Total pages in book: 78
Estimated words: 77309 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 387(@200wpm)___ 309(@250wpm)___ 258(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77309 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 387(@200wpm)___ 309(@250wpm)___ 258(@300wpm)
“Come on, you’re giving her too much credit.”
“Am I? You remember that party. She organized everything in less than a day. She managed to get all those decorations brought into the hotel without anyone realizing it was happening, and she did it right under my nose.” I shake my head, walking to the door. “No, I’m not going to assume anything. Allison’s gone, which means I’m sending out the dogs.”
“You’re making a mistake. This is only going to push her further away and make things harder. If you just take it easy—”
“And what, hope she decides to come back? I’m not the kind of man to sit back and do nothing. I made that mistake already.” My hands curl into fists. “I had one fucking job. Keep Allison here and out of trouble. I couldn’t even manage that shit. So while your opinion is appreciated, Isabel, this is my decision.”
She goes still. “That’s how it is?”
“That’s how it is.” I turn away. “My hotel. My call. Stay here if you want and wait. Maybe she shows up.”
But she won’t. I know it in my guts.
Allison is gone, and she played me for a fool the whole time.
Chapter 29
Conlan
Anger rolls down my spine. It should be the easiest thing in the world, making sure a nineteen-year-old girl stays puts, and yet I couldn’t manage it.
Because I’ve been too gentle.
Isabel keeps convincing me to give Allison the benefit of the doubt, but I’m finished with that.
When I find the girl, I’m going to toss her in handcuffs and lock her in the basement until her father comes to collect her.
I leave Isabel in the room and head back to my office. From there, I make a series of calls, reaching out to various organizations, crews, groups, and made men within the greater Los Angeles area. I alert them all to Allison’s description and order them to put all their guys on the street in search of her.
It’s an all-hands emergency, and I put the full weight of the Costa family behind it.
This will cost a lot of time, money, and capital.
Every affiliated group is now in play. And the Costa family has a lot of sway wherever we operate, all thanks to our enormous gambling and hospitality income.
Allison will be found. Now that I’ve mobilized my small army, it’s only a matter of time.
I just hope nothing goes wrong. It’s not like I’m releasing a bunch of happy-go-lucky puppies to sniff her out—instead, it’s like I’ve given her scent to a pack of hungry wolves.
I orchestrate things the best I can, getting feedback in real time. I don’t hear from Isabel, but that’s fine with me; she can stay in that room and hope all she wants.
I’m doing something.
It takes a couple of hours before I get a call. It’s not one I expected, but Damon sounds both exasperated and relieved.
“Sir, I’ve got her.”
“Where?” I jump out of my chair.
“Sir, uh—” He clears his throat. “She’s out by the pool.”
I stare at the desk. “Are you kidding me?”
“No, sir. We checked here more than once. She must’ve showed up in the last twenty minutes. Sorry, sir, she’s saying she’s only been there for ten, and—”
“I’ll be down in a second. Don’t let her move.” I hang up and storm out.
What the fuck is happening right now? I have the whole city of LA riled up like boiling water poured onto an anthill, and here she is sitting out in my own back yard. How did this even happen?
I head outside. Damon’s lurking beside a lounge chair. Allison’s lying back, sunglasses on, in a tiny bikini that doesn’t do much to cover her up. I grab a nearby towel and throw it on top of the girl.
“Hey, what the hell?” she snaps, glaring at me.
“Where did you go?” I cross my arms, making it clear this isn’t a fucking joke.
She sits up and takes off her sunglasses, squinting at me. “What the hell do you care? Tell your stupid thugs to quit staring at me. I’m back. You can call off the hunt.”
My jaw works. “You know the rules. You can’t leave the hotel grounds.”
“I needed to pick up a prescription, okay?”
“That’s not good enough. If you need something like that, you ask me or a member of the staff. Even Isabel—”
“I am an adult, whether you like that or not.” Allison practically barks at me. “And I’m not letting some random person get my prescriptions for me. It’s my private medication.”
“I don’t give a shit if you’re buying cream for your venereal disease. You do not leave the Lincoln for any reason—”
“Conlan.” Isabel walks over, her hands raised. “Would you stop it?”
“She knows the rules,” I say, keeping myself together. Losing my temper now won’t help anything, but I’m also done being soft.