Thirsty Thursday (The Billionaires Temptations Book 4)

by Annalise Wells

  “Yep.” I smile and change the subject. “Have you had any more practice shots?”

  “Yeah, I went up this morning, I just fired off a few rounds. I feel comfortable now,” he says.

  “I have all the layouts, you want to check them out?”

  “Yeah, set them up and I will just wash my hands,” he says.

  I walk through the roller shutter and head toward the table. I see Ty has already filled half of his board with the schematics for the black ops base. I stand to look at the board as Cally and Tina walk in behind me.

  “What’s that?’ Tina asks.

  “Your boss’ office,” I reply.

  “I wonder if Bob can do the same thing with the co-ordinates you have in Brooklyn heights?” Tina asks.

  “We better ask him before we look at something that is useless,” I reply.

  I grab all the maps and Cally hands me the key to Bob’s room. I walk across the compound and unlock the far door. I see Bob at work with his headphones listening to radio chatter. He is muttering to himself as I look under the desk to see where Bart is.

  “Bathroom,” Bob shouts.

  He finally removes his headphones and hands them over the corner of his screen.

  “I guess you want something,” Bob says.

  “I do, and this is crucial,” I reply. I unroll my maps.

  Bob looks at everything I have done. He runs his fingers across the lines and reads the co-ordinates I have scribbled at each of the intersection and end points.

  He scrunches up his nose and pushes his glasses back up his face. “I see what you need, a three-dimensional model,” Bob says.

  “Can you do it?”

  “I will go better, but it will have to be on separate sheets,” Bob says. “I can give a detailed view of the buildings, you will be able to see the doors or where there are walls.”

  “How long?”

  Bob huffs. “No pressure then?”

  “No pressure, we just need it quick,” I reply.

  Bob scratches his head and looks at the maps again. “I can do a rough three-dimensional one in about twenty minutes just so you have something to look at, but for a detailed one and the building views, that will be this afternoon,” he says.

  “That is great, just do what you can,” I reply. “How about The Kingmaker’s location?”

  “I should have a final fix on that or where he has stayed the longest at the same time as your rough copy,” Bob says.

  I stand there and nod my head. “That is just amazing.”

  “Just bring it over when you are done,” I say, as I walk from his room. “Thanks.”

  I walk back over to Ty’s living area. He is at the table looking at some of the photos I took while I was in Brooklyn Heights.

  “What do you think about the cross currents?” he asks.

  “I believe that it is fine, the river is the biggest problem because it is open, I can get a reading for that from the roof,” I explain.

  “And we can see all of these buildings from the roof?” Ty asks.

  I nod. “Yeah, I could see the roof from each one, that is once I knew what the roof looked like,” I explain.

  “So, Mr. Yang was right,” Ty says laughing.

  “You should see it, it looks like a three-story building, and the roof garden is invisible.”

  “That is going to be important if we get him and the feds looking for a line of fine, they are going to scour that side of the river,” Ty says.

  “We have no connection to him though, Tina has already pointed out that she is going to be downstairs on the camera, so any questions for her… they will have no one to ask,” I say.

  “What about me? I will have to get out without the camera picking me up,” Ty says.

  “We have that sorted. There is the laundry trolley for the spa, you come in, we do the deed, and you get out,” I explain.

  “What about you?” Ty asks.

  “Me, I am just a dancer. I just have to stay away from the apartment overnight and come to work with the rest of them,” I reply.

  “I can’t think of anything else that is going to be a problem, then,” Ty says. He gives a smile. The brothers all look so alike.

  “Maybe, Tina has a hunch about the buildings, we will see this afternoon when Bob has the full layout.”

  “It would be a pain in the ass if we did all this for no use,” Ty says.

  “Think positive.”

  There is a knock at the door. Cally gets up and stands on the chair to look through the window.

  “Bob,” she says, as she opens the door.

  Bob walks in and rolls out some freshly printed maps. We can instantly see everything has been converted to three dimensions. Bob explains the difference with each layout he has printed. The first is all from the roof top, and the second batch is from each building leading into the final building. It shows the blocks of a bullet from going any further.

  “What is the maximum distance to the last building?” I ask Bob.

  He looks at the bottom of his print out. “One nine seven three yards,” he says.

  “We are well in distance then,” I say.

  “What rifle you using?” Bob asks.

  “A twilight,” Ty replies.

  “Really? Wow, you have an SVLK 14S Twilight, can I have a look?”

  “Sure, why not.” Ty smiles.

  He walks to his bedroom and appears with a carbon, fiber, carrying case. He puts it on the table and pops open the catches. Bob lifts the lid and strokes the rifle.

  “It is beautiful, that Kingmaker is going to be one dead motherfucker with this,” Bob says.

  “We hope so,” Ty replies.

  Bob looks up, “You do know that if he was fifteen hundred yards away you could shoot him through the wall,” he says.

  Ty smiles. “Yes Bob, I know what the rifle can do.”

  “Can I have a go when all this is over?” Bob asks.

  “We will see, there will be a lot of heat for a while,” Ty explains.

  “I am gonna tell Bart, he will cream himself,” Bob says, as he runs back to his room. Like a kid in a candy store, there’s a bounce in his step.

