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)
Awesome.
“She’s right. Liam would have left his money to the little asshole he’s married to,” Michael said.
“Then we kill him too.”
“Which would likely leave the money tied up in court, with us fighting his family. No, this is simpler.”
“What is? Kidnapping her again?”
“What? Again? You . . . you kidnapped me the first time?” she asked.
“Michael did,” Eleanor said. “But instead of telling me what he did, he got involved with that whiny little rat, Campbell.”
Campbell, the man who had held her for those ten days. Who’d touched her. She shuddered.
“Do you know what he did to me?” she whispered to Michael.
He smiled. “Of course. He recorded it for me.”
Her stomach rolled again, and she vomited until nothing was left inside her to come up.
“So why didn’t the ransom demand go to Regent?”
“I knew he wanted you. Liam. I saw the way he looked at you at that dinner. And I overheard him and Nico talking about you. His money should be mine. He lorded it over me, never giving me what I was due. Always lecturing me on what I should be doing, on how to be better. Then he heard me on the phone to Campbell saying the word ransom. Campbell was getting cold feet about the whole ransom thing. So I spun Liam a story and he bought it. I mean, it was poetic justice, right? That he gave me money I was already owed. With the money your brother had already given me, it made for a nice nest egg.”
“What? What do you mean?”
“Oh, he didn’t tell you? Regent paid me to break up with you.”
What? He had?
“Seems Regent had better instincts than me when it came to you,” she said.
“Bitch!” He sneered down at her. “What’s happened to you? You were never like this before.”
“Apparently, being kidnapped changes you.”
“I was going to leave town anyway. I couldn’t stick around with all that money and especially not after killing Campbell.”
She gasped, putting it all together. “You killed him and took the money?”
“Of course. Who knew Liam would pay all that money to get you back? I took his money and your brother’s and I left.”
“So why are you back? Why risk it?”
“Because your brother sent people after me,” Michael said, pacing. “They nearly found me. I need to go deeper undercover.”
“And this time, he’s taking me with him,” Eleanor said. “Your brother thought he could threaten me and that I’d tell him where Michael was. I would never betray my son. But to leave, we need more money. I bribed the doorman of Liam’s building a long time ago to let me know when anything interesting happened. Thought I might one day need some blackmail material. Imagine how happy I was to learn that he’d come back from New Orleans with you. Course I had to kill the doorman so he wouldn’t tell any tales.”
“What about your husband?” Lottie asked. What had Michael done with all the money he’d already gotten?
“What about him? Weak and cowardly. I’ll be glad to see the back of him.”
“So, your plan is to ransom me again? You really think that will work?”
“You don’t think Liam will pay up? I’m sure your brothers will,” Michael said. “I’m thinking ten million.”
“Wow, that’s pretty pathetic. And lazy. You could have put more thought into it and kidnapped someone else.” She knew that she shouldn’t rile them, but she couldn’t help it.
That bastard had her kidnapped twice. He deserved to rot in hell. Which is what would happen when Liam got hold of him.
“When Liam gets here, you’re dead, you know that, right?”
“Shut up!” Michael roared. “Liam’s not going to come here!”
Did the door open slightly? She tried not to look that way, not wanting to draw any attention to it. Diversion, she needed something to distract them.
“Oh, he is. Then you’re dead, you pathetic little worm!”
Michael stormed over to her. “Shut up!
“Don’t you understand?” Eleanor said evilly. “That money should be ours. Not his. We’re only taking what we’re owed.”
“The money is Liam’s. Not yours.”
“If your brothers had left me alone, it wouldn’t have come to this, Lottie,” Michael said.
“And what makes you think you can outrun them after I’m released?”
“Who said anything about releasing you?” Eleanor replied nastily. “We’re going to set up the drop-off, but tragically, you’ll die before anyone can get to you.”
“Well, now, that’s a mighty fine plan,” a voice said. Suddenly, an older man stepped into the large room. Lottie’s eyes widened. It was like she was looking at Liam in forty-odd years’ time.
“Who the fuck are you?” Eleanor screeched, reaching into her bag.
“She’s armed,” Lottie said quickly.
“Don’t be worryin’ about that, young Charlotte,” the man she assumed was Liam’s grandfather said, stepping forward as several more men entered the room. Armed men.
As they surrounded Eleanor and Michael, the older woman let out a loud screech of anger.