“Okay, so I see that the cost of timber has gone up with the brush fires that swept California this year. I suppose it was expected. What are your thoughts? Price increase or decrease in manufacturing.” I own a multibillion-dollar legal timber mills and iron ore mining company. One of my professors in college hooked me up with a friend of his in Africa who helped me get started. When he died, he left everything to me with the hopes that I would expand and donate as well. I kept my promises on both ends, and now it’s time to assess the company’s direction and make the necessary changes to keep us relevant and competitive while maintaining best business practices.
The meeting lasts two hours. As that’s happening, I check on my brother’s location. He’s in the Bronx with his mistress, or at least that’s what I believe. I don’t want to go home and find him in bed with Giada or I might slit his throat on the spot and forget my plot for revenge.
“Thank you all for taking the time to meet with me. I’m glad to be back and I’m ready to continue to make the company a success.” While I stuff everything back into my case, I put a monitoring device underneath the table. My plan is clear. I want to hear everything going on in and around my business. At this point, I trust no one. I go into my office and slip on a pair of gloves to avoid leaving my own trace as I set up three hidden cameras in the office with both voice and audio. It takes me twenty minutes to go through my things and organize them the way I like. My office has recently been cleaned and aired out, but when I was first arrested, my office was ransacked and my personal belongings seized. Fucking Feds. I leave after grabbing a few things I need. After the weekend, I’ll know a lot about who I can trust and who I can’t.
As I open the door, I pull off the gloves and tuck them into my pocket. Joey’s waiting on the other side, leaning against the wall facing my door.
“Ready?” he asks, tilting his head toward the elevator.
“Yes. Let’s go,” I say before addressing Karen again. “I’ll be back on Monday.” I don’t have to do anything else in the office until then, especially because I’m betting someone sneaks into my office by the end of the day.
“Did you monitor the car?”
“Yes. No one has gone near it.” We have cameras all around the building, and I made sure to watch for a slick play by anyone. I’ve never felt so damn paranoid before, but things have changed and they’re going to get a lot worse before they get better.
“Great.” As soon as we’re in the car, I reveal our plans. “I’ve already gathered the team you want. We don’t kill anyone. I want to be in and out with her. The cameras need to be down and the men out cold. The rest I can handle on my own.
IT’S WELL INTO THE night when we put the plan into motion. My cell phone puts me in my home and my surveillance cameras are on a loop cycle using last night’s footage. Now, we drive off to my father’s estate with my best tech guy, Rogers, who hacks into my father’s security system effortlessly. It’s not the latest in tech because my father feared that his system could easily be hacked with all the cloud software and modern cyber techniques. My guy still managed to breach the system and keep the cameras facing away from my path to Giada.
“Are we ready?”
“Yes. We have a ten-minute window to get her out of there. That’s about how long it will take for them to notice something’s wrong with the system if they’re smart. Twenty if they’re stupid. Let’s hedge our bets,” my tech guy says.
The physician, who’s a former mercenary, hands me a capped syringe. “Shoot her with this. It’ll sedate her. The ass cheek is the best spot for this.”
“She’ll pass out in twenty seconds or less.” I nod and take the syringe, setting it inside of my flak jacket.
“Got it.” We bump fists and then two guys and I sneak in just in case we need to drop anyone. He’s temporarily disarmed the sensors above the gate, so we easily jump down. There are no ground sensors. That’s what my father said his men were for. It works and we’re on the property. My men remain in the shadows out of the camera’s view while I run across the lawn to the front of the house.
From my position, I don’t pass by the front door and now I’m just under her balcony. Quickly and quietly, I scale the wall. I prepare the ropes for our descent back down. Then I pop the lock. I could use the key I have for it, but I don’t want them to know it’s me.
I creep inside the darkened room. On the bed is just one body and as I get closer, I see her sexy silhouette. God, my dick hardens instantly, not what I need at the moment, but I ignore the fucker because our lives depend on it. Slipping out the syringe, I uncap it and then climb onto the bed and brush my hand over her face as my other hand goes to her ass. She feels fantastic in that silky nightgown, but I’m immediately reminded that time is of the essence.
Still, I can’t resist stealing a kiss. She moans into my mouth, joining me, and then says, “Rafael.” My hard-on is gone and in its place is jealous rage.
“Don’t ever
