Total pages in book: 108
Estimated words: 108768 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 544(@200wpm)___ 435(@250wpm)___ 363(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 108768 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 544(@200wpm)___ 435(@250wpm)___ 363(@300wpm)
I was awakened in the late evening by one of my men.
He gently shook my shoulder.
I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and sat up to find a grand dinner laid out before me.
Several dishes decorated the table next to the bed—platters of seafood, bowls of aromatic soups with herbs floating on top, and dishes of perfectly cooked meats garnished with vibrant, fresh vegetables.
I breathed in the intoxicating aromas, left the bed, and grabbed my robe. “Is Lei here?”
The man shook his head and left the tent.
O-kay.
I went up to the table and lowered into the chair.
This is bullshit.
The lavish dinner before me was superficial in the wake of this craziness—Lei's obsession with Chanel, his absence, his world that was so brutally alien to me.
If he's going to be gone the whole time then I don't need to be here.
I picked at the food.
And where the fuck is my phone? I'm going to have to get one of my men to give me theirs.
The more I thought about it, the clearer my decision became.
I needed to leave this mountain and head back home.
I'm out of here.
Yet. . .to my shock, at the very idea, a part of me ached.
Hey. . .you've been in this surreal reality for days. Your mind is spinning. All will go back to normal tomorrow.
Then, I noticed a sealed envelope resting beside my plate.
What?
My name was on it.
Curious, I opened the envelope, slid out the letter, unfolded the thick paper, and read it.
Monique,
I'm sorry that I haven't been there but that changes tomorrow.
Arrangements have been made for a helicopter to pick you up in the morning.
Until then, if you need anything, ask your men.
Lei
I frowned, having so many questions.
Why hadn't he returned?
Where was the helicopter taking me?
And more important, where the fuck was my phone?
Pissed, I put the note on the table, rose from my chair, went to the tent's entrance, and peeked my head out.
Two of the five men had been talking. They stopped and turned my way.
“Hey.” I stepped outside. “I would like a phone. Can you bring me one? Or let me use yours?”
They exchanged glances.
Then, one man cleared his throat. “We are not authorized to give you a phone.”
“Why not?”
They remained silent.
“Lei told you not to give me a phone?”
No response came.
Sighing, I stepped back into the tent and frowned.
So. . .you're going to chase after your dead ex but also keep me trapped on your mountain?
I headed over to the table to grab the bottle of wine and spotted a little box next to it, wrapped in shimmering blue paper.
I quirked my brows.
So. . .a gift is supposed to make me forget this bullshit?
I picked it up, tore off the wrapping paper, and pulled the top away from the box.
A small pendant lay inside, shaped like four miniature aces cards, each fashioned from gleaming platinum. The cards were arranged in a subtle, interlocking design.
Embedded in each card were tiny diamonds.
I lifted it out of the box.
Surely, Lei wanted me to dutifully fasten the pendant around my neck and await his next orders.
Taking my phone is not cool.
I rolled my eyes, placed the pendant back in the box, and put it on the table.
Lei, you may be the Mountain Master but you have a lot to learn about women.
Sighing, I grabbed the bottle of wine, went over to the bed, and picked up the Four Aces' historical log.
This book ended up being equally absorbing. It was a meticulous record of the Four Aces' evolution, starting from its inception under Leo.
He'd arrived in the States, fleeing trouble in China with his brothers, sisters, and pregnant wife—a wife who had apparently been the girlfriend of a dangerous Triad leader.
Once they arrived here, Leo worked three jobs, stole items like guns, jewelry, and TVs, and then sold them to anyone that would buy them.
Weapons ended up being his top money maker.
I read about Leo's time in Paradise City—key decisions and pivotal moments, and the other leaders who had made them. I had to admit that Leo emerged from the pages as a figure of immense vision and strength, but that was probably what he had intended from the log after all.
This is all crazy.
I stayed up all night, unable to tear myself away from the log. With each detailed account, I gained a deeper understanding of the Four Aces and, by extension, Lei himself.
The organization wasn't just a part of his life; it was woven into his very identity.
I fell back to sleep, tipsy and even more unsure of my place among the wolves.
What will happen tomorrow? And where will that helicopter be taking me?
Chapter eighteen
Three Times the Ecstasy
Lei
In my dream, sensuous pale light bathed the space. Wispy, delicate tendrils of misty fog caressed my bare chest, sending erotic shivers down my spine and tantalizing my senses.