Total pages in book: 145
Estimated words: 136731 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 684(@200wpm)___ 547(@250wpm)___ 456(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 136731 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 684(@200wpm)___ 547(@250wpm)___ 456(@300wpm)
Ling smiles. “Hello, Mr. Castillo. My name is Ling. I’m Mr. Carter’s personal assistant. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Miguel immediately warms to her. Taking her hand, he kisses her knuckles. “I apologize, Ling. I hadn’t meant to be rude. Please, you must call me Miguel.” As he looks up at me, he loses his smile. “Come. I’ll fill you in on everything you need to know. The Gambinos will be here in an hour. We have no time to lose.” Miguel guides us into the hall. “I apologize in advance, but I must ask that you remove any weapons you may have on your person. My father would take it as a direct insult.”
The message is clear.
Do not insult Eduardo Castillo.
With a nod, I remove my sweetheart from the holster inside my jacket. A custom engraved .45-caliber pistol Twitch had made for me for my thirtieth birthday. The guy hadn’t a sentimental bone in his body, but this gift is something I will treasure forever. I allow Miguel to place it in a safe under the staircase. Ling reaches inside her jacket, pulling out a dagger, a can of mace and a small .22-caliber pistol. Miguel begins to take them when Ling coughs, regaining his attention. She reaches down to the hem of her skirt, eyes trained on Miguel, slowly raising it high up her thigh. From places I don’t even want to think about, she pulls out another .22-caliber pistol and another switchback knife.
Miguel and I both watch her, and while Miguel watches her in awe, my eyes smile down at my pet viper.
Our moment of staring is over when Ling shrugs slowly, seductively. “That’s it.”
Miguel smiles then, surprised, before turning to me. “Personal assistant, huh? What would it cost me to have an assistant like that?”
Ling walks to my side, daintily placing her arm in the crook of my elbow. A sly grin crosses her, making her look more dangerous than usual. “Your life.”
Walking Ling forward, I fight my smile as I hear Miguel mutter a gravelly, “I definitely need one of those.”
Miguel leads us to a conference room, and after helping Ling sit, I seat myself. Miguel’s expression has suddenly turned worrisome. “Raul Mendoza was my brother-in-law. My sister Veronica married him three years ago. Last Monday, Raul didn’t come home.”
“This was unusual for him?” asks Ling.
Miguel nods. “Oh, yes. He loved my sister. Always came home when he said he would, and if he was going to be late, he called. But he just… vanished.”
Vanished? “Then how do you know he was murdered?”
A grim smile tugs at Miguel’s lips. “Because someone delivered Raul home.” He shoots me a look. “More accurately, delivered Raul’s body into his marital bed while my sister slept.”
A perfectly manicured brow rises as Ling questions, “Veronica didn’t wake?”
Miguel shakes his head. “She woke in the morning next to her dead husband. After screaming and crying, she tried to get her phone and call our father, but she felt off-balance. It took her five minutes to dial the number. Her vision was blurry. She felt groggy and stomach sick.”
Foul play. “Someone drugged her.”
Miguel extends his arms out by his side. “Perhaps.”
I think on this a moment. “And you think Dino Gambino did this. Why?”
Miguel sits back, eyes trained on the mahogany table, clearly thinking very carefully about his answer. “I have seen things, heard things, about my brother-in-law Dino that have made me wonder.”
It is critical that I have all the information I need here. “But your sister Alejandra is happy in her marriage, isn’t she?”
Miguel lifts a shoulder. “I am not sure you can fake happiness like that. If Alejandra is faking it, she deserves an award.” He sighs. “I see how Dino looks at her when he thinks no one is watching. The way he holds her arm too tight and the silent looks they give each other.”
Ling puts in. “All lovers have quarrels.”
Miguel’s eyes burn. “He is a jealous man. When he found out Raul and Alejandra had dated, he stood up in the middle of a family dinner, snatched up Alejandra by the arm and left. Not a word spoken.” His eyes turn glacial. “He disrespected my father, disrespected my family.” He pauses a moment. “The next week, Raul was dead.”
I can see the man feels strongly about this, but to accuse a man of murder at a family meeting with the information he has… “It’s not enough.”
A small part of Miguel’s fire deflates. “I know.”
With all due respect, I ask, “What would you have me do?”
Miguel’s eyes turn pleading. “Talk to Alejandra. In private. Ask her where Dino was that night. If he wasn’t home, then he’s guilty. He murdered Raul. I know it. I feel it in my bones.” At my hesitation, he speaks lower. “Please. I am paying for you to judge. So judge.”