Total pages in book: 134
Estimated words: 126485 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 632(@200wpm)___ 506(@250wpm)___ 422(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 126485 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 632(@200wpm)___ 506(@250wpm)___ 422(@300wpm)
I gnawed on my lower lip. “But we need to find out who the person is. Imogen might be trapped in their grasp.”
“And I’ll find out who he is. Don’t worry. Seamus and I were in Sodom for a meeting with the boss of a counterfeit laboratory we intend to cooperate with, and I talked to a few Russian contacts. Again they won’t spill any information without Sergej’s approval, but he and I are going to meet for lunch next week.”
“Next week? So much can happen between now and then. We need to find out more. Would you just sit back and wait for a lunch meeting with a Russian crime boss if someone had kidnapped me?”
“If a Russian kidnapped you, peace would be a thing of the past and I’d do what I love most …use my iron rod to break as many of the two-hundred six bones in a human’s body to find out where you are. I’d kill and I’d torture, until you were back in my bed. But Imogen isn’t you and she most likely wasn’t kidnapped. Despite his tight-lippedness, Laurence mentioned how cozy the Russian and your sister had been. She’s fucking him for money, and she’s probably letting the sun shine on her ass right now while sucking his dick somewhere in the Caribbean. Your sister isn’t a good girl. She’s a snake. No need to protect her.”
I didn’t want to believe it, but Imogen was Imogen. Still, I needed to know the truth, no matter what it was. I’d really hate her if she didn’t answer my calls because she was busy fucking a Russian gangster for money and a possible career.
I was frustrated over Lorcan’s lack of urgency. He didn’t mind waiting for a week, however I did. But approaching Russian gangsters myself seemed like a very bad idea.
I took a long walk through Central Park as had become a habit in my short time in New York to clear my head.
A twig broke behind me when I meandered up the narrow pathway through a thick area of trees in the park. I glanced around but couldn’t see anyone. I picked up my pace when suddenly a hand clamped over my mouth and I was pulled off the pathway. I struggled, disoriented, until I was turned and looked up into Desmond’s face. He wasn’t in a police uniform.
“I always wear civilian clothes. Makes certain investigations easier.” He lowered his hand. “Don’t scream.”
“I won’t,” I said, still breathless from fear.
“We don’t have long. Your husband has his spies everywhere, and I don’t need a target on my head nor do you.”
“Aren’t you on their target list because of what you do?”
“I haven’t led any investigations against Five-Leaf Clover yet.”
I narrowed my eyes. “What do you want from me?”
“Let’s cut to the chase. We both know you don’t love Lorcan. This marriage is a joke. The only reason why you don’t run far away from your husband is your sister.”
My eyes widened. “My mother called the police. They didn’t know anything.”
Desmond laugh, his eyes searching our surroundings. He barely looked at me, always busy making sure nobody was close. “If you really want to find your sister, Lorcan won’t be the one to help you.”
“Why?”
“Because he’s involved.”
I froze. “How do you know? Lorcan told me something very different.”
“Is it really a surprise to you that he won’t admit to being involved in your sister’s disappearance? He’s slowing down your investigations, isn’t he?”
I didn’t say anything.
“Your sister needed money when she came here, and like any cunning woman, she went looking for it in a man. Lorcan has lots of money and little patience.”
“No one from the community saw them together.”
Desmond chuckled again. “Your sister tried to trick your husband, and he didn’t like that one bit.”
“Why are you telling me this? If you know Lorcan hurt my sister, then why aren’t you arresting him?”
“Because my bosses want the Five-Leaf Clover on a silver platter. They don’t care about one morally grey girl.”
I gritted my teeth. “You want me to gather information? To be your mole?”
“I don’t know how much information you can even gather, or if any of it will be useful, but if you don’t want to end up like your sister and you want a slim chance of maybe still finding her alive, then you should help me however you can.”
I stepped back, closer to the pathway. “I can’t just trust your word. I need proof that Lorcan met Imogen, that he’s involved.”
Desmond gave me a tight smile. “If you can wait that long. I have all the time in the world.”
I turned and ran. I didn’t like Desmond. He was creepy and strange but he was police and Lorcan was a criminal. One of them was lying, but I wasn’t sure how to find out who.