Total pages in book: 82
Estimated words: 76572 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 383(@200wpm)___ 306(@250wpm)___ 255(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 76572 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 383(@200wpm)___ 306(@250wpm)___ 255(@300wpm)
We stay silent for a moment, each of us keeping our eyes on our respective targets. Every so often, I trail my gaze to Cilla. She’s stayed with Adrian and Val. Thankfully, she’s smart and knows where she’ll be safest. Only one of the things I adore about her.
I’m dying to say the words she wants to hear, but I can’t bring myself to utter them while her father lives.
“What’s your plan?” Andrea’s voice cuts my attention.
“Slit his throat open and watch him bleed out on this gleaming floor.”
She takes a deep breath and forces it out of her nose. “Typical. You are thinking about the results, not how you can get there without issue.”
I spin us so I can focus properly on Arthur again. “I don’t need a plan when the bastard stands six feet from us.”
The sound of metal on crystal cuts the music, leaving the ballroom filled with loud voices. The dancers stop, and I shift both of us so no one stands at our backs.
Adrian steps in front of the crowd, looking every bit the dark king he is. No one can look away from him when he wants attention.
Val steps up to his side and wraps his arm around her back. “Thank you for joining us for the closing of the season. There have been a lot of changes this year.” He makes eye contact with Ripley, the new council head. “And I expect there are more changes to follow. But we’ll endure, as we always do.”
He raises his glass, and a few people join him. Some watch the others around them, and all of us who came with Adrian keep watch over who sneers and refuses to clap for his speech. A bold move in his own home.
Andrea’s attention is elsewhere, and I slip behind her to move up behind Arthur. To put myself within reach of him at least. If he notices me and worries, all the better.
But he doesn’t seem to be aware of his surroundings at all. Either he’s got balls the size of a fucking watermelon, or he’s an idiot. I’m leaning toward being an idiot.
The crowd mills around as the music restarts. I feel a little guilty leaving Andrea to her pit of vipers, but I know she can handle them.
My window of time is closing rapidly. Cilla will forgive me for abandoning her, and Adrian will forgive me for disobeying his orders. And even so, I’m willing to pay whatever price necessary once Arthur is dead.
I keep circling through the crowd. Whenever someone notices me close to them, they automatically shift away. A tactic I don’t mind one bit. Considering my reputation, I don’t blame them either. Too bad Arthur didn’t take what they said about me seriously.
Alexei shifts by a couple of people to join me. “Whatcha doing?”
I roll my eyes at him and shake my head. “What the fuck does it look like?”
He shrugs and bumps my shoulder. “Like you’re a lion in the wild stalking your prey.”
“What do you want?”
Another shrug and a smirk to go along with it. Lucky me.
“My sister sent me over to make sure you don’t get yourself killed by doing something stupid with no one at your back.”
I scan the crowd, locking my eyes on Adrian again. He’s fine with Kai, Val, and Cilla still standing with him. Everyone else gives them distance. As long as people keep doing that, we’ll all make it out of here alive.
“Are you going for the old man? Anything I can do to help?”
I don’t let him distract me and keep my eyes locked on Arthur’s back. “No. You can’t help. This is mine and no one else’s. Understand?”
“You don’t need to freak out on me. I’ll make sure you get to cut his fucking head off if that’s what you want. I don’t give a shit. There is only one bastard still on my hit list, and I imagine I’ll get to strike that name very soon.”
This catches my interest. Alexei is the least damaged of all of us. With Sal’s family gone, who could he possibly have in his sights? “Who?”
Alexei makes one of those stupid sarcastic, I don’t know faces at me. I only glare back. “Stop fucking with me. Who are you going to kill? Are you waiting for the season to open or…”
His grin turns into a full toothy smile. “Oh, I don’t need to. He’s an FBI agent in jail. I’m sure the system will take care of itself in that regard. I don’t need to lift a finger. But I might reward someone if I can find out who did the actual deed.”
Has he noticed the charged looks between Emmanuelle and his sister? Or is this about his sister’s attack and Emmanuelle's role in it? Either way, in my mind, he’s justified in wanting the man dead. I couldn’t care less either way. Not when I have my own interests and targets. Speaking of targets…I hunt through the crowd and find Arthur again. He’s shifted to near a wall. The perfect place to sneak up behind him and take care of business.