Total pages in book: 71
Estimated words: 69330 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 347(@200wpm)___ 277(@250wpm)___ 231(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 69330 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 347(@200wpm)___ 277(@250wpm)___ 231(@300wpm)
The African man and his French friend left quietly. Sky stared after them, more unsettled than usual after a reading. No, they hadn’t gotten what they’d come for, and it wasn’t for sex or their fortune. Neither was it for a slave as they’d claimed.
The sound of Doumar’s Docs beating the floor warned her of his arrival. Her muscles tensed as he entered the room. Stopping short of her, he grabbed her face in one hand and cradled her head in the other.
“What happened?” he asked in English.
“Niks.”
“In English.”
“I prefer Dutch.” English took too much concentration. Speaking it tired her brain, and her mind was already drained from the session.
“You need to practice. Godfrey insists you speak it fluently.”
“Fuck him.”
He scrutinized her, a spark of malice igniting in his eyes. “You look tired. Maybe we should cancel Friday.”
Her stomach twisted. She forced herself to soften her body and lean against him. “That won’t be necessary.”
A victorious smirk transformed his features. “Repeat it. In English.”
“Nothing.”
He brushed a thumb over her nape. “Almost perfect. It’s na-thing, not na-ding. Try again, and this time, tell me the truth.”
Holding his gaze, she swallowed to ease the dryness of her throat. “It was a difficult session, that’s all.”
“Is that why you told them to go?”
“Yes.”
He dug his fingers into her cheeks. “The one with the eye patch, he wanted you.”
“They all do,” she said as nonchalantly as her nerves allowed. “It’s the way you dress me to match your clothes and make me stand next to you. They think I have power in the organization, and power is a strong aphrodisiac.”
“Do you like him?” He pushed a hand between her legs, cupping her sex roughly. “Did he make you wet?”
If only the earth would open and swallow her. She pretended the security guards weren’t watching. “I don’t like him.”
“If I take off your pants, will your cunt agree, or will it be wet?”
“He doesn’t matter. Anyway, him and his friend will be dead soon.”
At that, some of his jealousy dissipated. “Is that what you saw?”
“Yes.”
Doumar had long since stopped questioning her predictions. It wasn’t necessary. They always came true. She never lied to him about what she saw, and he’d come to trust her. His trust was a trump card she held onto. One day, when the opportunity arose, she’d cash in that card.
“I hope you did as you were told,” he said. “Godfrey isn’t a forgiving man.”
“Don’t worry. He’ll be back. I made sure of it.”
His grip slackened. She used the moment to escape his touch, picking up the fallen chair as an excuse, but Doumar’s hand closed around her upper arm with painful pressure.
“You’re mine.” He towered over her, a blond Viking with eyes as hard as gray marble. “Without me, you’re a worthless slut. Nothing.” His lips curved into a calculating smile. “Or do you disagree?”
“No.”
He jerked her against him. “Say it.”
“I’m nothing.”
He gave a satisfied nod. “You need to rest. Go home, baby.”
The base from which Cain Jones operated for this mission was a narrow house not far from the club. Cain and the rest of the team was waiting there when Bono and Joss arrived.
“She’s authentic,” Joss said with a note of regret, taking a seat in the lounge.
Cain leaned against the mantelpiece, balancing a cup of espresso in one hand. “Is and not was?”
“You’re sure?” Maya rested her elbows on her knees. “She’s definitely a palm reader?”
“That doesn’t mean she’s a chiromancist,” Bono said.
Cain afforded him a fleeting look before turning his attention back to Joss. “If she’s the real thing, why isn’t she dead?”
“It’s something she saw when she read our palms, something we need to consider before slitting her throat.”
Clelia moved to the edge of her seat. “Why doesn’t this sound good?”
“I think she saw Godfrey.”
“What did she say?” Lann asked.
“That he’s coming for us.”
“That’s good,” Sean said. “Then we can finally catch the bastard.”
“If it’s so good,” Ivan said, “then why aren’t you happy about it, Joss?”
Joss looked at the expectant faces waiting for his answer. “She said we’re all going to die.”
“This changes everything,” Cain mused. He straightened and shoved a hand into his pocket. “You did the right thing, Joss. If she’s a lead to Godfrey, we need to question her and find out what we can.”
“How?” Lann asked. “Joss can hardly walk back in there for a cup of tea, and sending one of us for an undercover palm reading will start to look suspicious. She’ll put two and two together, if she hasn’t already. If she can read the future, chances are good she’ll see us for who we are.”
“We can kidnap her,” Maya offered, “like we did with Clelia.”
“No.” Cain downed his coffee and deposited the empty cup on a side table. “We’ll have the whole Dutch underworld descend on us like vampires. We need to do it without attracting attention.”