Total pages in book: 67
Estimated words: 63165 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 316(@200wpm)___ 253(@250wpm)___ 211(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 63165 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 316(@200wpm)___ 253(@250wpm)___ 211(@300wpm)
Marcus was trusted enough for my guards to stand down. I have no idea how Marcus will spin this, but I’m sure I’ll be long dead before Lev even suspects that one of his most trusted advisors is the man who’s stolen millions of dollars from him.
I plant my feet against the hard concrete, my last stand. He moves faster, though, shoving me forward into the car. I stumble, hitting my shin on the footwell, and brace myself against the seat. I try to regain my balance, to pivot and face him, to at least get some hits in. I don’t want to go down without a fight.
He anticipates my move and brings his palm down on the crown of my head. He grabs me by the collar, his other hand wrapping around my waist as he lifts me into the car. I struggle, channeling every ounce of strength I have into fighting him. He loosens his grip on my waist, and I feel him lift his arm.
The butt of the gun smashes into the top of my skull, and pain sears through my head. All the fight leaves me at once, and my body collapses. He lifts his arm again, and on the second impact, everything goes black.
22
LEV
Icheck my phone between the Chairman’s talking points, and Mari’s text pops up.
Need to talk to you. Right now. Call me ASAP
Which was followed by:
It’s urgent.
I text back that I’ll call in ten and pocket my phone.
I turn my focus back to the men in the room. It’s our quarterly board meeting. Legitimate businessmen sit around a long table in a private room at one of the Chairman’s restaurants. I find these meetings needlessly boring, but they keep Levcon running smoothly. They legitimize our business.
We’re wrapping up, so I steer the room toward a close. One of the bankers passes out a timeline for our next development, and a lawyer nods like we’re all friends. When the meeting ends, everyone stands. I shake hands and give my men a look that sends them into motion.
“We’ll have a call next week to go over these numbers,” I say as a parting word before I push past Yuri.
He watches me carefully. “Problem?”
“I don’t know yet,” I say, pulling out my phone and hitting Mari’s contact.
It goes to voicemail after one ring. That’s unusual for her. I try again. It goes straight to voicemail. I refuse to panic. She’ll call me back.
Yuri and my guards move me along a private corridor to a service elevator. Outside, the car idles, waiting for us. Once inside, I try her again and it also goes to voicemail.
I know she’s at the office. Her own guards are with her. She wouldn’t be able to go anywhere without me knowing. Still, unease sits low in my gut, unfamiliar.
“Text her guards,” I tell Yuri. “I need to know her whereabouts in the next thirty seconds.”
He does it, but I’m too impatient. I’m already dialing my assistant.
She picks up immediately. “Good afternoon, Mr.—”
“Is Mari still in her office?” I cut her off.
“I saw her leave a few minutes ago,” she answers matter-of-factly.
This isn’t right. Mari wouldn’t just leave without talking to me. Whatever she found must have scared her. I look to Yuri, who’s still watching his phone for a response from Thom.
“Did she have her detail with her?” I ask through clenched teeth.
“She made them wait in the lobby,” my assistant confirms.
“I need you to pull security footage,” I say. “Confirm that she’s with them now.”
I wait a beat, listening to the telltale clack of her keys.
A moment later, she says, “It looks like she was with Mr. Sterling.”
I take a deep breath and look at Yuri again, who shakes his head. He dials Thom.
Yuri speaks in a low voice with Thom, and I wait, impatient for any update.
“When did you lose visual?” he asks, which spikes my blood pressure.
What the hell am I paying any of these people for?
“Right,” he says. “I need you to pull the lobby cam and send it to me right away.”
He hangs up and looks at me, his expression as apprehensive as mine.
“Marcus was in the elevator with her,” he says slowly. “He told Thom that he needed five minutes, but she never came back through the front.”
“And he didn’t think to call us?” I say, my jaw tight.
“He—”
“If you say he assumed, I’m throwing your phone out the window,” I say. “Take us through to the garage,” I tell our driver.
The driver takes the next right without asking. I call Building Security. “I want every bay camera in the garage and every elevator feed for the last thirty minutes,” I say. “Send it to Yuri. If you’re missing a single angle, you’ll be looking for a new job in the next hour.”
We hit the underground ramp too fast. The SUV leans. The security gate lifts for our plate. We punch into Level B and brake hard. I’m out the door before we stop.