Total pages in book: 26
Estimated words: 24027 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 120(@200wpm)___ 96(@250wpm)___ 80(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 24027 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 120(@200wpm)___ 96(@250wpm)___ 80(@300wpm)
My fault…
Shawn felt the exact same way. He wanted to round up the men and start questioning them—killing the ones who didn’t give him the answers he felt were good enough. But maybe it’s because my heart was racing, or maybe it was because no one knew whether Callum was going to live or not, but I stepped in and told Shawn about my theory regarding Geoffrey—about all the suspicious moments that led me to believe he was the traitor in Callum’s organization.
I wasn’t sure how he’d take my theory, especially coming from a woman he had no reason to listen to. But he actually listened. He made a show of questioning the rest of the men working at the house, and even pretended that he’d believed he’d caught one of them and sent him away in a blacked-out SUV to be “taken care of.” In reality, that man was simply taking a vacation at his parents’ house upstate.
Then I contacted my friend Briana, an ex-pageant girl and model, and arranged for her to “run into” Geoffrey at one of his frequented coffee spots. Knowing him and his personality, I was able to basically write a script for her so she could come off as perfect for him—just the kind of girl who would catch his eye, grab his interest, and not let go.
And it worked.
Geoffrey was hooked. And given the nature of their meeting, he never once suspected that Briana might have intentions beyond the obvious. So a week later, he made the mistake of leaving her alone in his apartment for twelve minutes, and those twelve minutes were all she needed to get the evidence showing that Geoffrey has been working for Carl ever since my father died.
All it took was her catching a glimpse of the pin on his laptop, then unlocking it while he was gone and checking his emails and taking screenshots with her phone and sending them to Shawn and me. I’ll never be able to fully express my thanks to her, but I’m sure Callum will do something amazingly over the top when he wakes up.
If he wakes up…
As it turns out, Carl was trying to buy Geoffrey’s loyalty when my father was still alive, but my father’s presence in the organization was enough to keep him in line. After my father was taken out of the picture, Geoffrey—like a dog who just realized he could now be the alpha due to the real alpha being gone—stepped up and took Carl’s offer.
I’d love to know whether or not it was Carl who had my father murdered to make room for his slimy little mole, but I’ll never know. Shawn took care of Geoffrey himself that very evening after Briana’s discovery.
“I can see why Callum likes you,” he told me, filling my heart with pride. “And until he wakes up, I want you running the show.”
“Me?” I almost fell over. “But…what about you?”
“No.” He shook his head. “I’m not a CEO kind of guy. Second in command maybe. But not a mover and a shaker.”
It took me a second to find my breath. “But the men…what will they say?”
“Officially, I’ll still be running the show,” he replied. “But all the orders and decision-making will come from you. Fair?”
I knew it was a crucial moment. I had only seconds to respond before his faith in me would start to fall. I knew I had to come through for Callum, so I quickly nodded.
“Fair.”
* * *
And that’s why now, sitting here in the hospital by Callum’s side, I am the most powerful woman in all of New York—without question. According to Shawn, none of the other men heading any of the rival criminal organizations have female partners, and the ones who have women close to them do not let them into the inner workings of their organization.
I’ve spent the last few days being educated on Callum’s empire, his holdings, the many branches and how everything works, and according to Shawn, I’m a natural leader and have a mind for management.
“The big man’s gonna be pleased with how you’ve been running things when he wakes up,” Shawn says from the door as he enters with a drink in one hand and a brown paper bag in the other. “Green tea and chicken salad on rye.”
“Thank you, Shawn.” I smile, realizing just how hungry and exhausted I am.
“Have you slept?” he asks, pulling a chair up beside me.
I shake my head. “Maybe ten minutes or so.”
“You depriving yourself of sleep won’t help him get better quicker,” he says, unwrapping my sandwich for me.
“Maybe not,” I agree. “But if I’m not there for him when he wakes up?”
The first bite of chicken salad reinvigorates me. Yeah, I really am starving. I swallow, take another bite, close my eyes and sigh deeply.