Page 12 of Dirty Little Secrets
“Like a heart attack.”
He hesitates but I see it in his eyes, he doesn’t have a choice. He has to deliver or he’ll piss off some very powerful people.
“If I don’t see the funds by the time I get home, you can explain to the FBI why your containers exist.”
He groans. “Jesus.”
“Try to keep up, Vinny. You wouldn’t want me visiting your home.”
Do I need the money? No. But too much money is never a problem.
Bash shuts the door behind me as I slide back into the Rolls.
A notification comes through my encrypted phone.
Wire Received from Vinny: 25,000,000.00
I exit the screen, swipe up and press the app. Obsidian opens. The black diamond gleams, wrapped in a chain. The camera turns on and the app scans my eye and logs me in.
“Where to?” Bash asks.
“Obsidian.”
The screen flickers when I press the live feed. A woman is blindfolded, bent over a chair.
Bash clears his throat. “Ms. Summers and Ms. Henry are in the black Merc like you asked.” I swipe the image away.
I lean back, closing my eyes. But all I see is a brunette in red lace. Not the woman on the screen. Her.
“Make sure they both get home. If Ms. Summers stops anywhere again, let me know. Don’t lose sight of her.”
The night of the dinner and she showed up like my subconscious ordered exactly what I wanted for the evening, she left. By the time I alerted Bash, she was gone. She left on foot and disappeared like she was a ghost and I imagined her. It tookeverything in me to ask Landon who she really was because there was no way he could pull a woman that looked like her. Landon was good at his job, kissed my ass because he was driven by the want to make more money. He thinks by following in my footsteps he would find the code of success. He’s the type of guy that makes up for what he lacks with his bank account.
“Yes, sir.”
It’s not that I care or I’m interested in her. It’s about control. Sure, I wouldn’t mind her fucking her brains out but she is my employee. That part is more important than the fact that she’s with Landon. I’m not a therapist and they’re not married. I bet anyone could smile at her and tell her to leave his ass and she would. A man that treats his woman less than a group of men seated at a table shouldn’t be trusted. Which brings me to more important matters. Someone is trying to steal from me. Most likely to sell information. I need to find out who. The only way is to control who I let close to my inner dealings or has access to my programs. Because control is everything. And once you lose it... you’re fucked.
8
“Where are we going?” I ask, shifting in my seat as the black Mercedes pulls to the curb in front of a sleek high-rise five blocks from Landon’s apartment.
The vehicle is too nice to be a regular Uber. Too quiet. Too secure. But I don’t say anything. After last call at the bar, we all headed out and there were Ubers waiting out front of the hotel to take us all back to our respective places. Kristina said it was courtesy of Drazen Enterprises and to get in. Landon and his other coworkers headed out together. I didn’t argue and took the opportunity to leave in the Mercedes with Kristina. I didn’t want my night ruined with Landon’s incessant criticism ruining of the best nights I’ve ever had.
The light in the interior car brightens when she opens the door. Kristina flashes me a sly smile. “We’re going to my place. I haven’t even given you your real birthday present yet.”
“You already did,” I say, stepping out as the doorman nods politely.
Kristina tugs my arm. “That was just the warm-up. Come on.”
In the year I’ve been working a Drazen Enterprise, I’ve never been to Kristina’s apartment. Our time is spent at the office or at lunch. At a café two blocks down or in the break-room.
Since moving here with Landon, I haven’t had the time to make any friends outside of work but I’m glad I met Kristina I’m first day and we hit it off. She’s awesome and funny. A carefree attitude that doesn’t take shit from no-one. The added bonus is that she has connections all around city. She knows who’s who and where not to go.
I follow her inside. The lobby is sleek and modern. Polished marble floors. Silver accents. A concierge desk with uniformed staff. I don’t ask how she can afford it.
We step into the elevator, and I stare at our reflections in the mirror-paneled walls. “Landon’s going to freak if I don’t show up tonight.”
Kristina shrugs. “Let him. You don’t want to go back there anyway.”
