Total pages in book: 130
Estimated words: 131651 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 658(@200wpm)___ 527(@250wpm)___ 439(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 131651 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 658(@200wpm)___ 527(@250wpm)___ 439(@300wpm)
“I’m afraid that’s not possible at this hour,” the woman’s voice buzzes.
“And I’m sure you can find a way around that.” I check through my research again. “What’s the number of his personal assistant?”
“Sir, I—”
“This is very important. Critical. It concerns a very lucrative deal he let slip through his fingers recently. I want to speak with him now, not tomorrow.”
I wait as she thinks, feeling the fear building in the silence.
Presumably, everyone in his office knows something about the Hera Egg and his failure to clinch the deal.
A man like that doesn’t go down easy without making everybody else’s lives miserable. Something in his eyes told me.
Sly, oily, clever.
Proud.
He must’ve been seething when Cleo told him to pound sand. I just hope he didn’t take it out on his son, who seemed like a nice kid.
I’m still mad that he tried to buffalo us with that contrived setup. A ‘risk’ without the right papers.
Like hell. I’m no art collector, but I can smell bullshit like a bloodhound.
“One moment,” the woman clips. I hear pages rustling, a drawer opening, and then she rattles off a number I scribble down. “That’s his personal assistant, but he’s probably asleep. I doubt you’ll get through until morning, but you can try.”
“Thanks.”
I’m a little more confident.
If there’s one thing I know about PAs for arrogant, demanding men like him, they never sleep with their phones muted.
When I call, he’ll pick up.
He does, and we have the same kind of conversation.
He wants me to call the office.
I don’t want to.
He wants me to wait until Jasper Fairfax is awake for the day.
I’m not feeling that generous.
So I land his personal number—not just the one he uses for business—and then I start calling. Repeatedly.
“Hello? Who is this?” Fairfax sounds sharp and irritated. Guess we have one thing in common if he’s still awake at this hour.
“Holden Verity. We met when Miss Blackthorn came in.”
“Oh, yes, I remember.” He pauses. “I see. How did you get my number?”
Sheer stubbornness.
“I have my ways,” I say.
“Well, is this about the egg?”
“Yes. Though not the way you think.” I let the silence settle between us like a grave, and when I speak again, I lower my voice. “I need to find out who you know with ties to Russian mercs. Right now.”
“Russian mercs? Mercenaries?” he repeats, sounding mystified. “I don’t understand. Has there been some kind of trouble? What happened?”
I drum my fingers loudly on my desk.
If he’s playing dumb, he’s doing a damn good job.
I’ve heard practiced liars fake shock before, and it doesn’t hit like this.
“There was an intrusion. Miss Blackthorn and the egg are safe. However, I have reason to believe Russian professionals were involved in the attack. Better reason to think it was someone close to you, considering how it happened after you revealed it to your contacts.”
“My God!” He curses under his breath. “I’m terribly sorry, Mr. Verity. To think that someone—anyone—would stoop to such petty street robbery…” He stops.
Surprisingly, he doesn’t launch the immediate denial like I expected.
Odd.
He’s either too clever by half to think he can get off without implicating himself in the scheme, or he’s genuinely outraged.
I didn’t plan for that.
“Look, I don’t know who was involved in this,” he says quietly, “but you have my word I’ll look into it. I’ll see if my European partners can turn up any leads on these criminals and help thwart any future schemes.”
Right. Because it’s that easy.
He’s being cooperative, though. That counts for something, even if his Euro friends won’t help with shit.
“I appreciate it. I should reiterate that Cleo—Miss Blackthorn has no plans to accept your offer. This won’t make her reconsider.”
“Oh no, of course. I’m not worried about that. I’d like to see the Hera Egg protected as the world treasure it is.” I can practically see him sitting there with his shark’s smile and greedy eyes, too smarmy for his own good. “It’s the principle of the thing, you understand.”
“Right. Personally, I need to go off more than principles.”
“I’ll do my best to assist any way I can,” he promises.
Incredibly, he sounds sincere. I fucking doubt it.
“Thanks. We’ll be in touch.” I end the call and stare at that ghostly boot on my screen.
Russian goddamned mercs. This whole thing gets darker and more sinister the longer I stare at it, trying to comprehend the moving pieces.
With a sigh, I switch off the phone and toss it back in its drawer.
Grabbing my computer, I pad back upstairs, locking the office door behind me.
When I get to the landing, though, I look up and see Cleo’s delicate frame silhouetted against the light. She greets me like a cat as I head up, pressing her cheek against my bearded jaw.
I pull her in because I’m helpless to do anything else.
“Sorry, did I wake you up?”