Total pages in book: 86
Estimated words: 79991 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 400(@200wpm)___ 320(@250wpm)___ 267(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79991 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 400(@200wpm)___ 320(@250wpm)___ 267(@300wpm)
6
ENZO
“Are you hungry?” I munch on a piece of toast, gazing across the breakfast table toward the woman who has sat in a chair all night, her arms bound behind her back. Her head sags with exhaustion, and I’m sure by now she must be sore, especially after being stuck in the same position for hours.
Damned if she’s not holding on tight to the same story she told last night. This whole innocent act is already wearing thin. It seems she expects me to—or wants me to rather—overlook the drugs I found in her bag bearing the Marielito stamp. Why in the hell would she have them without knowing what they are?
More than anything, I need to know. I’ve never been so much as a recreational user of cocaine, but I’ve tested it more than once while quality-checking our product shipments. What I placed on my tongue last night was like nothing I’ve experienced before. Somehow, the man has gotten his hands on a unique and potentially powerful product. And we need to know how. I’m here to broker a deal, one that will be royally fucked if he has indeed found a new supplier.
But he left it in her hands, this supposedly innocent, clueless girl? I’m insulted that she would imagine her pitiful excuses believable. No way would he allow her to transport something this special if he didn’t know she could be trusted.
Yet to hear her tell it, she’s nothing but an innocent bystander. Is that what Alvarez thinks of me? That I’m some rube, who would be easily tricked into believing such an obvious lie? She’s lucky I don’t take my bitterness out on her here and now, making everything that happened last night seem like child’s play in comparison.
I take another bite of toast, noting the way her eyes follow my movements. She’s hungry. “You’re more than welcome to share some of this with me.”
She lifts her chin but remains silent, the stubborn thing. I almost admire her for it.
“Suit yourself,” I murmur and take another bite.
It isn’t long before my phone rings. I’ve been expecting this call. He’s not going to be happy—and I’ll be damned if I mention the drugs in her presence. I tucked them away in my room last night for safekeeping. She doesn’t need to hear my theories about them.
“It took longer than I expected to hear from you,” I murmur in greeting.
As always, Grandfather wastes no time with niceties. “Is it done?”
This is going to be tricky. Keeping her from him. He wouldn’t like this, finding out I’ve gone behind his back and made such a move. He also wouldn’t understand. I’m not certain I do, come to think of it. All I know is, there was no way I could let her go.
“Not exactly.”
“What does that mean?”
There’s no ignoring the sharpness in his voice. No matter what the years have done to him, how they’ve grayed his hair or wrinkled his skin, his voice still reminds me of the cracking of a whip at times like this.
“It means Prince and I waited at the warehouse for more than an hour, to no avail. He never showed.”
“And you were in the right place?”
I bristle at the question. “Do you have that little faith in me? Why send me here if you feel a question like that is necessary?”
“Now, now. Don’t turn bitch on me. Since when do you take things so personally?”
I grind my teeth together. “It was the correct location, at the correct time. We were twenty minutes early, in fact.”
He grumbles to himself. “I’ll reach out to his people. The goal here is to set a meeting between myself and Alvarez in the next week, so I’ll need you to ensure the path is smooth.”
My gaze hits the girl staring at me. “You’re flying in?” That will complicate things.
“That is the plan. And now this mishap has set me back.”
“I’m sure he’ll have an excuse.” I eye Elena, who is still staring daggers my way. “But all is not lost.”
“Meaning?”
“Meaning we picked up something interesting at the warehouse. I’ll be checking into it, doing a little digging,” I say with my eyes still trained on her.
Try all she wants, she can’t hide the recognition of what lies beneath what could have been an innocent statement. I let my gaze trail her scared frame, taking in her features. She is gorgeous, I’ll give her that. And that little ass dress she’s wearing is all too tempting.
Slender yet curvy in all the right places. Long hair that flows over her shoulders, and despite how disheveled it is from her being hit and stuffed in a trunk, it still looks near perfect. Lips so full and pouty, I wonder how they would feel wrapped around me. Legs so long, I can already feel them around my waist drawing me deeper.