Total pages in book: 153
Estimated words: 148962 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 745(@200wpm)___ 596(@250wpm)___ 497(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 148962 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 745(@200wpm)___ 596(@250wpm)___ 497(@300wpm)
In every instance, the clean-up was the same—accounts closed, phone numbers deactivated, socials scrubbed. I’d tracked down a few of them who had relocated, now living quiet lives in places where they could stay under the radar. But that wasn’t the only anomaly that surfaced.
A few months ago, his longtime executive assistant, personal driver, and travel aide all quit their jobs and relocated as well.
They weren’t IVI-affiliated and didn’t have the resources to hide themselves well, though they tried.
After I uncovered their locations, I had Mariella send volunteers from the Aegis network in their respective areas to broker a deal. In exchange for new identities and a lump-sum payment, they were asked to share what they knew. They turned over what they’d documented—a cache of hand-written notes tracking Richard’s activities over the years.
Richard had hired the son of an old college friend for his security team, and he would pick up young women from local nightclubs and bring them to Richard’s hotel room.
The rest of his security would be dismissed for the evening, and the driver was expected to return in the morning to pick up the women. When he did, they would often stumble out of the room, disoriented and withdrawn. Some of them were too afraid to even get in the car.
At other times, when the driver returned in the morning, he’d be told the guest had left of their own accord, only to discover they’d been reported missing later.
His team suspected Richard and his guard were drugging the women, but they couldn’t prove it. The assistant had spoken privately with a few of them after the fact, and they confirmed they couldn’t remember anything that happened, but they were too scared to go on the record.
Given that Richard had ties to a different chapter of Imperium at another university, it seems what happened to Gabi wasn’t a one-off. I think what started off as an initiation ritual in Richard’s college days became a twisted fantasy he never stopped indulging.
When his nephew was implicated in the leak, Holloway wanted to protect him. Not out of love, but because he saw no issue with what Imperium was doing.
As for the rest of the council members, they all have their own dirty secrets, and tonight, their karmic debt has come due.
The irony is that I’m using the same cocktail of drugs I confiscated from Imperium.
I divide the vials into a bunch of shot glasses on the bar and top them off with a cheap bottle of vodka. Michele helps me force the liquid down each of the men’s throats, and it doesn’t take long to incapacitate them. It will keep them quiet for now, but by the time we reach our destination, they’ll be slightly more alert and pliable enough for what we need to do.
We stop at a Bratva smuggling buoy in the middle of Puget Sound to meet up with Cristian. I turn on the AIS while we’re there, leaving a digital breadcrumb, and we transfer the men to Cal’s yacht. When Rafe shows up with the women in the third boat, Cristian predictably loses his shit.
“What is she doing here?” He glowers at Chantel.
She offers him a smile designed to test his patience. “I know this may be a novel concept for you, but I make my own decisions, so you can find someone else to manage.”
Cristian’s gaze darkens as it slides over her barely-there dress, and his hand flexes at his side.
“Trust me, you would know if I were managing you. I don’t do gentle correction.”
A flush crawls up Chantel’s neck, which only seems to increase the tension between the two of them.
“Don’t threaten me with a good time,” she bites out.
They continue to stare at each other until Angelo interrupts. “Did you bring what we need for photos?”
“Yes.” Chantel points at the duffel bag between Jasmine and Honey.
“Then do what you need to do,” he tells them. “We’ll get the men situated.”
The women get ready, pulling on silicone face masks and wigs, while we set up staging areas for the men.
I dump some blow on the table in the salon and scatter dirty cocktail glasses throughout while Michele handles the main cabin. When he’s done tossing around condoms and dildos like confetti, we bring the women in.
“Oh, God, these motherfuckers.” Jasmine grimaces.
“You know them?” Rafe asks.
“Oh yeah, we know them.” Honey narrows her eyes at Cal. “Can I shove a couple dildos up his ass with no lube?”
“If you want.” Rafe snorts. “They’re yours to play with for the next hour.”
Jasmine and Honey glance at each other and smirk. Meanwhile, Chantel focuses on an attorney named Winston, and Cristian doesn’t miss it.
“What did this one do?” His eyes flash.
“Well, let’s see.” She counts off the offenses on her fingers. “He grabbed my ass, yanked me onto his lap during a show, and tried to shove his hand down my shorts. Then, when he got banned from the club, he followed me through the parking garage and tried to get me to retract my complaints against him.”