Total pages in book: 102
Estimated words: 103413 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 517(@200wpm)___ 414(@250wpm)___ 345(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 103413 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 517(@200wpm)___ 414(@250wpm)___ 345(@300wpm)
“It’s the Texas Malones fault,” Regent muttered. “They live in that town, with all that polyamory. They’ve infected us.”
She just shook her head at Regent.
“And couldn’t it have been a normal guy? Not . . . not him.” He waved a hand at Liam.
“What’s wrong with Liam?” she challenged.
She glanced up at Liam, wondering if he was feeling insulted. But he was smiling. Men. They never reacted how she thought they would.
“He’s a damn criminal.”
“Um, Regent,” she said slowly.
“Yes, I know,” Regent said. “But why couldn’t it be someone safe? An accountant or doctor or something. It’s not too late. I can find you one.”
“We’re not talking about finding me a dog.”
“Do you want a dog?” he asked desperately. “How about a horse?”
She groaned and pressed her face into Nico’s neck, breathing him in and letting him soothe her. “Someone please tell him that I’m not ten. He can’t bribe me with a pony.”
“It was worth a shot,” Regent muttered. He met her gaze as she turned her face and grimaced.
“I want them, Regent.”
“Fuck.”
She knew that Regent was driven to provide her with whatever she wanted. Maxim had once joked that Regent wasn’t the most powerful person in New Orleans, she was. Because there was nothing he wouldn’t do for his sister. And Victor, Jardin, and Maxim would back him completely.
“Fine. You’ll have them. Now, tell us what happened.”
Liam sucked in a breath then looked over to where Lottie was cuddled up on Nico’s lap. Fuck. This wasn’t the way he’d imagined telling her this. He thought he’d tell her when it was just the three of them.
Nico met his gaze and gave him a small smile. A hint of encouragement.
“My grandfather is the leader of the Irish mob as you all know. My mother tried to get out of that life by marrying my father. The thing I didn’t realize until I was older was that my father’s money was actually mine.”
“What do you mean?” Lottie asked.
“My father was living off the interest from my inheritance from my mother. According to her will, he could do that while I lived at home. Then the money was mine once I turned twenty-five. I didn’t know that and I left home at eighteen, without anything. Started boxing to make some cash, while he lived off my money.”
“You gave them money, didn’t you?” Regent asked. “When you came into your inheritance. That’s how come they can live the way they do.”
“Yeah. It was for Michael. He was only fifteen.” He shook his head. “Little did I know he’d grow up to be just like her.”
“Spineless little bastard. He’s never done a thing for himself, just lived off you,” Regent said.
“Yeah, well, that’s not all. He also got himself into a shitload of debt gambling.”
“He owed money?” Regent asked.
“How did we not know that?” Victor asked.
“How much?” Regent asked.
“Half a mil.”
She sucked in a breath. “What? Michael owed half a million dollars?”
“And the asshole who took you is the guy he owed it too,” Liam told her gently.
“Are you saying that my sister was kidnapped and terrorized because your brother owed money for gambling?” Regent asked the question in a quiet voice, and it was all the deadlier because of it.
“I feel ill,” she said.
Liam took her into his lap, holding her close. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you this before.” He turned to Regent. “I was using my resources to search for her. I told you I would do whatever it took to find her.”
Regent nodded.
“I overheard Michael receiving a ransom demand for her the day after she was kidnapped. He was hysterical. Said he’d received a ransom for her of a million dollars. I asked him why the ransom would go to him and not to her brothers. His reasoning was that the person had likely been following them for a few days, that they probably thought he had money.”
Her kidnapper had been waiting in her hotel room. He’d drugged her, stuck her in a laundry basket then pretended to be an employee, pushing her down to a van waiting in the back alley. No plates. Nothing on the cameras to be able to recognize the guy who’d kept his head down or the vehicle
“I told him I was going to tell you. That’s when he panicked, and it all came tumbling out. He owed money and he figured the loan shark he owed it to was the one behind her kidnapping and ransom. Which made more fucking sense.”
“That fucking asshole,” Regent spat out. “The loan shark probably had someone on him, they saw him with her and decided she was the key to getting his money back.”
“Yeah, that’s what I figured,” Liam said.
“You still should have come to me.”
“I know.” He let out a deep breath. “But he’s blood. And you would have killed him.”