Total pages in book: 93
Estimated words: 91243 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 456(@200wpm)___ 365(@250wpm)___ 304(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91243 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 456(@200wpm)___ 365(@250wpm)___ 304(@300wpm)
But maybe his daughter is.
The idea chills me deeply. Mass kidnapped me because of Rosie, and now I feel like she might be the reason the Five Families want to get me out of here. Maybe they think they can use her against him in one of their endless power struggles.
Even if that’s true, does it change anything?
I still want to get off this island.
I’m deeply worried when the phone starts to ring. I yelp in surprise. Rosie’s crawling on the floor, looking happy and content after eating. She’s playing with a bunch of plushies and trying to cruise around the couch. I tuck her into the playpen to make sure she’s safe before heading into the kitchen to answer.
“Hello, Allie, and good morning.” I recognize Satya’s voice. “I’m actually calling on behalf of Mr. Cardone. He requests your presence in his office.”
I frown and glance back at Rosie. “I’m a little busy.”
“Don’t you worry about the darling girl. I’ll be up to watch her for you.”
“No, thanks. Tell Mass I’m not available.”
There’s a short beat. Satya lets out a sigh. “I’m afraid that’s not an option. But don’t worry. We’ll gather some things, and we can bring the darling girl with us. Does that sound good?”
No, it does not sound good at all, but I clearly don’t have much of a choice. “Give me ten minutes to get dressed.”
“See you then!”
Rosie squirms in my arms as I follow Satya down endless corridors. She tries to give me a tour as we walk, but the place is too overwhelming. “Why does all this exist just for one man?”
Satya laughs lightly. Nothing seems to faze her. I’m actually starting to warm to her, which is probably a bad thing.
“Wonderful question. Most of it isn’t for Mass, actually. His empire is very large and includes many moving pieces. He can’t watch over it all at once, and so the most important members stay here. Imagine it like a big office.”
“An office filled with criminals.”
“Exactly! A crime office.” She chuckles, and it makes me smile despite myself. “Mass can easily access any part of his operation by simply calling someone to him. It’s very streamlined and efficient.”
“Did he dream this place up?”
“I suspect he’s the reason we’re far out on a remote island. But I have a hunch the rest is thanks to Lucy.”
“She’s that woman, right? The tall pretty one?”
“Lucy Hernandez is much more than a beautiful face. She’s a dangerous one. But I probably don’t need to tell you that.”
No, she really didn’t. “She must be close with Mass then.”
“Very close. They go way back. Ah, here we are.” We reach an ornate door hidden down what feels like a series of random hallways. Satya presses a button and waits until a loud buzz sounds before holding the door open for me. “Go on in. Have a wonderful day.”
“You’re not coming?”
“He didn’t summon me. Just you this morning.” She winks at me. “I think he misses you.”
I laugh again. The idea of Mass missing another human being seems absurd.
Satya shuts the door behind me. I’m left in a massive space. For a moment, I’m slightly disoriented, and it takes a second to gather myself. There are shelves all along the walls like it’s a library. Several desks and cubicles are arranged to my right. The soft sound of typing filters across the cavernous ceiling. Lucy’s lounging on a couch near the back and flippantly nods at me as she taps quickly on her phone screen. I don’t recognize the other people.
It feels like I stepped into an open-plan office for some tech startup.
Except for Mass.
His desk is on my left. His space dominates half the massive room. Silk curtains and fancy screens are left out to provide him with privacy, but they’re all folded and opened at the moment. He’s sitting hunched over a stack of documents, diligently reading them with a slight scowl on his face, which I’m pretty sure is his default stare. There’s a couch near him, currently covered with books and more files, and several cabinets scattered nearby. It looks like the working space of a scatterbrained professor, not a cold-hearted killer.
“Over here,” he says without looking up from his work.
I hesitate before going to him. I feel the eyes of the other people in the room. They’re all young women and very pretty. A strange surge of jealousy fills me, and I quickly force it back down.
“Close the curtains.” He’s still reading something.
I don’t move to obey. “Why did you bring me all the way here?”
“You seemed bored. I’m giving you a job.” He finally glances up, face hardening more. “Close the curtains.”
“Please,” I suggest. He doesn’t move.
I sigh and cover the space. I catch a glimpse of Lucy. She’s smiling to herself.
Once we’re in relative privacy, I put down Rosie near the couch and clear a space for us. I can tell Mass doesn’t like it when I dump the files on the floor, but he doesn’t say anything about it.