Total pages in book: 78
Estimated words: 77309 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 387(@200wpm)___ 309(@250wpm)___ 258(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77309 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 387(@200wpm)___ 309(@250wpm)___ 258(@300wpm)
Con stares up at the ceiling. “I understand. I’m on my way.”
“Good.”
Adler hangs up. Con glares at the screen before dropping his phone on the desk.
We sit in silence, not moving.
I’ve heard his older brother pissed before. It seems to me that Adler is either angry or completely impassive to the world. They have a strange relationship that I can’t really understand—Adler’s more than an older brother to Conlan, he runs the entire organizational structure of their several holding companies.
Though it goes deeper. There’s a layer to their family Con carefully hides from me, a layer I’ve glimpsed in emails and messages, but never seen up close. Adler’s a part of that side of their business. Whatever it is they do.
“You should get packed,” he says, finally looking at me.
My eyes go wide. “What now?”
“We’re heading to the Sunrise in an hour. Call the airport and make sure my jet’s prepped. Tell the pilot we’ll pay whatever.”
“Right, I can make the travel arrangements, but—”
“You’re coming with me.”
“Conlan, I can’t just fly out to the East Coast with you on a moment’s notice. I have—” What do I have? Some plants and food that’ll go bad in the fridge. But what else? Nothing’s really keeping me here, no boyfriend, no family, nothing. My neighbors can get my mail and make sure my plants survive.
“Get packed,” he says. “I need you, Isabel.”
That word. Need.
It drives a line of needles into my spine.
I swallow a whimper and straighten my back, forcing myself to glare at him. I can’t forget this is the man that makes my life hell—this is a spoiled, selfish piece of shit, and he got himself into this situation.
I don’t care if he’s hurting inside.
Whatever I glimpsed before doesn’t matter.
This is Conlan. My asshole boss.
But I’m also aware that I don’t have any other choice.
I shove my chair back and stand. “Fine. I’ll be ready.”
“Good.” He sounds relieved. I hate him for that. I don’t want him to need me. “This will be more unpleasant for me than it will be for you, don’t worry. You might even enjoy your stay. The Sunrise isn’t half bad.”
“It’s an Atlantic City casino,” I say as I head out of his office. “It’s going to be terrible.”
He doesn’t disagree.
Chapter 4
Conlan
The flight back to the Sunrise is quiet and tense.
Isabel pretends to work, pretends to sleep, and pretends to read. She does everything in her power to act as though I don’t exist.
I let her have some peace and quiet. I figure it’ll be the last calm hours for a few days.
What am I supposed to say to her anyway? To make her stop thinking I’m a monstrous piece of trash? I could tell her I didn’t know Allison was only nineteen—which is true. I could tell her I had no clue her father was a general, much less politically involved—also true.
But that doesn’t hide the fact that I brought some random girl back to my house and fucked her senseless without so much as learning a thing about her.
I could’ve asked someone at the party. I could’ve done the bare minimum.
Instead, I felt a tongue in my mouth, a hand on my dick, and didn’t care. She was a warm body and she was easy.
That’s all I ever want. Something easy.
Something very bad for me.
Because I’m Conlan Costa and my love language is self-destruction.
We land after a few exhausting and agonizing hours. Isabel still says nothing on the trip from the airport to the casino. When we arrive, Will Hyde, my brother’s second-in-command and the main pit boss, is waiting out front with Trish Wane, the head of hotel operations and third in the hierarchy.
Will looks very unhappy. Trish always look unhappy, so there’s no surprise.
“Adler’s livid,” he says, gesturing for the porters to take our bags. Isabel remains behind me, but off to the side, like she’s trying to keep some distance between us.
“I’m aware. It takes a lot to get me back to this place.” I scowl at the entrance to the Sunrise. It’s a classic casino—gaudy marble statues, lots of gold and silver, bright colors, the illusion of wealth and power.
In this case, the illusion happens to be the truth.
The Sunrise is the heart of the Costa organization. We’re a business first and a family second, and we aren’t only involved in the hospital and gaming industries.
Those our only our legal fronts.
But I keep those worlds very separate. Isabel doesn’t know about the other stuff, at least not beyond the rumors, and she’s a very smart girl. I’ve sure she’s heard all about it by now.
My brother is the CEO of our company and the Don of our organization. Which means when he’s pissed off, I have to come running over to deal with it.
“We didn’t miss you,” Trish says, crossing her arms. “I have your usual room booked and another for your assistant across the hall.”