Total pages in book: 77
Estimated words: 75144 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 376(@200wpm)___ 301(@250wpm)___ 250(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75144 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 376(@200wpm)___ 301(@250wpm)___ 250(@300wpm)
The last thing I need is Devlin selling missiles to my enemy.
And I’d hate to kill Devlin. An ally is difficult to come by in our world.
He lets out a sigh then asks, “What do you want for saving Grace?”
The corner of my mouth lifts. “Fifty percent.”
If I own fifty percent of Devlin’s business, I’ll control the weapons market for the entire world. It will make me an untouchable God.
His eyes widen for a moment before he schools his expression then he shakes his head. “You’re insane.”
I shrug. “Maybe I am, but that’s what I want.”
“Jesus, Dominik,” he grumbles. He stares at me for a moment, then shakes his head again. “Fifty percent of my business is not an option.”
I climb to my feet, and pulling my jacket open, I reach for the gun tucked into my side chest holster. “I could shoot you right now and just take it all.”
“Wait!” His hand flies up, showing for me to calm down. “For God’s sake, sit down.”
I lift an eyebrow at him, which has him climbing to his feet. Placing his hands on his desk, he leans forward, “I don’t want to make an enemy of you. With the bratva attacking all over the goddamn world, we need to stand together.”
Tilting my head, I narrow my eyes on him. “Fifty percent.”
“Jesus Christ!” he exclaims before we stare at each other again.
The only thing that matters to me is money and power, and Devlin has a lot of it. There’s nothing else he can give me.
Exhaling another sigh, he says, “I’ll consider it on one condition.”
I cross my arms over my chest. “What?”
“Marry my daughter. If we become family, I’ll give you the shares.”
I pull a disgruntled face, not liking the sound of that at all. I’m a hermit by nature and don’t want anyone else in my personal space.
The only person I deal with often is
Evinka, my second in charge, and the sole reason she doesn’t annoy the fuck out of me is because she’s mute.
Evinka controls my employees, and I only leave my home when I have to take care of an important deal.
Like this one.
She’s the only person I trust because we grew up in the same orphanage and had each other's backs from the beginning.
We might as well be blood-related because I consider her family, and I know she’s always viewed me as an older brother.
She’d probably be laughing her fucking ass off if she were standing in this office right now.
“I’m not husband material,” I mutter, “I prefer solitude.”
“I know.” He moves around the side of the desk and comes to stand in front of me. “Marry her and give me one grandchild. The rest of the time, you don’t even have to see each other. She can go on living her life here in Ireland with me while you continue with yours in Slovakia. A marriage and one grandchild for fifty percent of the shares.”
“Jebat,” I mutter something similar to ‘fuck’ under my breath.
The corner of his mouth lifts. “Come on. It’s a fucking good deal, and you’ll get an heir. It’s a win-win for both of us. We’ll be unbeatable.”
He’s right.
Grace’s wide gray eyes flit through my mind. Even though she was beaten up, it didn’t do much to hide her beauty.
“She stays here,” I mutter.
Devlin nods quickly.
“Does she know I made her a widow?”
Confusion settles on his face. “You’re not marrying Grace. I’m talking about Ciara.”
My eyes narrow on his face. “Why not Grace? She’s the oldest.”
“Ciara is more submissive and won’t give us hell about the arrangement.”
Not my kind of woman at all.
I make a grumbling sound.
Suspicion creeps into his eyes. “Does it really matter which of my daughters you marry?”
“No.”
He holds his hand out to me. “Then it’s a deal. You’ll marry Ciara and have one child at the very least for fifty percent of my business.”
My eyes flick down to his hand, and as I take it, I agree, “It’s a deal.”
A smile spreads over his face, and he pats my shoulder with his free hand. “Now we’ll truly be unbeatable.” Stepping away from me, he says, “Come. I’m sure I have a bottle of champagne somewhere in the house.”
GRACE
Sitting in the armchair by the window, I stare at nothing in particular. My thoughts are filled with everything that happened yesterday.
There are moments when it’s hard to believe I survived.
My face aches, and my bruised ribs and right forearm feel very tender. The slightest movement makes the pain flare up, so I try to keep as still as possible.
There’s a knock at my door, then it opens, and Ciara peeks into my room. “Hi.”
I begin to smile but stop when it pulls at the scab on my bottom lip. “Hi.”
She steps inside while asking, “Feeling any better?”
“Yeah,” I whisper.
She tilts her head, and I soak in the love shining from her eyes. “Tell me if you need anything. Consider me your personal servant.”