Total pages in book: 77
Estimated words: 72091 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 360(@200wpm)___ 288(@250wpm)___ 240(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 72091 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 360(@200wpm)___ 288(@250wpm)___ 240(@300wpm)
—on my way
Relief washed over him, and he willed himself to be patient. No point in rushing downstairs to her suite. He needed to show restraint, to learn some fucking patience. He poured a hard drink, his first in years, and carried it into the media room. He turned on sports, listened to late night commentators discuss playoff system changes and sipped it slowly, the bourbon lingering on his tongue, each swallow a burst of fire down his throat. He had a thought, pulled out his phone, and sent her a text.
Go in, get undressed and wait on the bed.
He closed his eyes and sank lower on the leather couch. Took another sip and imagined the look of her, laid out on that bed, waiting for him.
* * *
THE KILLER
Claudia had a cramp in her upper back. Lifting her arms slightly, she shifted, rolling her shoulders and rounding her spine, then arched it, trying to work the muscles. Fuck. With her luck, Bell would walk in the suite, and Claudia would be in the middle of a spasm.
It was the small space of this closet. She should have gone under the bed instead. Laid down on that plush rug and waited there. She tried twisting in place, and one elbow bumped painfully against the wall of the coat closet. She debated about moving, but this was, after touring the entire apartment, the best bet. With the door opened just a small crack, she would be able to see Bell’s movements. Not in the kitchen, but as soon as she walked into the living room or headed to the bedroom, she’d have a clear view. She could lift the gun and finish this all.
And, if Bell Hartley wasn’t alone … if Dario Capece was with her? Claudia could just stay in place. She’d spent ten months in Robert Hawk’s cell. That had taught her how to sit tight and wait. Eventually, the man would go to the bathroom, or take a shower, or fall asleep. Eventually, there would be an opening.
Besides, that second scenario wasn’t likely. Dario had taken Gwen to dinner. They’d be back in their suite. He’d be telling her lies and pretending to love her.
Claudia heard something and stopped, mid-stretch of her neck. She cocked her ear toward the door, listening.
There was the soft swoosh of a door against the tile. Shoes slapped quietly across the floor. The front door closed. It was the quiet movements of a single individual. She smiled and carefully leaned forward, looking through the crack, unable to see her.
A drawer slammed. Silverware rattled, and she raised her gun, a bullet already in the chamber. Footsteps moved, and then Bell was passing by the closet, coming into view. The girl stopped, facing away from Claudia, and pulled a phone from her back pocket. Easing the door open, she tightened her grip on the pistol, lifting the gun and lining up the glossy brunette head in its sights.
An obsession with her cell phone would be her demise. A fitting end to a girl determined to ruin the Hawk dynasty. Claudia exhaled, paused, and tightened her trigger finger, following the training of Robert Hawk.
She had a moment of guilt, a moment of gratitude that the woman was facing away from her, the damage unseen, and then the gun snapped back in a clean, perfect shot. The back of Bell’s head exploded, and it was all over for her.
Thirty-Two
THE WINNER
Bell Hartley slumped, the majority of her head destroyed by the bullet, and fell forward, her body sprawling.
Claudia had done it. She had killed. Saved Gwen’s marriage. Pleased Robert Hawk. Secured her spot in their family. She turned her head toward the front of the suite, listening to see if there was any aftermath, any rush of feet, or shouts. Silence. Dead silence. She stepped from the closet and carefully closed it with one gloved hand.
Reaching into her back pocket, she pulled out the thin paper bag and dropped the gun inside, her mind working through all of the instructions from Robert Hawk.
Leave the gun. She placed the bag in the middle of the foyer, in a place it wouldn’t be missed. Done. Steps quick, she pulled the front door open, her exit from the suite completed in less than a minute. Claudia used the code for the exterior stairwell and jogged down six flights of stairs, exiting onto the main parking garage and unlocking her car.
Less than a minute later, she was on the Strip and gunning the engine, heading toward Robert.
She smiled at the thought of his reaction and how happy and proud he would be.
“Pass this test, and I’ll set up a dinner, just the two of my girls. How would you like that?”
Just the two of my girls. Just the way it always should have been.