Total pages in book: 40
Estimated words: 41105 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 206(@200wpm)___ 164(@250wpm)___ 137(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 41105 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 206(@200wpm)___ 164(@250wpm)___ 137(@300wpm)
Then, she sets the bills down and wipes her eyes—but no tears fall. Her posture straightens, spine rigid, fingers still.
And then she does it.
She lifts her gaze directly to the security camera.
Not a glance. Not a twitch.
A long, unwavering stare that lasts far too long to be accidental. Her lips part, just slightly, like she’s daring the watcher—me—to flinch.
My pulse kicks.
I rewind it, watching it again, slower this time, and my phone buzzes on the desk.
My Heart
Where are you? :-(
In my office.
I don’t want to practice with Miss Hannah this morning… Why did you ask her to come here?
Because you decided to fly home on short notice… You still need to practice.
I asked her to go home early. Is that okay?
No.
I set down my phone and sigh.
“Come in, Adeline,” I say, sensing that she’s right outside my door.
The door creaks open, and her leather shoes peek through with her violin. Then she smiles at me like she hasn’t done anything wrong, like her being home is completely normal.
“I pay Miss Liane a very good salary to keep an eye on you whenever you come home,” I say. “You’re not in charge of when she comes and goes.”
“I know.”
“And I put you in the best school for musicians so you can learn from the best,” I say. “You can’t learn when you’re here.”
“Why can’t you teach me?”
“Because you’re a far better player than I ever was, or I’ll ever be,” I say, meaning every word of that. “You need to be with people who can dedicate all their time to you.”
“I’m just asking you to listen to me play for a few hours.” Her eyes meet mine, and the guilt immediately hits my chest.
The rest of my list can wait.
For now.
“You can have my entire afternoon.” I motion for her to position her bow. “I’m listening.”
“Thank you.” She smiles, then glances at the freeze-frame of Autumn’s video on my laptop. “Is Miss Jane a real employee or…”
“Or what?”
“A girlfriend?” She beams. “I think you like her.”
“Start your piece, Adeline.”
She sets her bow, then pauses. “Is Miss Jane going to disappear like the other lady?”
I still, my fingers curling slightly. “Play, Adeline. Now…”
That evening
I tuck what little softness I have under my coat and step in front of an abandoned row of warehouses outside the city.
With a perfect view of the ocean, it’s flanked by a spaghetti restaurant that never serves customers and a bank that never accepts deposits.
It’s where I always watch the final descent of the plane that carries Adeline. It’s also where I have to deal with unfortunate things like this…
Walking through the side doors with four of my men behind me, I head into an open freezer.
The truck driver who recently stole from me—Austin Blaine—is sitting in a steel chair, surrounded by hanging meat.
“I guess I’d be trembling if I were in your shoes,” I say. “Especially if I’d given secrets about my boss to his rival in Miami—not to mention stealing from him.”
“What?” His face pales. “No, sir. I would never.”
“You would, and you did,” I say. “It’s the only way they could’ve known about my new courier and where she would be.”
“I swear.” He swallows. “I didn’t talk. I didn’t say anything about her.”
“This isn’t up for debate.” I walk over to him. “I have all the evidence, but I’m in a good mood today, so I’ll let you choose how you want me to handle this.”
“I really didn’t say anything.”
“You can go six feet under today, vanishing without anyone ever discovering your body, or you can vanish slowly and painfully. Same outcome. Different timeline.”
“They’re expecting a call from me.”
“Oh? Who is they?”
He sucks in an unsteady breath, shivering as the freezer’s vents blow directly against him.
“I don’t appreciate it when I have to repeat myself.” I pull out my phone and adjust the temperature control—lowering it from zero degrees to negative twenty degrees.
The vents blow harder and harsher, and a couple of my men exchange glances.
“You have five seconds to answer my question,” I warn. “You know I hate waiting.”
“Rush Banks.” The words rush out of his lips, and my blood runs cold at the sound of that name.
“It was him and his team, sir,” he continues, his teeth chattering. “I’m sorry.”
“Because you got caught, I’m sure.”
“I only told them what they already know. Nothing more, nothing less.”
“I see.” I lower the temperature again. “If it were just me, I’d care a lot less. But you brought someone I like into this. And you could’ve gotten her killed.”
“No, they promised it was just a ransom.”
I raise an eyebrow, debating whether I should end him here and now. “I had to lie to her and say they were journalists,” I say. “Because if she knew the truth, she’d probably never talk to me again.”
“Sir—”
“I even had to keep a straight face when I told her I only intended to ‘hurt’ them,” I say. “You made me lie to her twice.”