Total pages in book: 83
Estimated words: 79814 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 399(@200wpm)___ 319(@250wpm)___ 266(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79814 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 399(@200wpm)___ 319(@250wpm)___ 266(@300wpm)
“Alan won’t just need to kill me for the legacy.”
Augustine chuckled. “That old bastard doesn’t have much time left, and he knows it. You better watch your back,” he warned good-naturally, although we both knew it wasn’t an empty warning. Alan wasn’t the only one who wanted control. He was just one of the few willing to kill me for it.
Nodding to Lucas and Z, who watched our exchange silently, he didn’t stick around after that.
“I don’t trust him,” Lucas said as soon as the library door closed behind Augustine.
Z, still staring at the door, nodded his agreement. “He’s got too many secrets.”
“Let him have his secrets for now. It’s not him I’m worried about. Reginald is getting bolder in the quest to dethrone me. I want you to find out what he’s up to.” They didn’t hesitate and stood from the table. “Oh, and Z?” I called, stopping him in his tracks. Lucas paused too, his frown deepening. “Where are they?”
* * *
“WHERE IS SHE, Anna?” I stood in front of Mian’s friends ignoring the burning pain in my gut and praying I had the patience not to harm them. Mian would never trust me again if I did. Maybe it was why both of them were refusing to talk.
By now, I would have started lopping off body parts when someone refused to talk. Because they meant something to her, I held back. Z stood back observing with a careful eye. Lucas, however, never strayed too far from Anna. He stood behind her seemingly detached, but I knew instinct would make him protect her from me, brother or not. I would have questioned his loyalty if Mian hadn’t stirred the same need in me.
“She’s far away from you, and that’s good enough for me.” Her arms closed tight over her chest as she pierced me with her stare. Her friend, however, didn’t display the same bravado.
“And what about you?” I challenged as I moved to stand in front of him. “Is dying good enough for you?”
“Don’t say anything,” Anna ordered. One look from me had her lips pressing in a tight line and the color draining from her face.
I gripped the back of his neck and leaned into him as I brought my knife to the side of his throat. “So?”
“I don’t know where she went,” he stumbled. “She just took off.”
“It was your car she just took off in. Where were you planning to take her, hero?” I pressed the knife against his skin until I saw the first drop of blood.
“To the bus station and that’s it. They didn’t tell me anything else. I swear!” Anna’s face twisted with disgust when she turned her glower on Joey. Fortunately for him, I believed him.
“Do you believe us now,” Anna demanded. I shrugged and put my knife away as I stepped back.
“Are you going to let us go?” Joey questioned with hop.
When I shook my head. She surged forward as if to attack, but Lucas’s hands closing over her arms stopped her. “Why not?” she growled. “You have no reason to keep us.”
“You’re her friends. She trusts you, which makes you valuable to me.”
“My mom will be looking for me,” Joey threatened as one of my men dragged him off.
“Then you better pray for her sake that she doesn’t find you.”
Another stepped forward to take Anna away, but one look from Lucas had him quickly retreating.
“Why can’t you just leave her alone?” Anna fought to free herself from Lucas’s hold. He looked as if he had more trouble keeping control of his patience. “You’re going to get her killed!” Lucas tossed her over her shoulder and stormed from the office. We all listened as she spewed curses and threats until a door slammed, cutting off her screams.
“We need to talk,” Z spoke from the corner. He had been silent as always during the interrogation, but this time I knew was different.
“Yes, we do.” I leaned back in my chair and regarded him. “You let her go.”
“I did.”
“Why?” I forced myself to keep a level head long enough to hear his answer. It had better be good.
“Because I thought she was better off away from Chicago.”
“Why shouldn’t I kill you, brother?”
To my surprise, he cracked a smile. “She had it on good authority that you wouldn’t.”
“And why is that?”
“Because I mean just as much to you as she does.” He waited, willing me to tell him if she had been right. His betrayal made me reluctant to confess the truth.
“Find her, Z, because if you don’t, brother or not, I’m killing you.”
I held my head in my hand once I was alone and breathed through the pain in my abdomen. Moments later, my phone was ringing, and I thought about letting it go to voicemail when I noticed the number of the family attorney.