Total pages in book: 122
Estimated words: 124140 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 621(@200wpm)___ 497(@250wpm)___ 414(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 124140 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 621(@200wpm)___ 497(@250wpm)___ 414(@300wpm)
Alejandro sighed. He’d noticed Starla staring at him. A lot. But she’d never dared touch him like that.
“You want me to get rid of her?” he asked Reuben.
“Nah. She seems to know how to keep her mouth shut. It’s her legs that are the issue.”
“Reuben,” he said warningly. He turned back to Martin. “Are you going to be our server tonight?”
“Me? Oh no. I’m not at all suitable.”
What did that mean?
“He doesn’t have the right appendage,” Reuben said. “Wait, actually, he has the wrong one.”
For fuck’s sake.
“I don’t have time for this. You have someone to serve us?” he asked impatiently.
“Yes. Yes, of course, sir.”
“You’ve vetted her?” Reuben asked sharply, looking up from his phone. “She’s not new, right? She better know how to keep her mouth shut about what she sees.”
They never let Starla stay in the room while they talked business. But she had to know who was in that room and what they did.
“Of course not. She’s worked here for a year and I did a thorough background check. I’ve also briefed her on being discreet.”
“I don’t know,” Reuben said slowly.
“She’s a young girl working to support herself. I’ve restocked the bar myself and you can have her patted down first,” Martin said. “But I trust her.”
“Boss, Vince just arrived,” The Scot said. He was standing by the tablet next to the back door. It displayed the video feed of the back of the restaurant.
“All right,” he said slowly. “We’ll use this girl. But we’ll be careful around her. She can deliver our drinks and get out until we call for her again.”
Martin nodded, looking relieved. As he scurried away, Alejandro walked into the meeting room. It was set up for a game of poker. But that was really a pretense. They were all here to gather what information they could and hash out any problems.
The girl wouldn’t be an issue.
And if she was . . . then he’d just get rid of her.
He took a seat while Reuben headed over to the bar where the new girl was. He didn’t glance at her as Vince walked in. Some people might consider him good looking with his full head of dark hair and muscular body. But he was full of his own self-importance.
Gavin walked in next. He had a long beard, and was covered in tattoos and piercings. Every inch the biker with the mind of a ruthless shark.
Jacques strode in, wearing an ill-fitting suit. His long dark hair was slicked back. He was sleazy and disgusting. Alejandro had his spies watching him closely for any missteps.
Sammy strode in next, nodding at him. He looked stressed. Short and pudgy, he had a hawkish nose with an abundance of nose hair that needed trimming.
Then, there was Hudson. A hacker should be weedy, hunched over, and pale from hours on their computer. Yet, Hudson was built like a fucking linebacker. Menacing and tattooed.
Last was Tariq. Out of all of them, he was the threat. Whether he was the asshole causing him issues right now . . . well, Alejandro wasn’t sure. But he had his doubts. Tariq wasn’t interested in running drugs and guns. He didn’t think Hudson was the issue either.
The others, though . . .
“Evening, everyone,” he said as he started shuffling cards.
Reuben sat down, eyeing everyone.
“Who invited the trash?” Vince said, sneering at Reuben.
“Just because you can’t afford my fees when your idiot son goes off on a rampage is no reason to call me names,” Reuben replied mildly.
Rage filled Vince’s face.
Fuck.
Bringing Reuben here had obviously been a mistake. But before he could figure out a way to defuse the situation, a small figure stepped up to Vince.
“Can I get you something to drink, sir?” she said in the softest, sweetest voice he’d ever heard.
Immediately, his cock hardened. What the fuck was that? He never got turned on so quickly. Much less from just a voice. Then, he took his fill of the girl.
Dark hair that fell in waves to just past her shoulders. Olive skin and bright, large green eyes.
Why was she staring at Vince as though he was important?
He wasn’t.
He was nothing.
She should only stare at him that way. And if she didn’t turn and look at him soon, then he wouldn’t be held responsible for his actions.
If she continued to look at Vince . . . dead fucking man.
“Get me something?” Vince asked, sitting down. He was a hothead. Always quick to anger, but he usually didn’t calm down this quickly.
Alejandro eyed the girl with interest as she smiled down at Vince, placing her hand on his arm.
That was it.
Dead. Fucking. Asshole.
Rage flooded him and he sat forward. Reuben shot him a quelling look.
Fuck. He couldn’t let himself display any interest in the girl. Not with the assholes in this room. Luckily, they were all fixated on her.