  Ty and I scour the maps to see if there is anything we have missed. I spot the piece of paper Bob forgot to mention. It shows The Kingmaker splits his time between three buildings on a random rotation.

  “These three locations have varying distances that will make things slightly difficult in setting up. ‘Till we have a final fix, or we can see him, but we will be guessing,” I say to Ty.

  “The cross winds will be the same,” Ty replies.

  “Well if you are comfortable, and depending on what Bob says later this afternoon, we can be all set for either tomorrow or the day after.”

  “Let’s just wait and see what he says before we commit ourselves to anything,” Ty says.

  “Yep, for now, we are waiting on Bob,” I say.

  “What do you think about the base?” Ty looks at his whiteboard.

  “It looks complicated.”

  “Not really. Their security is pretty weak considering, my guy can bypass that in his sleep, and the banks and museums are tighter than that, and we can get into them,” Ty says.

  “What would you have to do once you are inside?” I ask.

  “It is a last resort if Bob can’t hack into their system, we have to manually log into their system and give him access,” Ty explains.

  “And then what happens?”

  “Bob hits his button, and we show these guys in compromising positions and blow the whole damned lid off everything.”

  “A bit like the way he crashed The Kingmaker’s network,” I say.

  “A bit, but this is much worse, it may reach the Whitehouse,” Ty says. I look at him in shock.

  “I am sure the president doesn’t know about all this,” I say plainly.

  “You never know, they say they don’t, but in the end, they do,” Ty says. His words are serious and I realize how small we all
are in the game.

  “Well, as long as it does the job I don’t really care, as long as Tina can get out.”

  Ty looks at me and smiles. “That was priority number one, wipe any trace of her being involved. Once this is over, she is out just like my brothers and me,” Ty says.

  “Hopefully we can all have that peaceful life we have always wanted,” I say.

  “I just don’t think any of us will be that lucky, there will always be something.” Ty looks perplexed. I know exactly how he feels.

  “The best memories are the ones you wish to remember.”

  Tina

  “Why is it always other people who remind you of yourself?”

  We wait with Ty and Cally. Bob had been busy working as fast as he could on producing the final schematics for Brooklyn Heights. Cally and I had prepared lunch while we waited, and Ty had taken Orlando for a spin on his motorcycle.

  “How are things with the new club?” Cally asks.

  “It is like magic, we came down the stairs this morning, and the spa was half full,” I reply.

  “That is great, word got around quick.”

  “The gym was the same, it was as if we have been open for weeks,” I explain.

  “Well, Beau doesn’t leave much to chance, he has probably been pushing it without you realizing,” Cally says.

  I look at Cally, she has grown up a lot since she left my old club and joined Shona. She has matured into a lovely young woman, and in a way, she reminds me a lot of myself when I first started in the business. She has been slightly luckier than I was, she had had the opportunity to stop hooking a few years before I did. I reckon she could have handled it, but it takes a toll on your body without you knowing. It’s better to make love to someone you love… if you have a choice.

  “I have heard Shona and Beau speaking, I think they may be looking into another venture somewhere,” Cally says.

  “Another club?” I ask.

  “I don’t believe that they would go for three in the city or the surrounding areas, that is pushing it a bit too much,” Cally replies.

  “Yeah, what seems popular can soon get saturated, and before you know it, you are competing against each other. And after all, it is a sort of limited market we are catering for.”

  I look through the roller shutter door and I hear a motorcycle in the yard. Ty and Orlando have returned from their ride.

  Orlando walks inside and removes his helmet; his eyes are beaming full of excitement. He looks hot in the leather jacket he’s borrowed from Ty.

  “That bike is awesome,” he says.

  I look as he brushes his fingers through his hair. He walks up to me and kisses me on the cheek.

  “Memories, so many have come flooding back to me,” he says.

  “That was when you were a boy,” I reply laughing.

  “What do you mean boy, I was at the start of my prime years,” he replies, smiling.

  “I suppose you want another one now then?”

  Orlando stands and smiles at me. “Nah, a ride on one every now and again is enough for me,” he says.

  Ty rolls his motorcycle under the shutter door and puts it on the stand. I can hear the creaking of the metal as his engine slowly cools inside the warehouse.

  He starts to close the shutter as Bob runs underneath.

  “I have the plans finally,” he says, gasping for breath.

  “How does it look?” I ask.

  Bob screws his face up as he breathes deeply. “Give me a minute, and I will explain,” he says.

  He walks over to the table and removes the old maps. He lays out the full three-dimensional prints and the details of the buildings.

  We all stand beside Bob as he starts to explain what lies in front of us. “As you can see, there is a clear sight of all these buildings, The Kingmaker splits his time between this one, this one and then this,” he says, pointing at the maps.

  “And where does that leave us?” I ask.

  “I can get a fix, but you will have to be ready for whatever building he is in,” Bob says.

  “Yeah, so you give us the fix, and we take the shot,” Orlando says.

  “Not so fast. Two buildings have a slight problem,” he says.

  “What sort of problem?” Ty asks.

  “The problem is, we can’t see into the rooms,” Bob says.

