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)
Daniel waited for a reaction. None came. His heart accelerated. Surely, he wasn’t really losing his mind. Someone was there.
“There’s no need to be afraid. I told you, I do admire ingenuity. It’s how one gets ahead in this world. I’ll put in a good word for you with the security company, that much I can promise you.”
“I haven’t come looking for a job, Wallin,” the first voice said. “What about you?”
The second voice answered, “Don’t like his line of work.”
Wallin cocked his head to one side. The second voice sounded closer to him, maybe in the same room now.
“You don’t like my hotel? The casino? Why wouldn’t you?” He just needed them to talk a little more so he could find the exact rhythm he needed to coerce them into doing his bidding. Sometimes he felt a little like a god. He’d tried to tell Axel that he’d be able to get anything he wanted, from women to money to power. He just had to practice.
“Your hotel is just fine,” the first one said. “The fact that you murder women, including the mother of your son, disturbs us both immensely.”
Daniel stiffened. How could these men possibly know Miriam’s death wasn’t an accident? He’d managed to get rid of the three people who had known for certain.
“My son’s mother died in a car accident.” He feigned outrage. The triumph he felt when he had his son with him exclusively, with no input from Axel’s bleeding-heart mother, swept over him. Maybe she was the reason he had been so hard on Axel, trying to stamp out the worst of her influence and character flaws.
“No, she didn’t, Wallin,” the first voice concluded. “You had her killed so you could raise your son yourself.”
Now he recognized the voices. He’d heard them talking several times when his security team brought him tapes of men they suspected were agents for Blom. A bodyguard and an older man who had taken the suite next to Vienna Mortenson.
Wallin’s private detectives had uncovered three women they believed might be Blom’s daughter. The other two women had no indicators at all that they were in any way related to Liam Gram. Vienna had his DNA. She had his mysterious talent at cards. She had roots in Sweden. He had seen it in her photographs. And those eyes. They were a dead giveaway.
“Zale Vizzini and his older friend, although I’m certain you’re agents of Blom’s.”
“Name’s Rainier,” the other voice introduced himself.
It most likely wasn’t a good sign that neither man cared he knew their names. But he wasn’t that concerned. He had his voice and he had more money than either man could possibly dream of. Everyone had a price. He just had to find theirs. If he was really lucky, he could use his voice to get them to kill each other.
“How did you get in?” He kept his tone friendly and without the least alarm, but he was certain he knew the answer. The men must have entered through the vent system—somehow—and they would leave the same way. The large system had been a security concern he’d dismissed because of the miles of vents throughout the hotel and the obstructions built in.
“We’re not here to pass the time with you,” Zale said. “You should have known better than to go after Elliot or Vienna. You’re supposed to be a very intelligent man, but that was on the stupid side.”
Wallin could hear little noises behind his chair, but couldn’t see what was happening. His office was soundproof. All the yelling in the world wouldn’t bring his security team. The door was locked from the inside—he’d locked it himself. A hand came into view, slid inside his jacket and removed his gun and cell phone. Wallin noted the hand—a man’s—wore a thin glove. For some reason, the sight of that glove made his situation seem even worse.
“You need to understand,” Wallin began.
He didn’t like talking to someone he couldn’t see. Deliberately, he spun his chair back around to face his desk. One man lounged on the corner of his desk. Daniel didn’t recognize him but he looked as hard as nails. There was no mercy on his face and he had the eyes of a killer. His arms were folded across his chest as he leveled his piercing gaze on Wallin.
“I have more money than you could possibly imagine, enough to make your every dream come true.” He opened negotiations. Money settled everything. It was just a matter of how much. “I can pay you both millions. I could use a couple of good men like you working for me. Whatever Blom pays you is scraps. Nothing. I can transfer the money to your accounts right now.”
He made a movement toward his keyboard to awaken his computer. He could send out an SOS if he could just get to his messages.