Total pages in book: 64
Estimated words: 62497 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 312(@200wpm)___ 250(@250wpm)___ 208(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 62497 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 312(@200wpm)___ 250(@250wpm)___ 208(@300wpm)
I notice Kyson likes to do the talking. In contrast, his brothers seem to prefer to remain silent.
“Why are you asking?” Kyson questions.
Marco raises his hands in the air and smiles. “Just unusual to see him out and about and with a woman no less.” This time Marco does look at me. “A very beautiful woman, but still, very unbecoming of Kenzo, wouldn’t you say?” He pauses. “Usually, he only frequents brothels. Oh, sorry, you don’t call it that. What do you call it again?”
“Are you done?” Kyson asks.
“Oh yes! A sex club. A club to fulfill all your desires. He sure does have a specific desire he wants filled, doesn’t he?” Marco pushes.
“Guys, sorry to be a pain, but I do have to discuss Marco’s finances with him before I take time off,” I interject, trying to diffuse the situation.
Kyson turns to face me, and I know my face is more than likely red right now, but there’s not much I can do about it.
“Why are you taking time off?” Kyson asks.
Zuko steps up and stops dead in front of Marco. The two men eye each other, and I can feel the tension in the air.
“Good to see you, Zuko,” Marco says, and I notice he isn’t the least bit scared of him. Or maybe he does a good job of hiding it.
Who is worse?
The Hunters, or the mafia?
I’m not sure I want to know the answer to those questions.
Zuko strides out without saying a word, and Marco smiles at his back.
“I’ll be seeing you, Mayve,” Kyson says, but it sounds more like a warning. He smiles at Marco as he passes him, but I feel it’s not a friendly smile.
I finally manage to breathe again when they leave, then I sit back in my chair.
“You really are the star of the show. All three brothers…” Marco muses. “You do know who they are, right?” he asks, to which I only nod. I’m sure I don’t entirely know who they all are. But I get the feeling I don’t want to know either. “I got a call saying you’ll be away, and I wanted to make sure everything is okay. They said Vanessa will be taking over, and Jeff assured me this would be okay and that she is sufficient, but I don’t trust her. I only trust you.”
I try to speak, but he cuts me off, running his hand down his tailored suit.
“But under the circumstances, I will allow this to slide. I want you to understand, Mayve, I like you. I do. But my business is top priority, and I couldn’t care less that you are fucking a trained killer and a deadly one at that, as long as it doesn’t interfere with my business.”
“I would never let it interfere,” I tell him.
“I believe you. I know you’re a woman of your word. Thank you for the reassurance.” He turns to leave, then stops and looks back at me. “If you swim with the sharks, Mayve, you have to be prepared to bleed. Because, right now, he is the worst thing in the ocean. I’ve heard ramblings this week he is off, and now I get why.” He nods to the table where the divorce papers are sitting before he opens the door and leaves.
I try to calm my breath.
This is not my fault—none of this is.
It’s his fault.
It was all his idea.
He could have not done any of this, and I wouldn’t be here dealing with men who could scare the living shit out of the worst people alive.
I bite my lip and try to decide what the hell I’m going to do.
Stuffing the papers into my laptop bag, I leave my office and make a call.
At first, I don’t think he’ll answer.
But then his slick, almost distressed, and yet somehow calm voice rings through.
“Hello, wife.”
Shivers hit me, and I manage to not hold my breath.
“Where are you?” I ask.
“At the cemetery.”
“Which one?”
He rattles off the address, and I hang up.
Guess I’m going to visit the dead today.
What a great afternoon to do that.
Not.
Twenty-Four
Kenzo
I hear her before I see her.
Can she even see right now? I doubt it very much.
“Ouch.” I hear as she comes closer, her foot kicking one of the gravestones. She keeps moving, though, her hands hugging her waist as if she’s cold. Her eyes scan the area, but we both know she wouldn’t see anyone coming unless they were close enough.
I watch her stumble around for a bit before she stops, gives up, and pulls out her phone. The light from the screen illuminates her face, and she presses call. I feel my phone vibrate in my pocket but make no move to answer it.
“I can hear it,” she calls out, her gaze darting back and forth. She takes a step to her right, then she’s falling, her phone dropping to the ground, her hands just managing to catch her. “Oh my God. If there is a dead body here, I might die.”