Total pages in book: 184
Estimated words: 188108 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 941(@200wpm)___ 752(@250wpm)___ 627(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 188108 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 941(@200wpm)___ 752(@250wpm)___ 627(@300wpm)
“They will never agree to it,” Salem told him.
“Perhaps we can figure out a way to give him an opening. Someone could pretend to want to work with him, and lure him out into the open,” Riordan said to Salem. “You have ties to Escana and the royal family.”
“I won’t use it.”
“Then I think your usefulness on this team is coming to an end.”
He clenched his teeth together. “I am going to my sister’s wedding in a few months. I can speak to them then.”
“It’s too long to wait.”
He and Riordan locked stares. But neither backed down.
“Keep working on other angles. Speak to them before you leave for the wedding. Feel them out,” Riordan bossed as he left the room.
Genevieve let out a shaky breath as she stood. “Well, anyone else need a drink, now?”
Salem needed the whole top shelf.
5
Salem entered Club Slade.
Frustration was riding him hard, and he wasn’t certain that being here was a good idea.
Not that he’d ever take his frustration out on a sub. He had been trained better than that.
But he wasn’t exactly in a good headspace.
The meeting with Riordan hadn’t gone well. He was a hard man. And he demanded results.
Which Salem wanted to give him.
But he was pushing Salem out of the lead position. A clear message that he didn’t trust him to do the job.
He worked best when he was given free rein at something, and Riordan knew that. Just like he knew that Salem had put his blood, sweat and tears into this.
And then there was Alexei.
Fuck. Salem knew he should go check on Alexei. Riordan wouldn’t even hear of letting him take on any undercover work. Instead, he was stuck giving them information or helping to train new recruits.
At least Roman had escaped Riordan’s ire.
Salem moved slowly toward the bar at the end of the room. Club Slade was housed in a cold, industrial building, and the inside kept that industrial theme with lots of black, metal, and wood.
Nothing like where he lived. He still felt out-of-place. As though he couldn’t quite settle because he was too scared to touch anything.
Sometimes, he wished Alexei took more care. He’d broken two vases and a sculpture in the first two weeks of living there. Although Roman had taken it rather well.
Then again, Salem wasn’t always sure of how much Roman took in. Maybe he didn’t even know those vases were broken.
Salem needed to check in with the younger man tomorrow. He’d come home from his walk the other day in a strange mood.
Quiet and thoughtful.
But he hadn’t immediately taken off into his office and bedroom. Instead, he’d sat at the kitchen island as Salem cooked and had asked him questions about how easy it was to get infections from scraping your knees and palms.
It had been a bizarre conversation.
And that was saying something. Because most of his conversations with his roommates were bizarre.
Yeah. He shouldn’t be here. He had other responsibilities.
Like taking care of everyone else.
And that included convincing his mum to go to Escana for Alina’s wedding.
He wasn’t sure why she was so hesitant.
He knew that his dad wouldn’t go without his mum and Alina wanted their parents there more than anyone else. So he had to make that happen.
More shit on his plate.
Turning away from the bar, he’d made the decision to get the hell out of here when a woman banged straight into him. He grabbed hold of her as she wobbled.
“Oh no! I’m so sorry. I’m such a freaking klutz.”
“Don’t talk down about yourself,” he said automatically. Although he found himself actually meaning it.
He didn’t want this gorgeous girl to ever speak or think badly about herself.
She was stunning with long hair that was a curious mix of colours that she’d pulled up off her face into a high ponytail. Big blue eyes stared up at him. She wore a tight black leather corset that pushed her breasts up, baring most of them. And she’d paired them with long, black tight pants that clung to her in all the best ways. Her feet were bare, which he didn’t think was that wise.
“It’s not smart to go barefoot in here,” he told her. “Someone could stand on your toes.”
“Yeah, I’ve already learned that the hard way. But I wore some new shoes the other day and my feet were rubbed raw. I didn’t think it was a good look to wear my slippers or flip flops.” She grinned up at him.
Shit. She was short.
The top of her head barely reached the top of his shoulder. Salem swallowed heavily. He didn’t know whether it was because she seemed so sweet and helpless. Or if it was because he hadn’t been here in a long time, but he couldn’t help but feel a surge of protectiveness.
It’s just what you’d feel toward any sub who was on their own and looking a bit lost.