Total pages in book: 82
Estimated words: 76572 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 383(@200wpm)___ 306(@250wpm)___ 255(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 76572 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 383(@200wpm)___ 306(@250wpm)___ 255(@300wpm)
“Why was Kai’s sister here?” Cilla asks, drawing my attention.
I shake my head and study the crowd around us, snapping more pictures to send to Kai. “I have no idea. She is in a related field to us, not your father, so I’m not sure why she’d be here. Maybe she has a target here.”
Cilla shapes the word. “Target?”
“We’ll talk about it later. Do you see anyone you recognize? Anyone Kai should research?”
Her shoulders sink as she takes in the other partygoers. “I recognize a few guards from the compound but no one else. Maybe a few people who have come to the casino while I worked there.”
The reminder of how she sold her body to get to me jolts something loose inside my chest. Fuck. We need to get on a different subject before I start hunting down her old clients.
“Let’s dance for a moment, and then we can get out of here. Stay long enough that he feels satisfied. I think I’ve got enough photos for Kai to use in his research.” I lead her to join the other dancers, thankful for the distance the action gives me from the others roaming around. I fucking hate parties. All of them. The only reason I ever attend is to make sure Adrian stays protected.
She falls into step like she’s a natural. I pull her close and enjoy the way the feel of her calms something in my soul. Will it last forever? I have no idea, but for right now, I’ll take it.
For a few moments, I let us dance in silence and enjoy this. We don’t get things like this very often, if ever, so we should savor them while we have them.
Her hands squeeze the back of my jacket, and I close my eyes. It’s a risk. If Arthur sees how much I need this, he’ll use it against me. When I open my eyes, she’s staring up at me, a softness on her face. Arthur might not have seen it, but Cilla does.
When the song ends, I lead her off the dance floor. Arthur wastes no time coming over again, an even bigger smile on his face. “Might I have a moment to speak with my daughter?”
I’m about to tell him to fuck off when Cilla shakes her head and steps forward. “We won’t go far, and then you and I can go home.”
They move a few feet away. I can’t hear them over the crowd, but I can see she really doesn’t want to speak to him. If her posture gets any more rigid, I will march across the room, drag her into my arms, and carry her out of here. Every time he speaks, she almost flinches until there is a good foot of space between them.
My patience is up. I can’t let him keep hurting her, and whatever he is saying is definitely hurting her. If it’s on purpose, I’m going to fucking slit his throat.
I cut through the crowd, not caring who I bump into or who I have to push out of my way to get there.
Arthur goes silent and shoots me a grin as I approach. “Oh, I think Cilla might be ready to leave. But before you go, might I have a word with you too?”
I push Cilla behind me and then point toward the door. “Alexei is waiting right outside the door. Go to him and wait for me. I’ll be there in a second.”
I focus down on Arthur’s grinning face. “You speak to her again. I kill you. You put that wounded dog look in her eyes. I kill you. You so much as breathe wrong in her direction, I will fucking slit your throat and feed you to a pack of dogs.”
He smiles more. “You have dogs? How interesting.”
“No. I don’t. But if you push me, I’ll get some and raise them to crave the taste of your blood specifically. Don’t fuck with me, Arthur. I have very little patience when it comes to you.”
He sips his champagne, seemingly unconcerned. “And why is that? We have an agreement, or at least, your employer and I do.”
“Then you better keep your side of the deal before we run out of patience completely. Adrian isn’t famous for patience. He might be well known for beating a man to death, but definitely not his patience.”
Arthur sets his drink on the counter and pulls the edges of my jacket together as if he’s straightening my suit. “Before you decide to kill me, you should know how much my little girl there is using you. How much she’s acting on my behalf and how much she’s acting on her own.”
I flinch, and he smiles, knowing he has hit the mark. I turn my back when he releases my jacket and head to the door. I can’t wait to shoot that bastard in the head, and if Cilla has betrayed me, she’ll join her father in the ground.