 by Pepper North.jpg)
Total pages in book: 58
Estimated words: 54208 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 271(@200wpm)___ 217(@250wpm)___ 181(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 54208 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 271(@200wpm)___ 217(@250wpm)___ 181(@300wpm)
A mysterious billionaire saved my life.
Now, I owe him.
My team’s Save Celeste no matter what it takes.
My Convince her she’s mine.
Celeste
I was so close to finding the cure.
Why was I suddenly fired?
Danger Bluff will be the perfect place to hide.
If only that ripped, former military guy didn’t ooze Daddy vibes.
*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************
Prologue
“Unfortunately, your mother isn’t responding to any conventional treatments. The cancer progressed too far before it was detected.”
“So, what are you telling me?” Hawking stared at the doctor standing in front of him. He shut out all the machinery and people bustling around them to focus on the specialist’s solemn face.
“She has six months, maybe eight.”
“There’s nothing you can do for her? You said conventional treatments. What about unconventional ones?”
The doctor hesitated and then spoke, “We’re seeing a new medication extend the life of terminal cancer patients. Most importantly, it improves their quality of life,” Dr. Ramirez said.
“Then put her on that medication,” Hawking demanded.
“It’s not covered by insurance and is very expensive. Unaffordable for most.”
“I don’t care. Whatever it is. Start her on that,” Hawking repeated.
“I can’t do that until the medicine is ordered, and it must be paid for in advance,” the doctor shared quietly. His voice was markedly different from the former military man’s commands.
Hawking took a deep breath and reminded himself this wasn’t a military operation. The only order that would make an impact here was a money order. He exhaled and asked in a softer voice, “How much do I need to get, and who do I pay?”
“The last total I heard was a million dollars for a ninety-day supply. I’ll have the billing department contact you today with the exact amount and the details if you feel that might be possible. In the meantime, I’d also like you to approve of having hospice come in to make your mother comfortable. Then they will already be in place.”
“That’s end-of-life care, right?”
“Yes. The procedure will involve an end-of-lifesaving treatment. They focus on pain control and support of a patient’s quality of life.”
“Without it, would you continue treatment?” Hawking asked, hoping that his questions were the right ones.
“No. She is not responding to the treatment. There is no value in continuing it.”
“I want her as comfortable as possible.”
How can I get a million dollars?
Hawking sat by his mother’s side in the hospital. She’d escaped from the pain into sleep. Soon, she’d leave to go stay with his sister. The last thing Agatha Winther wanted was to stay here.
He thought of a half-dozen ways to get that kind of money and threw them away as impossible. Robbing a bank, printing his own money, even selling everything he owned wouldn’t work.
A flash of all the military-grade weapons piled up in the warehouse of the arms manufacturer Hawking worked for popped into his head. A huge shipment was going out tomorrow. If he could arrange a deal for someone to intercept the arms as it was moved, he could raise what he needed. Just selling the information on the route would do it. Illegal dealers would pay top dollar to get their hands on those guns.
He pushed away the thought of how this caliber of weaponry would damage the world. This was his mother.
“I’m afraid I’ve changed the terms of our agreement.”
Hawking stared at the scarred, ex-military man in front of him and felt the enormous lump of dread in his stomach double. He’d done all he could to help with the recovery of the guns from the bad guys staring at him with knowing smirks. The hidden trackers he’d placed inside each shipping container and the automated message that would be sent to the authorities within thirty minutes would almost ensure they could recover the weapons.
“Look, man, I don’t know what you’re thinking, but you can’t go back on our deal,” Hawking said, trying to bluff. He had no intention of ever repeating this again. “You’ll lose a resource for future sales.”
“You’ll get me weapons whenever I need them.”
“Why would I do that if you’re not paying?” Hawking scoffed, trying to keep his don’t-fuck-with-me attitude in full view.
“I have a picture of you in this exchange. You don’t want those shown to your boss, the government, or the cops.”
“That would shut you down as well,” Hawking pointed out and saw the man’s face harden. Score one point for me.
“Then we could just kill you. You’re not the only source for weapons in this town or for this company. We’ll take these while you decide whether you’d like to die here or live to make another delivery.”
“I can’t let you do that,” Hawking announced, drawing his weapon and shifting toward an immense crane on the dock.
The glow of a red target light on his chest motivated him to dive to safety behind the large piece of machinery. Shots filled the air. The automatic blasts clued him in that he was horribly out-gunned, and his chances were slim to survive this.
He peeked around the large tire he hid behind and saw a shadow approaching from behind the men, firing before he had time to jerk his head back. Good guys or bad guys? Hawking shook his head. It didn’t matter. Either way, he was screwed.