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)
The elevator doors opened and she stepped onto the plush carpet of the hallway, key out, ready to hurry to her suite. To her dismay, Charles Von Garden stood in the hallway just a few feet from her door. He clearly was waiting to see which suite was hers. She hesitated, but he’d heard the elevator and turned, his expression darkening.
“You bitch.”
Vienna looked up at the security camera and indicated she was in trouble. “Why do men always open every nasty conversation with ‘You bitch’? It isn’t very inventive. Any of the other nasty words you use for females aren’t much better. What is it you want, Charles?”
She realized Charles must have one of the suites on the other side of the floor. He’d come up his private elevator and walked around the entire floor to get to her side. He took several very aggressive steps toward her.
Vienna stepped away from the elevator, moving toward the only other suite on that side of the floor. She was afraid if she tried to get back on the elevator, he would manage to get in with her and she’d be locked in with him.
Rainier and Zale were still in their undercover roles of Zale playing personal protector to the wealthy Wayne Forsyne. She could only hope Rainier was in his full mask and makeup. As a rule, he didn’t go without it. The mask was extremely thin, contoured to his face and so authentic-looking it was nearly impossible to tell it wasn’t actual skin.
Vienna held her hand up in a “stop” gesture, mainly for dramatic effect for the security camera. She raised her voice. “Stop right there, Charles. You’re scaring me.”
“You should be scared. I should beat the crap out of you.”
“You knew better than to make that bet, but you did it anyway,” she pointed out.
He took another step closer, and she hit her fist on Rainier’s door. “Help.” She had no idea if they were home, but any self-respecting woman would ask for help when confronted by a drunk out for revenge.
“You cost me the chance to win ten million dollars.”
“I didn’t cost you that chance. You knew better than to make the bet, but you couldn’t resist because you were betting against me, not one of the others. You stopped playing the cards and you made it personal. That’s on you.”
She should have been placating him, but damn it all, she was exhausted, and why the hell should she have to cater to his ego? He never would have placed that bet if he’d been up against Art with those same cards.
Charles rushed her, shocking her with his speed, dipping his shoulder at the last minute like a linebacker. He was definitely drunk, but he was on her much faster than she had anticipated, knocking her to the floor with a shoulder into her midsection and driving her backward and down. She struck the side of her head on the wall and it hurt like hell, but thankfully the carpet was thick and cushioned her fall. Charles roared something ugly into her neck, his breath reeking of alcohol.
The door to Wayne Forsyne’s suite burst open, and the old man came out looking left and right, his cane swinging. His gaze fell on Charles as her drunken assailant started to sit on top of her, his fist pulled back. She was already rolling, doing her best to get out from under the big man.
“Stop, you scoundrel. Get off that woman.”
Wayne limped forward, swinging his cane at Charles’s head. He managed a solid hit that rocked Charles enough that Vienna was allowed sufficient room to get out from under him. She staggered to her feet.
“Stay back, Vienna,” Wayne ordered. He touched the tip of the cane to Charles’s side and pressed a trigger.
The cane became a Taser, delivering a charge into Charles, and the man immediately went to the carpet, rolling into a ball, whimpering. Wayne stepped forward as if he might deliver another charge into him.
Vienna gently put a hand on him. “I think he’s had enough.”
Two security guards emerged from the service elevator at the same time Zale did. Zale’s dark gaze swept over her first, assessing her quickly. He took in everything, making her aware of her clothing in disarray, her untidy hair and the knot coming up on the left side of her forehead. His gaze moved over Rainier next, assessing him, and then dropped to Charles. That look went expressionless, but not his eyes. Zale’s eyes turned even darker, flat and ice-cold. Instinctively, she felt the need to step between Zale and Charles.
The two security guards moved to either side of Charles. “You need to stand up, sir.”
“They assaulted me,” he complained. “He hit me in the head from behind with his cane and then Tased me.”