  “That is wonderful, so they are negative to make a hit, then?” I ask.

  “No, look.”

  Bob lays out the detailed plan of the building. He points to where the rooms that The Kingmaker goes into are blocked by a wall. The windows are just out of sight.

  “Ah, I see what you are going to say,” Orlando says. He gets it, immediately.

  “Yeah, we have to get The Kingmaker to the door, then we have a clear shot,” Bob says.

  “How the hell do we get him to stand still in the doorway?” Orlando asks.

  “We have to put someone there who is talking to him,” Bob says. “Keep him there long enough to make the shot.”

  “Who the hell can do that? I mean, he knows all of our faces,” I say.

  “Conor, we can ask him, he doesn’t know Conor,” Cally says.

  “You mean the guy who works with Joseph?” Ty asks.

  “Yeah, he knows the score, anyone else we would have to tell them what is happening,” Cally replies.

  “It is fucking dangerous though, at that distance, the bullet only has to be a fraction off, and it is Conor who is the dead one,” Ty says. His face becomes perplexed.

  “I think he will do it. Anything for Shona, he is like her second protector,” Cally says. “He is so loyal.”

  “He is at our club now, maybe I better speak to him sooner rather than later,” I say.

  “It may be wise, because if he says ‘no,’ we have to come up with another strategy,” Ty says.

  Orlando rolls up the new maps and puts them into his bag.

  “Thanks, Bob, great work as always,” says Orlando.

  “It is a challenge, and I just love a challenge,” he replies.

  We turn to walk to the door as Bob mentions something else. “The black ops network, I am in. But their security is only CIA level, so it was not as complicated as I thought,” he explains.

  “Just don’t leave any trace that you have been there, and set things up to look away from us, this might have to be blown wide open at a moment’s notice,” I say.

  “No worries, I am going through the list of names you gave me, and I am finding all the dirt I can on them,” Bob replies.

  I smile and hold Orlando. “Good, when this shit hits the fan, I don’t want them to be able to get out of it. This is my last act, and I am finished.”

  “Don’t worry, they will have nowhere to hide, neither will anyone who tries to protect them,” Bob says smiling.

  We finally leave Cally, Ty, and Bob, and head off back to the club. I was unsure what Conor would say when we asked him about being a decoy.

  We reach the club and walk into the reception, there are still people in the gym and Tommy tells us things are going well. We pass by the spa, and there are still plenty of women milling around. The place smells of jasmine and an instant calming effect washes over me.

  The elevator comes to a halt and Orlando pulls the large gate upward. The doors slide open, and we walk into the funky atmosphere of the club. It is a huge difference to the spa that is fresh and calm; the club is warm and lively. The effect is immediate and totally in your face as you exit the elevator.

  Conor is busy behind the bar finalizing the stocks and all the glasses. We approach him as he looks up and smiles.

  “Conor, how is everything?” I ask.

  “Good, very fucken good,” he replies.

  “When do you think we will be ready to open?”

  “The day after tomorrow, everything is ready apart from some of those guys, they need a bit more practice,” Conor explains. He wears a grin. “Some of them havde huge…”

  Orlando’s face looks to t
he stage. He hates having competition.

  “How do you think it will compare to Shona’s club?” I ask, as I pull up a stool.

  Conor leans on the bar. He looks toward the stage as he speaks. “I think it will be popular, but it is a whole new ball game with couples and all,” he says.

  “That was what I was thinking.”

  “But, there are a lot of married couples who go to therapy and seek help, maybe this is just the thing for them,” he says.

  “It will certainly spice up their lives,” I reply, thinking of our recent naughty escapade.

  “I guess you want to ask me something different to what you already know, so out with it, what do you want to know?” he asks.

  “I can see why you get on so well with Joseph, there is not much that gets past you,” I say laughing.

  “Just being observant, it helps a lot,” he says.

  “I am not sure if Joseph has mentioned the plan to take out The Kingmaker?”

  “Not in much detail, but the sooner that demon is out of the way, the better,” Conor says.

  “Well, we finally have a plan, but we have a slight hiccup,” I say.

  Orlando gets the maps and rolls them on the counter. I look over his shoulder to make sure no one is in peeking distance.

  “Right. We have a clear shot from upstairs to these three buildings where he divides his time,” I say.

  Conor looks at the maps. He runs his fingers across the paths the bullet would take.

  “So, what is your hiccup?” he asks.

  Orlando pulls out the other sheets and lays them on top of the map. Conor looks at the prints of the buildings and rubs his chin. He looks up at me.

  “You got walls in the way for two of them,” he says.

  “Exactly,” I reply.

  “You want me to be a decoy and get the fucker to the door? I mean, that is if he is in either of these two buildings,” Conor asks.

  “I know it is very dangerous, and I wouldn’t ask if there was another way,” I say.

  “Anything for Shona and her friends,” Conor says.

  “We will owe you more than a favor, we will all owe you our lives,” I reply. Orlando rolls the maps back up.

  “I knew that I was being generous,” Conor says laughing. “You remind me of Shona, dear girl.”

  “Thank you, Conor. She is a great friend. And so are you.”