Mag-log inBRIANWeird.That was the only word for it.This felt⊠weird.It wasnât like I hadnât seen my father in years. It wasnât like I hadnât expected to run into him tonight either.But unlike last time, I had a strong feeling one of us wasnât walking out of this room alive.âA pistol?â He glanced at the weapon in my hand, then back at me. âAre you sure thatâs going to be enough?âI tilted slightly and scanned the darkness behind him.âPretty much.âA quiet laugh slipped from his mouth, but the smile didn't reach his eyes, and the expression wasnât enough to pull my attention off the sniper positioned by the window.âThat for me?â I asked.âPretty much,â he said with a sigh. âBut as youâve already guessed, thereâs a lot more where that came from.âHe snatched a pistol from his belt and drew fast.I was faster.Before his finger could settle on the trigger, I shot the gun out of his hand.He watched it skid across the wooden floorboards, then looked back at me with an expression nowhere near
MASONLiam Lang was supposed to come down those stairs half an hour ago.Iâd been counting. Every annoying second that ticked by brought a thicker wave of realisation.A realisation that bordered on one glaring truth:This company was dead.The age-old tales, chilling myths, and exaggerated truths were honestly the only things still keeping them in the headlines.As far as I was concerned, they wouldnât last a week in Dakota.Oh well. Who was I to judge. New York had always felt⊠tsk. Never mind.I turned a little and peered past the wolves in tuxedos who thought my attention was aimed at them.It wasnât.I scanned the room, searching for the girl in the red dress. No sign of her.âWhereâs Tiffany?â I asked my henchwoman stationed beside me.âSaid something about needing some fresh air,â Kayla answered quietly.âDid she?â I asked, unconvinced.She picked up a glass of champagne from the server that walked by us, then took a small sip before answering again.âDoes it really matter wh
THEOI wonât say I havenât been staring at her from across the room. I wonât say that every time I do, my blood doesnât start boiling either.I will say⊠the fact that sheâs been beside Mason Sinclair this entire time has my fists clenched so tightly they could tear the skin on my palms.I wanted to march down there, rip his arm away from her, then throw her over my shoulder and take her as far from all of this as I could get.But desperate as I was (and hated to admit it), I wasnât stupid.Weâd exchanged glances far too many times for her not to realise I was watching everything, and the fact that she hadnât pulled away herself⊠told me everything I needed to know.They really were âpartners.âTch.I grabbed another two glasses of champagne from the server that walked past, but before I could down either, someone snatched both away.âI need those more than you do.â Mia downed both glasses in quick succession, then wiped the corner of her mouth fast enough to reveal her irritation. âT
BRIANâThere. I did it. I told him you're here. Now can you please⊠get your knee off my neck?!âNo.Not yet.Not really. I'd knocked out the lot of them that led up here, but something beneath the noise in my head told me I'd had to put a bullet through someone pretty soon.They're all aware of the bounty on my head, after all.âBrian, please tell me you're not choking that man to deathâ her fluttery voice rang through the com in my ear.âNo, I'm notâ I pulled my knee off him, then punted him across the face, hard enough to crack his nose and render him unconscious. âJust⊠wiling away time.ââUhuhâ Mia murmured disbelievingly. âWell, Marcus isn't in the hall. I haven't seen Liam either, but I'm gonna guess from the way his fanboys are buzzing⊠he should here soon.ââMika? What's the update on your end?âIt took a while for her to answer, and I really doubted that it was because she was the only one of us outside. âMika?â Mia re-echoed my words. âIs everything okay?âStill no answer.
Chapter 221TESSAThe room was too quiet for a building that was about to host half the cityâs money.I could already picture it.Downstairs, glasses would already be clinking. Deals would be starting with smiles that didnât reach anyoneâs eyes. Vultures in suits, Hyenas with expensive jewelry.But up here, the only sound was the soft pull of fresh gauze as Marcus worked on my leg.I sat on the edge of the bed, gown bunched around my thighs, watching him. He had already cleaned the wound once today. Now he was doing it again⊠methodical, unhurried, completely silent. Like my injury was just another item on a checklist.Liam stood near the door, adjusting his cuffs in the mirror.âAny updates from your men?â He asked.âNothing yet. I'll let you know when they have something.âThey'd been speaking in âcodeâ for days on end now, but I had a pretty strong feeling I knew what they were talking about.âPerfect. Oh, and in case itâs not already clear, youâre not to leave this room Tessa,â he
Chapter 220BIANCAâAre you really going to lay there and mope all night?âAdrianâs voice cut through the quiet like heâd been holding the question for a while. He was still in the chair across the room, one ankle resting on his knee, watching me the same way heâd been watching me for the last half hour.I didnât answer.He let out a short breath and leaned further back. âMax is going to be here any minute now. The last thing I need is for him to lose his mind because he thinks I tortured you.âTorture.Right.Because being taken from my own city, driven across state lines, and kept in a house in the middle of nowhere for weeks on end was the height of hospitality.I turned my back to him and curled in on myself, pulling the thin blanket higher. The restraints were gone, but my wrists still ached⊠and I was still half-naked.âYouâre just going to keep staring at the wall?â he asked.I stayed quiet.Adrian was the kind of man who hated silence that wasnât his own. I could feel him gett







