Page 27 of Ruthless Redemption

JD turned to face him and Izzy again. “Nina here is going to escort you to the party. She is the VIP handler for The Sinclair and will help solidify your presence here as somewhat coincidental. Although that won’t last long once he gets word about the money so be prepared. But getting him curious about the two of you and establishing you as newlyweds is crucial to start.”

“Before the shock and awe?” Houston asked.

“Exactly.”

“Shall we?” Nina waved towards the elevator and he held out his arm for Izzy to take hold of.

If this was going to be their role for now, then he felt a duty and a desire to play it well. For now. He was willing to bide his time to see if JD’s mysterious plan worked, but not indefinitely.

His brain was already churning with a variety of scenarios and ways this op could go sideways.

Starting with the fake marriage. Yes, two targets were harder than one. But for a man like Frank he doubted it would be that big of a deal. His initial disappearance from the Mazzeo organization had already labeled him as a traitor to Frank.

This—this would be an act of war.

That part he liked. He had no problem facing Frank head on. He’d spent a lifetime attacking from the shadows. While it had gotten the job done, it didn’t quite give him the level of satisfaction he craved from this one. This job was personal and failure was not an option.

He clenched and unclenched his free hand, focusing on the tension building in him as he followed Nina through the hotel corridors in the direction of the ballroom. One way or another this was going to end tonight. If JD’s plan failed, they had a back up to get the job done. Frank Mazzeo would not walk away a free man. By blood or not, he didn’t care.

Chapter Twelve

Izzy

The clink of glasses hit my ears at the same time as the smell of money wafted to my nose. The pre-party for tonight’s title fight had drawn a record crowd and it included everyone from indulgent billionaires with money to burn to celebrities looking to add something new to their Instagram.

I’d already seen one of Hollywood’s current hotshots taking selfies with his admirers in the corner. He’d probably have a million likes on that photo before the fight even started. I shuddered. I couldn’t fathom having that many people interested in every aspect of my life. Nor did I ever want to. I preferred privacy.

I attempted not to stare as I tried to recognize more of the rich and famous in attendance and failed. While I’d met a lot of important and wealthy people in my life, my father held very little interest in famous entertainers unless they were the kind who climbed into a ring and beat each other bloody.

My distaste for fighting because of it was probably written across my face every time I thought about it, but I didn’t care. It seemed pointless and barbaric.

Not to mention deadly.

So far there was no sign of my father or any of his entourage. However, with the way my skin prickled with unease, I knew his arrival was imminent.

“Relax,” Houston whispered in my ear. “I know this is stressful. But trust me that it’s all going to be over soon.”

“Relax,” I repeated as I looked up at him. “You don’t know what you’re asking.”

He smiled down at me. “Sure I do. But you got this.” He squeezed my hand and tipped his head in the direction of the door.

My breath caught in my throat. I didn’t want to turn and look. That would be too obvious. My heart picked up speed and my mouth went dry. I was going to choke on my own fear if I didn’t get myself under control.

As if sensing my further distress, Houston leaned in, cupped the side of my head and pressed his lips to my temple while his thumb traced a path down the side of my face. That simple move, while designed to distract me or maybe catch Frank’s attention, made my heart stutter.

He was right. I could do this. As long as I had Houston by my side, I believed I could do anything. My stomach jerked. As much as I tried not to let my emotions get the best of me, I failed when it came to this man. Because I was in love with him.

That realization couldn’t have come at a worse time. I didn’t have time to go soft now. I needed to keep my head in the game or else it might get chopped off. I nearly scoffed. What could I say? I would put nothing past Frank Mazzeo when it came to his billion dollars.

A billion dollars that now belonged to me. My heart beat stuttered again. I needed to let that sink in. All the worry that I had nothing, could do nothing, was wiped away by a single stroke of a pen when I signed my name to those documents.

With that kind of money I could go anywhere, be anyone. That kind of money easily bought freedom and so much more. My mind turned with all the many and overwhelming possibilities.

First, I just needed to do whatever it took to stay alive. My father and Marco would not go down easy no matter what the MC thought.

Houston’s fingers tightened against my head. “He’s seen us and he does not look happy.”

Houston had maneuvered me through the crowd and made sure my back remained to the door. Part of me wanted to desperately turn and face my father. But the smarter part of me remained still, letting Houston take the lead in this.

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