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The man obviously knew nothing about the world in which I lived. “Yes, Mike. They will. Until it’s done.”
* * *
Madisen
Fear had its own strangling hold on life. It ate at you, clawing both your throat as well as your insides to the point you could no longer think or breathe. The strangling feeling wrapped around my throat only continued to tighten. That’s why I’d placed all my effort in trying to shut down my feelings for Danny.
I was finished being a petulant child throwing a pity party for herself. I’d known how it would end with him. I wasn’t a fool but was tired of acting like one. Yes, it hurt, the sharp blade of the knife cutting through my heart muscles as if sliding through warm butter.
Great. Now I was using ridiculous metaphors to categorize my bruised feelings. Next, I’d be begging a soldier to run to the local grocery story to purchase vats of ice cream.
I was stronger than this.
Yet as I paced the guestroom, I continuously glanced toward the door hoping to see Danny’s face. I should think of him as the Viper, a snake ready to strike at a moment’s notice, but he’d been my Danny. No one else had ever called him that. He’d told me once that he’d allowed me to do so because I was his pipsqueak.
His.
The word held a possessive definition.
Sadness was replaced by raw fear. The fact someone had placed a contract on my life was debilitating. I’d watched enough cop shows and movies to believe Dante would keep sending men until they managed to hunt me down. Or maybe the mafia bastard wanted to do this one himself.
I laughed to myself since Danny was involved with the same kind of organization. There I went again. I was unable to block him out of my mind.
A deep, angry sigh pushed past my lips as I sat on the bed. I hadn’t meant to blurt out the news regarding our passionate, secret tryst in Vegas. It had been reactionary, longing to damage his heart the way he’d hurt me. That hadn’t been fair to either of us, even though at the time I’d relished seeing the shocked look on his face. I brushed my hands through my hair, lowering my head into my palms seconds later. I obviously wasn’t thinking clearly.
The promise I’d just made to myself was already failing. I jerked up from the bed, my stomach rumbling. I needed something to calm my nerves. I headed down the stairs, loathing the fact it was so quiet. I’d spent all of one minute with the man Viper had insisted stay with me. I couldn’t even remember his name.
He wasn’t in the kitchen or living room and he wasn’t outside. I headed through the rest of the house, noticing a partially open door that had been locked before. As I headed toward it, I glanced over my shoulder. I knew the security system was on. I’d seen the blip, but it felt eerie being in the house with a stranger.
As I neared the room, I noticed a glow as if the space was filled with computers. When I walked inside, I was amazed at the number of them, oversized monitors in several locations, smaller ones secured on one wall depicting views from at least fifteen cameras positioned around the estate. It reminded me of living with Jenny, her detailed computer programming requiring numerous computers. With a quick glance at the computer systems themselves, I could tell they were high powered, similar to ones used by scientists and international law enforcement agencies.
I was also impressed with the satellite system, which enabled communication to anywhere in the world. Danny could run a war from right here inside the small space. This is where he truly lived up to his powerful moniker. The man employed by Viper was actively scrolling through a file of some kind, a weapon located near his right hand.
“I’m sorry. I can’t remember your name.”
“Fuck.” He jerked up, pressing his hand against his chest. “Sorry. You just surprised me.”
I lifted my eyebrows.
“It’s Stephen. Stephen Watson. I work with Vipe.”
“I know. I remember. What are you doing in here?”
“Finding out as much as I can about Dante Torino.”
“What do you want to know?”
“Anything. What businesses he’s in besides casinos. Where his homes are located. His known business associates.”
“He’s currently involved in arms deals in South America as well as his legitimate operations in Vegas, a few in Reno. However, I overheard him talking about branching out to LA. Something about movies and music. He has a massive estate just outside the strip in Vegas, a ranch in Montana, and a condo in Key West. He’s worth about seventy-five million dollars on paper, but he has offshore accounts in Dubai, Germany, and Malaysia. He cleans his money in several restaurants and bakeries he owns in Vegas, some at the casinos but they’re watched more carefully.”
Stephen sat back, folding his arms and chuckling. “I’m curious how you found out all this information.”
“I observe. I listen. The man likes to pontificate about his wealth. I know body language very well. It’s amazing what you can learn when you really pay attention.” When he looked at me skeptically, I laughed. “Okay, I also have a photographic memory and I like to snoop.”
“Now we’re getting somewhere. Why did you do that?”
“I was curious who I was working for.”
