Page 30 of Buying Angel

I could see I had piqued his interest, and his demeanor immediately changed as he spoke to me.

“How much profit are we talking?”

I knew I had him hooked already.

“Well, we can buy the pills for around fifty cents each. They are selling in New York for about ten dollars a pill. I reckon we could sell them here for a little less, maybe eight dollars. So that’s around seven and a half dollars profit. I’m willing to make the initial investment for a twenty-five percent cut of the profits, meaning you would get five dollars a pill. Then I would put you in touch with the supplier and you can go it alone.”

I watched as he mentally went through everything I had said.

“How many pills would you be buying as the initial investment?”

“I was thinking around ten thousand. I can get that amount easily. Any more, and it starts to raise eyebrows. That would be an outlay of five thousand dollars for me. You sell them, give me twenty-five thousand dollars, and you keep the other fifty.”

I knew what would be coming next. It was why Nico had been missing most of the morning, trying to find something from his contacts. We needed something that would give Vincent the high he needed, but within a matter of minutes, knock him out cold for the rest of the night.

“I don’t suppose you have any I can try? I need to know what I am selling and how good it is.”

I wanted that exact reaction. I had him hook, line, and sinker.

“I do have a couple, actually. May be worth you trying one while I’m here, though. Just to be on the safe side. My contact promises me they are safe, but you just don’t know. At least if something goes wrong, I can call 911.”

I pulled a bag from my inside pocket containing the two pills. Nico had said that he would only need to take one when he left the message with Patrick, Trent’s driver, who had driven me this evening. I just hoped he was right.

“That probably would be the best idea, wouldn’t it?”

I watched as he took the bag from me, opened it, and took one of the tablets with his drink. I wasn’t sure how they would react with alcohol, but I wasn’t about to stop him. I needed him knocked out so that Nico could put the next part of the plan into action. I looked on as the drug seemed to take effect; I had to admit it was faster than I had thought it would work.

“Wow, this is fucking fantastic. If they are all like this, I’m fucking in.”

I was just about to reply to him when he literally fell asleep on the chair. I got up from my chair and checked that he was still breathing. I knew he would probably check all of the security footage from the cameras that were all over the apartment, probably to keep tabs on Gaby, so I acted like the concerned friend. I checked his pulse, tried to wake him up. When I was convinced that he was still alive and not in any distress, I walked out of the room and headed back to my car. I got in and pulled out my phone to send Nico a text.

All go.

All I had to do now was sit here and wait.

Chapter Eighteen

GABRIELLA-ROSE

I COULDN'T BELIEVE it when I saw Hudson walking into the living room. So many times today, he had told me not to give up hope, but I had. If he’d just told me he had a plan, I would have stopped worrying. Then again, I guessed he wanted me to be as natural as possible when I got home, and knowing that he would be here soon, I might have tried to stand up to Vincent and caused myself more anguish and pain.

After our introductions and Vincent’s obviously possessive nature, I decided it was best to let them talk. I was sure that whatever Hudson had planned, he would come and get me when the time was right. After excusing myself, I went to my bedroom in the hope that the next person who walked through the door would be Hudson. As I walked in, I turned on the light and went to my balcony doors to close the curtains.

I got the fright of my life when I saw someone on the balcony. It took me a few moments to realize who it was: Nico. I quickly walked back to my door and locked it. I didn’t want anyone inadvertently coming in. Then I rushed back to the balcony, opened the doors, and stepped outside. At least here, I would be able to talk without anyone hearing us.

“What on earth are you doing here, and how the hell did you get up here?”

I saw a smirk come across Nico’s face.

“Well I didn’t get to say goodbye, now, did I?”

And there was the smartmouthed Nico back again. I slapped him on the shoulder, and he faked a hurt face.

“There’s no need to be sarcastic. What are you doing here?”

His face turned serious before he answered me. “I need you to pack a bag. Enough for a couple of days, and anything you don’t want to leave behind. You won’t be coming back here anytime soon, so if you have your passport, take it with you.”

I was so pleased that I was going to be getting away from my life with Vincent. It was what I had wanted for so long. However, I had a sudden feeling of dread and worry come over me. I could feel myself starting to shake and my heart beating faster in my chest.

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