Total pages in book: 83
Estimated words: 79046 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 395(@200wpm)___ 316(@250wpm)___ 263(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79046 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 395(@200wpm)___ 316(@250wpm)___ 263(@300wpm)
A look I recognized. I wore it every time I looked at Una.
I turned away, trying not to smile.
This could be interesting.
The women sat beside each other. I could see Anna was wearing a T-shirt of Niall’s and a pair of his sweatpants. Thick socks covered her feet. Every item was too big on her.
“Get her some clothing from the boutique tomorrow,” I murmured.
“Yeah, already thought of that. I gave her what I could.”
“Has she eaten?”
“Tea. Toast.”
I chuckled. “These two are alike. Although I did get some soup into Una.”
“Damn it,” he swore. “I never thought of soup.”
I clapped him on the shoulder. “You’ll figure it out.”
“Doc Barnes says she’s severely undernourished. Dehydrated. She needs care and rest.”
I nodded. “She’ll get whatever she needs. Una is very fond of her. Protective.”
He muttered something that sounded like, “I fucking get that.” But I couldn’t be sure.
“Have you heard from them?” he asked, meaning Roman, Luca, and Aldo.
“A text saying it was done. They should be here soon.” I had arranged suites for them. In fact, I had blocked off two entire floors for the next while, unsure what to expect. I’d had the hotel staff move people, comp rooms, offer casino cash, free accommodations on another date, and dinners. We’d invented a false electrical problem on the two floors as a cover story. The victims and those who helped us tonight had a place to rest and recover for as long as they needed.
“We need to meet.”
“In my suite. I can’t leave Una.”
His gaze drifted to the sofa.
“Bring Anna with you. She can stay with Una.” I looked at them, holding hands, quietly talking. “I think they need each other right now.”
“Okay.”
I looked around the dining table I rarely sat at. Roman, Luca, and Aldo joined me, drinking coffee and whiskey. Platters of food and carafes of coffee filled the table. Niall was to my right, where he could see the living room.
Una and Anna were on the sofa. Across from them were Effie, Vi, and Justine. They had arrived at my invitation. I knew the men were missing their wives and would find comfort in having them close. The unexpected bonus was the friendship and comfort they were giving to Una and Anna. They had experienced traumas and were able to offer insights I never could.
I sat back, sipping coffee. “Fill me in.”
“Almost everything went according to plan,” Roman stated. His gaze flickered to Luca. “Almost.”
“What didn’t?” I hissed, leaning forward.
“Juan escaped.”
“I thought he was dead!” Niall protested, his anger evident.
“No, the coward was pretending. He was shot and played dead. In the aftermath, he somehow got away. We don’t know how badly he was hurt, but we have eyes out looking for him.”
“Fuck,” Niall muttered. “Anna told me he was obsessed with her. She was there for over three weeks.”
“We’ll keep her safe and hope he’s crawled away to die somewhere,” I assured him.
Aldo looked grim. “I hope he dies painfully.”
“And the building?”
“A pile of rubble. The fire was so intense, the bodies will be unidentifiable. The rumor has already started that there was a fire in the lab, and the entire place went up with them all in it so quickly that no one could escape. All Lopez’s fault for having an auction in the same place as a dangerous lab,” Roman informed us.
“The racetrack was shut down, citing being too close to a chemical fire. Lopez didn’t have a big crew since he kept his shit hidden. Most of them perished tonight. The few who got away are running so fast they won’t stop for a long time and were low-level. The real employees he kept to cover his illegal shit are accounted for. The horses were all transported safely.”
“You accomplished a lot.”
“The syndicate did. We all worked together. Once again proving we’re stronger as a group than on our own. We ended Lopez’s evil culture.”
“And since we’re in no way connected with the track or Lopez, no one will look our way,” Luca added. “We’re safe.”
I glanced toward the women. “Even Santini?”
“He won’t utter a word,” Roman said, looking fierce.
“We need to find Juan. Or his corpse.”
“We will.”
“Brian?” I asked quietly.
“At the morgue. Awaiting instructions.”
“I’ll handle it.”
I heard some laughter and looked over with a smile. “Your women seem to be the best medicine right now.”
“They understand,” Roman replied, a look of adoration in his eyes as he looked at his wife.
“I am obligated to all of you,” I said. “I owe each of you a debt I can never repay, and I will be there if you need me.”
Luca grimaced. “Getting rid of him was in all our best interests. But we’re happy to have helped. I think this has made the syndicate tighter with a common goal. The message will be heard, however it is delivered.” He stood. “But I need my wife and some sleep. We’ll talk more before we leave tomorrow.”