Total pages in book: 134
Estimated words: 126485 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 632(@200wpm)___ 506(@250wpm)___ 422(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 126485 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 632(@200wpm)___ 506(@250wpm)___ 422(@300wpm)
I slammed my fist down on the desk. “Maksim. I need to call Sergej, and I want to be on the next flight to Miami. I’m going to ask a few questions myself and make sure that Imogen is protected. Whoever tried to kill her, probably still wants to.”
What the fuck was going on here? My brothers and I had used all of our contacts in London to gather information but had only confirmed part of what Aislinn’s attacker had said. He was a freelancer with connections to the Bratva. That left plenty of room for options, and now Imogen turns up almost dead. I’d have to call Balor again so he could add another man to Aislinn’s protectors.
“One of our contacts is with her now.”
“Good. I’ll pick two or three men who’ll guard her indefinitely.”
Seamus narrowed his eyes in thought. “Are you going to call Aislinn and tell her?”
“Not yet. I want to see things for myself first.”
Seamus regarded me with narrowed eyes then he nodded. I knew he had more to say but was waiting for the right moment, which would hopefully never come.
I began browsing the internet for flights and Seamus left to organize all the remaining details for my departure.
Thirty minutes later, I grabbed an overnight bag that I always kept in the office then headed directly to the airport. I had managed to get the last seat on an airplane bound for Miami that left in three hours. Seamus would hold down the fort in New York.
In the car, I called Sergej.
“Lorcan, I heard about Imogen.”
“And you didn’t call me?”
“I found out an hour ago. You’ll understand I needed to make a few calls before I could talk to you.”
“A call with Maksim?”
“That too. He didn’t throw her in the ocean. You shouldn’t try to kill him. It wouldn’t be good for us. Imogen jumped ships, so to speak. She found another stupid man to throw money at her for sucking dick, but apparently that man was less docile than Maksim.”
I wasn’t sure if I believed him. Maksim didn’t seem like someone who had experience killing, but pretty much everyone was capable of killing someone if given the right incentive. Maybe Imogen had demanded a ridiculous amount of money and threatened to tell his wife.
“Who is the other guy?”
“Maksim didn’t know and neither do I. He must be richer than Maksim. I doubt she left him because she found her true love.”
“I’m heading to Miami now. You understand that I need to talk to a few people myself, Maksim included.”
“Maksim is under my protection, Lorcan. You can talk to him, of course, but I must ask you to be civil.”
“Don’t worry.” I hung up. Being civil wasn’t my strength, but Sergej was an important business partner and I didn’t particularly like Imogen. Still, I wanted to know what had happened for Aislinn’s sake. I wasn’t sure why I still felt like I owed this to her. That woman had twisted my mind into a pretzel.
My first stop in Miami was the hospital where Imogen had been taken. A young man, maybe nineteen, was hunched on the chair in front of her room. I didn’t know his name. He worked for us. Seamus knew his family, but he wasn’t part of Five-Leaf Clover, at least not yet. He’d been on watch for almost forty-eight hours and it showed.
“I’m taking over now,” I said. He jerked upright, reaching for his jacket, where I assumed a gun was hidden but then he recognized me. He stood. “Mr. Devaney. Is there anything else I can do?”
“Grab some sleep. I’ll give you a call in the morning to discuss the situation.”
Two of my men were on the next flight to Miami and would be here in two hours. Until then, I’d keep watch.
He nodded then he walked away. By now my arrival had drawn attention, and a nurse headed my way. She eyed me warily. “I don’t know what’s going on, but—”
“I’m taking care of the patient.”
She narrowed her eyes. “She’s in critical condition.”
“Maybe you can fill me in on the details.” I pulled out a wad of cash and stuffed it in her pocket. She froze.
“I can’t be bought.”
“I bet you have two or three kids who’ll soon go to college. Don’t be hasty. I’m the brother-in-law of Imogen, and I have only her best interest in mind, but I need to know what happened and who did this to her.”
She put her hand into the pocket, probably feeling how big the wad of cash was. I had just given her fifty grand. It wouldn’t get her kids through college but it was a lot of money for someone with her salary. “Did you sent the young man who guarded her?”
“I did. I want to stop whoever beat her half to death from finishing the job.”