Total pages in book: 138
Estimated words: 127461 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 637(@200wpm)___ 510(@250wpm)___ 425(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 127461 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 637(@200wpm)___ 510(@250wpm)___ 425(@300wpm)
“The other man was Gaston Mouton. He’s local in New Orleans, born and raised.”
Drake scrubbed his hand down his face again, swearing under his breath. “So much for me being the wise leader. Gaston might be an ass, but he’s never once indicated that he was in any way a traitor and would embrace human trafficking. He seems respectful of the women in the lair.”
Maya’s fist bunched in Gorya’s shirt, down low where the others couldn’t see. He felt the slight tremble. She was definitely getting tired. He was going to have to shut this meeting down. She was determined to give Drake and the others the information they needed to be safe, but she’d typed up a thorough report. As far as Gorya was concerned, they could read it.
Babe, I want you to shut this down before you fall down.
Nearly there.
“Gaston isn’t alone in this, Drake. His brother, Jules, is as well. You need to be careful. So far, Armande and the others are concentrating on the trafficking and drug pipelines, but if they get wind of what you and Jake are doing, getting the Amurovs to take over territories and wipe out those criminal activities, they’ll go after you both.”
Drake frowned. “Are you absolutely certain, Maya? Ordinarily I would never question your information, but those two have impeccable reputations. Remy Boudreaux would vouch for them, and he rarely vouches for anyone. Remy is my brother-in-law and a homicide detective. He’s very discerning.” His gaze fell on Gedeon. “You’ve met them a time or two.”
“They seemed dedicated to their work. They have a small welding shop and fix boats. They were friendly enough.” Gedeon shrugged. “I wasn’t put off by them.”
Maya didn’t defend her work. She just waited for Drake to accept her information. Like Gorya, she knew she’d delivered a great deal of very bad news all at once. It was a bitter pill to swallow. She leaned into him further without seeming to be aware of it. Gorya liked that she did it. More than ever, he felt their commitment, even in that room filled with powerful shifters.
Timur broke the silence. “Maya, I know this sounds terrible, but in all honesty, I think you should consider acting as if you’ve never been around a computer in your life. Aside from those of us in this room, no one else knows who you are. Gorya, if word gets out that she’s capable of the kind of research she does, it won’t be Drake and Jake on the top of the hit list, it’s going to be Maya. Better everyone thinks the way I did when I first met her. Let them all underestimate her and keep her safe.”
Instead of looking at Maya or Gorya, Timur looked around the table, and then his fierce, penetrating gaze settled on Jeremiah. “No one must ever find out where this information came from or what was said in this room. Maya is family. Gorya’s woman. That means she’s protected by every single one of us. Is that understood? It’s a killing offense if she’s betrayed.”
You see why Timur is my brother as well as my cousin? He may be the proverbial bull in the china shop, but he’s also an amazing man.
I will agree with you.
Gorya could feel her smile. She didn’t change the expression on her face, staying sober on the outside for Drake, keeping her gaze locked with Gorya’s, but inside—for him—she smiled intimately.
Jeremiah jerked his head up. “I’m part of this family, Timur. I understood the magnitude of what was being said and how dangerous it was immediately. There is no way I would allow any of this to slip out.”
Timur nodded as if Jeremiah’s word was enough for him. Gorya wasn’t as sure about any of them in the room other than his cousin, mostly because it was Maya’s life in jeopardy. He didn’t give a damn about his own life. They’d come together to warn Drake and Jake to be more careful. The two were shifters, but they were kept out of the criminal spotlight. No one suspected they had anything to do with helping to place the Amurovs in fallen crime lords’ territories or orchestrating the downfall of those crime lords in the first place.
“I believe you’re right, Timur,” Gorya acknowledged aloud. “I already told Maya it would be best if we kept her abilities known just to us. In all honesty, I would have preferred to keep her out of this and just present a written report from Teona Kyva to you. Maya felt there were too many things you might have a difficult time accepting, and she would need to be on hand to answer questions.”
He looked up at her. His woman. It was impossible not to fall deeper and deeper for her. Just the fact that she was not yet fully healed but would put herself out for strangers. For his people. He knew she did it for him. The cliff was steeper. Higher. And he was free-falling.