Pustaka
Cari
Beranda / Mafia / THE HOSTAGE'S DILEMMA / The Art of Negotiation

Share

The Art of Negotiation

Penulis: Janina peters
last update Terakhir Diperbarui: 2025-07-24 17:31:24

AARON

Papers detailing Randall’s recent drug operations are spread out before me, a chaotic collection of intelligence reports, financial ledgers, and intercepted communications. My gaze sweeps over the data, searching for the crack, the sign of desperation that explains why a man like Randall suddenly wants to work with the mafia. More specifically, why he wants to dance with me.

It doesn’t sit right. It never has. Randall Blackwood operates in the dark, a ghost in the shadows of the illicit drug trade. He builds his empire on secrecy, on avoiding the big players, the structured chaos of established crime families. So, this sudden overture, this attempt to align himself with one of the most powerful organizations, smells like a rat in a sewer. He’s either plotting something, or incredibly desperate. My money's always on desperation when it comes to men like Randall. They don’t change their stripes without a damn good reason.

I lean back in my leather chair. My fingers drum on the des
Lanjutkan membaca buku ini secara gratis
Pindai kode untuk mengunduh Aplikasi
Bab Terkunci
Bab sebelumnya Bab selanjutnya

Bab terbaru

  • THE HOSTAGE'S DILEMMA    After The Storm

    Third Person POVThe arrests didn’t happen overnight.Antonio and Luca were taken first, but the fight dragged on for hours before the FBI could secure the perimeter and haul them out. Even in cuffs, Antonio barked orders, his voice dripping venom, as though sheer will could still bend the world to him. Luca looked like his world had ended as he realized the gravity of what was going on.But the dam had broken.The evidence Liam had gotten, and Mia had found, was strong. Money trails, assassinations, cover-ups spanning decades. The FBI moved fast, raids rippling across New York and New Jersey. Safehouses were stormed, accounts frozen, allies flipped.And then, fingers were pointed, more trails were found and Aaron’s grandfather was arrested too. The man who had built their empire on secrets was taken out of his mansion in broad daylight, dressed in a traditional three-piece suit, his expression hollow. For years, he had seemed untouchable. Now he was just another criminal, aging and b

  • THE HOSTAGE'S DILEMMA    The Night the Empire Fell

    AaronI had just poured myself a drink when Drew barged into my office without knocking. His face was pale, his voice clipped.“She has them.”The glass nearly slipped from my hand. “What?”“Mia,” he said. “She found the documents. Liam must have given her a clue. She called me ten minutes ago. She’s got them in Texas.”The weight of his words landed hard. The documents the very reason Antonio had been pulling strings for decades were now in Mia’s hands. Which meant every vulture in the underworld would be circling her.I was on my feet before he finished. “We leave now.”Within the hour we were on the tarmac, my jet already fueled and waiting. Drew stayed quiet beside me, his jaw set, his fists flexing like he was already in a fight.As we climbed the stairs, my phone buzzed. Trina.I almost ignored it. “If it’s not urgent, I’ll call her back,” I muttered, sliding into my seat.But I answered anyway. “Trina, I’m busy.”Her scoff cracked through the line. “Busy? Then I hope you’re bus

  • THE HOSTAGE'S DILEMMA    The Pen that Held the War

    MiaI stayed in the booth after I somehow convinced Liam to have breakfast with me. My head swam with everything he had said, the weight of it pressing down on me until I could hardly breathe but I tried to shake it off by living in the moment and having breakfast with my real father.I looked out the window and that’s when I saw him.Across the street, leaning casually against his rickety car was Noah. It looked like the junk had stopped again. I watched as a mechanic was hunched over the car and Noah looked less concerned. He was used to the car acting up.I turned quickly, tugging Liam’s sleeve before he could slice his pancakes. “Liam. Look.” I pointed across the glass. “That’s Noah. He’s been… kind of like my mentor. Always motivates me to write, to get back to my book. He’s been around since my college days. He’s…”The color drained from Liam’s face. His eyes went hard, sharp in a way that made my skin crawl.“Mia,” he said, his voice low but urgent. “You need to listen to me. T

  • THE HOSTAGE'S DILEMMA    The Gift the Never Gave

    MiaAfter Natalie left, the house felt heavier.Her apology still lingered in the air, her broken face was all I could see. I didn’t know if I could forgive her for betraying my trust in the first place, but I was grateful she’d come. Grateful she’d carried the weight of truth straight to my doorstep, even if it broke her in half.For the first time in weeks, I felt a strange kind of clarity. The lies had begun to unravel. The picture was still blurred, but I could finally make out the edges.Later that night, I contemplated reaching out to Aaron. Should I call? But I decided against it. Aaron would have reached out if he wanted to and the fact that Drew hadn’t either showed that it was still not safe. My phone buzzed on the nightstand.I frowned, reaching for it. The number was unfamiliar.Unknown: Mia. It’s Liam. Don’t be afraid.My stomach dropped.The last time I’d trusted a message from an unknown number, I’d ended up chained to a chair in Luca’s warehouse. My heart hammered as I

  • THE HOSTAGE'S DILEMMA    The Monster I Served

    Natalie The night Liam Connell stumbled out of the warehouse, bloodied but alive, I thought I had done something good. Something small but real.I opened the lock and watched him leave. Inasmuch as he was in disbelief and I was still unsure, I had stood there, heart in my throat, as he limped into the shadows and vanished.For a moment, I thought I could breathe again.But freedom doesn’t come that easily.I looked around to be sure no one was close enough to notice that Liam was gone and waited for the right moment to slip away. Luca had gone to meet Antonio. Most of the guards were outside, smoking and laughing. The halls were empty. My pulse pounded as I crept toward the side exit, every step a prayer.That’s when I heard them.Their voices floated down the corridor before I saw them, Luca’s low drawl and Antonio’s heavier, slower tone. They were coming back earlier than I expected.I ducked into a shadowed corner, pressing myself against the wall, breath caught in my chest. These

  • THE HOSTAGE'S DILEMMA    Threads I Didn't Know Were Tied

    MiaNoah has been around a lot lately. Too much, maybe.At first, I didn’t question it, he was a piece of my past showing up when everything else felt like it was crumbling. Familiar, easy, safe. But now, sitting across from him in the living room while my sister doodles between us, I notice the little things.The way he always says the right words. The way he looks at me is like he’s measuring something more than my face. The way silence doesn’t seem to bother him, though it eats me alive. Maybe it’s because of the world I have been exposed to for the past few months but something feels uneasy in me.He laughs at something my sister says, tossing his head back like old times, and I almost forget. Almost.“You’re quiet tonight,” Noah says, turning back to me. “Thinking too hard again?”“I guess.” I close my notebook before he can glance at the empty page. “I’ve been… stuck.”“With the book?”“With everything.” My voice falters, then steadies. “With Aaron, too.”I shouldn’t have said h

Bab Lainnya

Anda juga akan menyukai

Jelajahi dan baca novel bagus secara gratis
Akses gratis ke berbagai novel bagus di aplikasi GoodNovel. Unduh buku yang kamu suka dan baca di mana saja & kapan saja.
Baca buku gratis di Aplikasi
Pindai kode untuk membaca di Aplikasi
DMCA.com Protection Status