Total pages in book: 158
Estimated words: 145803 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 729(@200wpm)___ 583(@250wpm)___ 486(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 145803 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 729(@200wpm)___ 583(@250wpm)___ 486(@300wpm)
Zale put his hand over his heart. She put her hand over hers and then Rush was leaving her to stand with the men and she moved to take her place beside her friends.
* * *
• • •
“Good evening, Daniel,” a male voice greeted.
Daniel Wallin spun around in his chair, one hand automatically reaching to press the panic button to call in his security. He didn’t see anyone. Shadows moved in the room, and his heart accelerated to the point he heard it thundering in his ears. He whipped his head from left to right, back and forth for a terrible moment, wondering if he was hearing things. If he was finally really going crazy.
His son was dead. Axel. The only human being that had ever truly loved him. Why had he sent him off with Larsen? Why did he think Axel needed toughening up? Because Axel had feelings and sometimes acted emotionally instead of logically. He’d wanted to stamp that out of him. Instead, Axel was dead and he was losing his mind.
He looked down at his desk. It had no sentimental photographs on it. The walls of his office didn’t have pictures hanging of his son. He hadn’t wanted to give away how he felt to anyone. He refused to be vulnerable in any way. Now, Axel was dead along with Larsen, the one man he’d counted on for years to watch out for Axel.
He swore. “Don’t worry,” he whispered aloud. “I’ll get that bitch for you. All of them. Every single one of them is going to die. No one can escape me, Axel, least of all Liam Gram’s bastard heirs.”
“You do think a lot of yourself, Daniel.” The voice came again, smooth and taunting him with amusement.
He stabbed his finger into the panic button, once more twisting his head frantically from side to side in an effort to see who was speaking to him. The panic button disengaged the locks on his office door, allowing his security team entrance.
“Press away. It’s disabled,” a second voice informed him.
Daniel breathed deep and settled in his chair. He wasn’t going insane—not yet. He wasn’t alone in his enormous office with its private bathroom and bedroom. Sometimes, when he was in the mood, he called down to one of the many women working in various capacities for him to come upstairs and accommodate him.
A few of the women in his employ were paid to entertain his high-end guests or business clients who wanted a female companion for a weekend. The woman had to be discreet because many—or most—of his guests were married and didn’t want the hassle of a wife finding out.
Very slowly, Wallin moved his hand away from beneath his desk. He put his fingers on the edge of the desk, but close to his buttoned suit jacket. These men intruding into his office could be in any of the other rooms. He had an extraordinary talent few knew of. His son, Axel, was the only one he’d voluntarily shared the information with. Axel had a similar talent but it hadn’t been as developed. Daniel needed him to work harder at it if they really were going to build another casino and run it. He would have had to rely on Axel to pull his weight.
His partners—his cousins in the Bottaro family—didn’t know that was why the hotel had been so successful so quickly. Daniel had used his voice to get everything he wanted. The building going up faster. The first-class materials, deliveries when no one else could get them. Daniel had managed it all. Angelo Bottaro, his grandfather, had immediately seen the wisdom of keeping all illegal business out of the casino. He had come to admire and trust Daniel to run things.
Angelo Bottaro was dead and now his son Fredrick ran things. Daniel detested having to answer to a man who continually questioned everything. It wasn’t like Fredrick had fought to bring their family out of the mud and claim territory the way Angelo had.
Daniel was well aware Fredrick had ordered Daniel’s father killed when, as always, in his drunken state, he’d threatened the Bottaros that he’d tell the world Daniel was Angelo’s grandson. He was always asking for money, from Angelo and Daniel. It had been Fredrick who had killed him and left his body beside the dumpster where he always rummaged for food. Daniel was certain Fredrick’s contempt of his father was carried over to him. Still, when he wanted vengeance for Axel, Fredrick had come through, sending a crew to kill Vienna Mortenson and her friends at the Harrison wedding. There was great satisfaction in knowing all the women would be killed and hopefully their relatives as well.
“What do you want? If you’re looking for jobs, you’ll have to apply like everyone else. I’m well aware Larsen’s death left a large hole and opportunity for you men. I admire your ingenuity, but . . .” He lowered his voice an octave and tried to match the flow of the pattern of the voices he’d heard, although it was very little to go on. “You should leave these rooms immediately.”