Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 77961 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 390(@200wpm)___ 312(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77961 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 390(@200wpm)___ 312(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
“Honestly? Yeah.” I shrug. “It’s fine. I’m used to it.”
Bull doesn’t look convinced. “What about your mom?”
“My mother? What do you mean?”
“Don’t you think she’s worried about you?”
I can tell they’re expecting something from me, but I don’t know what. The looks on their faces remind me of my boarding school teachers when I told them nobody was coming for whatever event the school was having and I don’t like it. “She probably hasn’t heard anything yet.” The instant Shrapnel comes in with my slightly damp clothes, I run for the bathroom to change. Let them talk about my sad little privileged life, but I don’t need to sit around and hear their pity.
A couple of minutes later, we walk into the common room, the mood there quiet, but relaxed. I spot Cherry and Opal playing pool with a couple of guys. They look up and I send them a little wave.
The stairs up to Eagle-eye's office feel heavier this time. If Dad’s calmed down enough to see reason, it probably means he’s ready to make the trade. He's stubborn, but he’s too smart to spend too long on the wrong conclusion. I think dipping his toes into the dark side is making him paranoid. A year ago he would never have had people snatched off the street. I don’t even know who he called to make that happen, but I suspect some of his other billionaire cronies are whispering in his ear about missed opportunities.
It might not’ve been The Screaming Eagles who were behind the attack, but someone started it, and they were on the plane with us.
Eagle-eye looks up as we come in. “Took you fucking long enough.”
“Can't rush a lady.” Shrapnel pulls out a chair for me, then drops into the one next to it. Bull takes position by the door, leaning his back against the wall, while Diesel sits down on the edge of Eagle-eye's massive desk.
With an annoyed grunt, Eagle-eye pops open his laptop and gets up to come around the desk so we can all see. He starts a call and a moment later, Dad appears, looking unhappy. “We agreed on four.”
“Shit came up. Are you ready to talk sense?” Eagle-eye folds his thick arms over his barrel chest.
Dad leans back in his chair. I can tell from the background that he’s in his home office. “I’ve reviewed the footage we were able to retrieve, and spoken to Luca Giordano. I’m not happy with your men removing my daughter from the scene, but I’m willing to concede that they were likely unaware of her identity at the time.”
“I didn’t know where the danger was and I thought it was best to get away first and contact you later. Obviously, I didn’t think it was smart to advertise that I’m your daughter,” I explain, fudging the truth in a way that Dad will appreciate.
He nods. The only thing he likes better than people thinking he’s smart, is people admiring him for having such a smart child. It was what finally attracted him to the idea of having me around in the first place. “You understand, of course, why the initial evidence wasn’t in your favor, and I wanted to act first on what we had rather than delay my response.”
Eagle-eye looks unimpressed, but he nods. “So my men?”
“Are in a car waiting for my order to send them to you. But I would like to ask a favor.”
“Okay? Talk.”
“What would it cost me for you to protect Florence while my people track down who was responsible for the hijacking? For the moment, very few people outside of those on this call are aware of her identity and location. As much as I would love to have my darling girl back at my side, she might be safer where she is. Luca assured me that while your tactics might be unpleasantly brutal, your loyalty has been proven. I don’t often take advice from the Mafia, but in this case I will defer to his judgement.”
“Are you sure?” I ask, not wanting to seem too eager to stay. “The project—”
“Will continue.”
“We aren’t a fucking babysitting service.” Eagle-eye shakes his head, sounding a little insulted.
“I will make it very worth your while,” Dad assures him.
Their president seems to think about that for a moment. Having the weight of billions of dollars behind a statement like that isn’t something most people would turn away without a damn good reason.
“We can watch her.” Bull pushes off the wall and moves into view of the camera. “Our contract with Giordano is done and we’ve already shown we're capable of protecting her. If securing her in a firefight and pulling her off a burning plane isn’t enough, I don't know where you're gonna find better.”
Dad looks between Bull and me, clearly a little suspicious. He might question my taste if he found out I was messing around with them, but he generally keeps his opinions about my love life to himself. Not that I have much of one to comment on. His main concern is that my attention isn’t divided and that I’m achieving results at work. He's protective, but it’s never easy to predict if something will amuse him or make him furious. I try to look innocent and professional.