Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 87618 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 438(@200wpm)___ 350(@250wpm)___ 292(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 87618 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 438(@200wpm)___ 350(@250wpm)___ 292(@300wpm)
“Good boy.” I kiss him, tugging at his hair. “My good husband.”
“My good girl.” He smiles, arms wrapped around me. “Any idea what you’ll do with your room now?”
“No clue. And you know what? I’ll probably change my mind fifty times between now and when it’s finished. That’s the fun part, right?”
“If you say so.”
He pulls me against him, and I smile to myself, snuggling in tight, already dreaming of what we’ll build together.
Chapter 36
Alexan
Diego Navarro’s house is pretty fucking nice. I have to hand it to the cartel bastard. He’s got good taste.
It’s a multi-million-dollar townhouse on the opposite side of the harbor, almost right up against the water. It looks a lot like mine, only even bigger, with gaudy columns in the front. The fucker clearly doesn’t care about being subtle.
“I’ve been watching this place ever since the meeting a few days ago,” Eric says, peering through a pair of small binoculars. “Navarro’s got some pretty set habits. Like, for example, he goes for a run every morning right at six. Then he’s back and inside for a couple of hours, but then he goes out again around eight for coffee at a shop nearby. He’s there for like a half hour before coming back.”
“You sure he does this all the time?”
“I’d have to watch him more to make sure, but yeah, I think so. They seem like pretty well-established routines anyway.”
“What about work?”
“He’s on his network the whole time. Most of what he’s doing is via encrypted channels, but it’s not particularly good. William and Daron both think they can break it, given enough time.”
“No need for that.” I purse my lips, thinking. “I don’t care what business he’s conducting. That’s not so important. But if we can tap into his communications, that’s a bonus.”
“I’ll see what the guys think.”
“What else did you learn?”
Eric seems excited to keep talking. I appreciate his enthusiasm. “Honestly, the place isn’t that well-guarded. He’s got some guys that come by once in a while, but otherwise it’s just him in there. His security system is off the shelf too, nothing special about it. We could take it out with our eyes closed. I doubt he’s got anything important in there, though. He’s been around long enough to know that you don’t keep the real shit at home. Still, we could easily get in there and take whatever he’s got.”
I listen to him describe details of the house and its layout, my mind spinning. Ideas start to form in my brain, and something snags. “Do you remember a story Daron told?” I ask suddenly, interrupting him.
Eric hesitates. “He tells a lot.”
“He called it the perfect hack. Remember that one?”
“Sure, it was basically a guy that pinned a crime on an ex-girlfriend or some shit like that, right?”
“Exactly.” I stare at Navarro’s house for a little bit longer as the idea snaps into place. “Let’s head back to the bar. I want to talk to the group.”
Eric starts the car and drives. I close my eyes and let the details of the plan begin to take shape. I’m thinking about Riley too, about her moans, about her wanting to get pregnant, about our life together, the future we’re going to have.
If I can pull this off.
Daron and William are waiting at the Pomegranate House. They’re sitting at the bar watching an Orioles game and making bets on their phones. I sit down next to Daron and Eric sits on the other side of William, and all three guys turn in my direction.
“I have a job for us,” I say to them. I feel a strange pang of eagerness flit into my stomach. “But I want you all to understand the full scope before we get started.”
“We know it’s Los Sombras,” William says with a shrug. “It’s no big deal.”
“Not just Los Sombras. This is going to include Black Mantis as well.”
William and Eric both look surprised. But Daron only sighs and takes a long drink of his beer.
“Explain,” Daron says.
“I don’t have the details yet, but it’s going to be a big score. If we pull it off, Mantis is going to pay us good money, and it’s going to deal with Los Sombras and get them off my brother-in-law’s back. You three will split the full take from Mantis. My payment is keeping my family safe.”
Daron grunts and seems to soften a bit. “That’s generous. How much we talking?”
“Twice my usual fee. That’ll be a solid win for you three.”
“All we have to do is go up against two of the more violent gangs in the region,” Daron says with a sigh. “Yeah, sure, why the fuck not?”
“I already said I’m in.” William raises his glass. “To our first job as a crew.”
“Here’s to that,” Eric chimes in.
I sit back and study the three men. They laugh together, and Daron starts telling a story about the time he hacked into a heavily guarded bank system as a teenager and nearly got caught. It’s probably bullshit, but it gets everyone laughing.