Total pages in book: 28
Estimated words: 25614 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 128(@200wpm)___ 102(@250wpm)___ 85(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 25614 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 128(@200wpm)___ 102(@250wpm)___ 85(@300wpm)
She was caught on camera once, but then she kept her head down, and strangely, her image couldn’t be found in the system anywhere. It told me she had connections or wasn’t registered as a New York resident with the DMV.
“Jack, come in here. I need you to do a job; it’s menial, but I have a purpose.”
He nodded, and then I continued. “I want you to go about and get me the images of every daughter, sister, female, cousin around the age of twenty to twenty-five of every one of my enemies and associates.”
“Does this have to do with the girl who left?”
He asked too many questions. “What do you think?”
“I’ll take care of it, boss.”
Over the weekend, I had two dozen images of different women strewn across my desk. I’d taken the next batch over to my bed with a glass of whiskey. Photo after photo, not a single one was of her. I tossed back a drink and then threw the folder on my nightstand before laying back on the pillows, pissed as hell. Where the fuck was she, and how the hell was I going to find her?
As we drove into the tow trucking office, I had Vasco pull over after a red light. I had to do a double-take when I saw my security specialist on a billboard in Times Square in a sensual perfume ad with a woman.
I gasped. “Ava?” It was my assistant. I thought it was quite strange, something neither of them mentioned to me. The failure to mention the connection made me a little concerned. Were they together, or were they working against me for some reason? I never liked coincidences.
While searching the ad on my phone, I found a video and damn, they had chemistry that appeared purely all too real. Neither of them were professional actors or models, but you wouldn’t be able to tell. I still had to verify how they met and if it had to do with me. Somehow, I was going to get answers from her when she showed up at work today.
I arrived before her and waited impatiently, curious about their relationship and whether I was about to lose my assistant. When she strolled in with a tear-stained face, I could tell something was wrong, and I almost wanted to choke Keaton for that. I had been pissed off lately and was taking it out on my assistant, but she normally just gave me attitude. That was genuine hurt on her face. The only man in her life right now was obviously him. Or that perverted brother of his, who I couldn’t stand for shit.
I let her run to the bathroom and clean her face. Hoping to lighten the mood after her tears, I turned my phone so her ad was on the screen and said, “Well, I see why you have been anxious to get the fuck out of here early lately.”
“Actually, I was doing a favor for a friend and filled in.”
“Wow, so your friends have you taking your clothes off. I didn’t know you needed that kind of money. If you needed a raise, you could have asked for real responsibilities.”
“No offense, but I don’t ask questions, and I don’t want to take on responsibilities. I want to be a writer, so my goal is to eventually move on from this job.” Wow, that snotty tone told me that my assistant was well aware that my dealings weren’t always clean, and she still managed to give me attitude.
“I understand,” I said with a clipped tone.
“Do you?”
“God, you have a smart mouth, and if I didn’t think you were such a good person…”
“Thank you for that, Mr. Hernandez.” So she understood the type of man I was. At least we had that understanding. I’d never hurt a woman unless she was a fucking unhinged psycho, but that didn’t mean I had to put up with shit all the time. I’d fire her and blackball her ass so fast.
“So are you planning on working here today, or are you quitting now?” I asked, wondering if Keaton would be forcing her to drop her job. He probably already demanded it. I knew once I found my little runaway that she’d be attached to my hip.
“Modeling once doesn’t pay the bills,” she scoffed at me. I doubt she’d have to worry about another bill in her life.
She had a billionaire who was clearly obsessed with her. He didn’t even bother to hide the evidence he left on her skin. I was at least a little covert about it. Maybe I should have marked her skin so everyone knew she belonged to the fucking head of the Cortez Mafia. Damn, I thought about the fact that we had unprotected sex. She had been a little too carried away, and I knew damn well that I planned on filling her womb. The thought alone was making me hard, which was stupid as I spoke to my assistant. Shaking off the thought, I continued, “Sleeping with a billionaire might.”