Total pages in book: 114
Estimated words: 109368 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 547(@200wpm)___ 437(@250wpm)___ 365(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 109368 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 547(@200wpm)___ 437(@250wpm)___ 365(@300wpm)
“Actually … kind of.”
“I hope she’s not in trouble. Or anymore trouble. I’ve been following the case. Cole will see justice one way or another.”
“Thank you. I actually need a deep dive on someone. Nicholas Huston. A New York stockbroker.”
“As in the New York Hustons? The finance family?”
“That’s the one.”
“Specifics?”
“Skeletons. Dangerous, rattling skeletons.”
“Why?”
“He thinks he owns the women who date him. I’m trying to free someone from him.”
“Doesn’t he sound charming. I’ll get you what you need. Give me a few hours. I have a meeting first.”
“No problem. I owe you.”
“You owe me several.” James chuckled before hanging up.
I turned to the women.
Silver stared at me in a way I knew too well, and I wished we were alone so I could take advantage of it.
London narrowed her good eye. “Who the fuck are you?”
45. Tierney
Despite everything between us still up in the air, I wanted to jump Ramsay. Spy mode Ramsay was hot. Hot Ramsay distracted me from the utter avalanche of information I’d had to process between London’s devastating revelations and Ramsay’s intense ones.
The only thing that stopped me from getting into bed to let the last twenty-four hours wash over me was London. My determination to help my friend. I was profoundly moved by her trust in me—that she knew I wouldn’t share her story with just anyone. That if I trusted Ramsay she knew she could too.
I could see his instinctive fury over the idea of any man hurting the woman they were supposed to protect. Yet he’d put that aside and gone straight into problem-solving mode.
He’d explained to London he’d been in the military. That seemed to assuage her questions. Better yet, his confidence that we’d get her back to Scotland with us, his air of capability, seemed to reignite the flame of determination in London’s eyes too. I was worried with everything Nick had put her through she wouldn’t want to return to the apartment. Ramsay had even given her the option not to. It would be harder without her, but he’d get her damn passport back.
London had shaken her head, tilting her chin in that stubborn familiar way. “I’m doing this. I need to do this.”
We understood. As much as we could understand.
She needed to feel like she’d taken back control of her destiny.
My gut knotted unpleasantly as we approached the apartment on foot. I resisted the urge to reach for London’s hand because it would be to comfort me and not her. London had her game face on behind those huge dark sunglasses.
“You ready?” Ramsay asked her.
London nodded. “I want it over with.”
The doormen eyed Ramsay as he ushered us in ahead of him, but London said, “They’re with me.”
Ramsay strode at our backs like a bodyguard as we walked through the marbled entrance toward the penthouse elevator.
“Uh, Ms. Wetherspoon!” the guy at reception called out but London ignored him, fumbling to get her key card out of her pocket. She swiped it over the keypad, but it bleeped red. She cursed and tried again.
“Ms. Wetherspoon.” We all turned to stare stonily at the receptionist. He was a tall, broad-shouldered young man wearing a light gray suit and the shiniest shoes I’d ever seen.
“Andrew?” London gestured to the elevator. “Why isn’t my key card working?”
She sounded impressively calm and “normal.”
He glanced at me and Ramsay before giving London an apologetic grimace. “Mr. Huston asked us to deactivate your key card. The penthouse system has been updated with a different code, so you’d need the new key card to access it. I, uh …” He lowered his voice. “I’m under strict orders not to give you a new key card.”
That piece of shit!
He knew after she’d tried to leave last night that she’d try again. As soon as she left the apartment, he made it so she couldn’t access it again without him. What an absolute psychotic bastard.
A flush stained London’s cheeks and I could see the telltale signs of her fuse readying to blow, but Ramsay placed a calming hand on her shoulder. “That’s no problem, Andrew. I’m sure it’s a misunderstanding. London will give Nick a call.” He nodded politely and guided us back toward the exit.
Trusting he had a plan, we followed.
As soon as we were outside, I cursed. “What now?”
Ramsay held up a finger, telling me to wait before he again pulled out his phone. I smirked. Him calling in resources was becoming almost comical. As if he saw the thought in my eyes, his gleamed with warm amusement. I almost melted right there on the sidewalk. This version of Ramsay, this not hiding how he felt about me Ramsay, was going to be my undoing.
“Key cards use either a magnetic strip, NFC, or RFID technology,” he said, as if I knew what any of that meant. “Jay can find out what system this building uses, but it doesn’t really matter if the code is transmitted via radio waves or not. We need access to the building’s digital database. Jay can hack it, switch it back to the old code, and we can get into the penthouse with London’s original key.”