronan
Iassign a few trustworthy men on the Rocco case. Their job is scouting and analysis only—don’t engage, don’t get too close, just gather as much information as possible.
Valentina keeps to herself for a few days. When I text, she claims to be busy on the job, but I think she’s actively trying to avoid me. I wonder if it’s the way I keep looking at her, but I can’t help that. The girl’s beautiful, and I haven’t wanted a woman the way I want her in a very long time, only she pisses me off with her stubborn prideful arrogance, and I doubt this attraction brewing between us will go anywhere.
Which is all for the better. Work goes on, life in the family never stops, and I keep my head down until one afternoon I’m sitting out back with Mother, and she casually mentions how nice it was to see a new girl around.