“Yes, Victor?”
“If I see you fly your plane overhead one more time, I’ll kill her and be done with it.”
I put the phone down, utterly chilled to the bone.
Sally walked into my bedroom and handed me a glass of wine as she kissed my cheek. “Who was that?” She asked.
“No one important.”
Chapter Eight
“Were you just talking to someone?”
I put the satellite phone in my pocket and turned to Danisha.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean for you to hear me…” Of course, I meant her to hear me. That’s why I had left my office door cracked open enough to overhear, but not to understand.
“Was that Adrian? Were you talking to Adrian just now? What did he say?”
I walked over to her and motioned for her to sit on the couch. Sitting on the coffee table in front of her, I took her hands in mine.
“Yes, it was, Danisha. I attempted to negotiate with Adrian now that I’d finally gotten a hold of him.”
“What do you mean finally?” Tears began to form in her eyes. I mentally patted myself on the back.
“I didn’t want to tell you this, but I have been calling Adrian every day since I brought you here, and he has refused to take my phone calls until now.”
“Wh-what? Didn’t he know I’m here?”
“He did.” I nodded slowly, intently, watching her process this. If I didn’t play this just right…
“Is he coming?” she asked.
I hesitated for effect. “I don’t know, Danisha. He didn’t say.”
Danisha stood suddenly. She was clearly struggling to keep her emotions in check. “I’m going to my room,” she declared before running off.
I would check on her in a few hours before springing my last stages of the plan. Right now, I decided to light myself a cigar to celebrate an early victory.
***
My pillow was smeared black with my mascara. Waterproof my ass. It couldn’t even handle a couple hours of nonstop crying.
I went into my personal bathroom to clean up. I was devastated over Adrian’s reaction, but I was not about to show it. I was just finishing my make-up when Victor knocked on my door.
I threw on a silk bathrobe and answered.
“Danisha, are you okay?” Victor asked me.
“I’m fine,” I shrugged. “I’m not exactly surprised. His business is everything to him. He wouldn’t give it up easily… especially for someone he barely knows…”
I sat on my bed and watched as Victor shifted his weight from one foot to the other and then back again. He seemed nervous about something… Geeze, what else has gone wrong? I thought.
Then I figured it out.
He had kidnapped me thinking that it was the way to get Adrian to listen. It’s too bad that Adrian didn’t care enough about me even to spare a phone call. Victor would now want me to leave his island. I was of no use to him--or Adrian, apparently.
“I can have the helicopter here tomorrow morning to take you home…You can keep anything you like, by the way, any clothes or trinkets. I picked those up for you, so they are yours. I’m so sorry we had to meet this way.”
“Thanks. It was actually nice being here. I kind of wish I didn’t have to leave.” Kind of? I never wanted to leave this place. Yes, I wanted to see my friends and family, but oh, wouldn’t it be nice to keep reality at bay a little while longer?
“You don’t.”
I thought I heard my neck crack from turning so fast.
“I…what?” I asked.
“You don’t. You are more than welcome to stay.” He got down on his knees and clasped my hands in his. “Danisha, my dear, I have come to enjoy your company immensely. You have an ambition that matches my own. If nothing more came of that, then I would still call myself a lucky man, but I feel a connection with you that I think could grow into something more. If you wanted to stay here with me, I could think of nothing that would make me happier.”
I couldn’t believe what was happening. My life wasn’t just a rollercoaster, it was practically an entire amusement park!
I thought again of my friends and family. It wouldn’t be often, but I could visit them. I could always work on the EyeRead here, as well, undisturbed by the outside world…
Undisturbed by Adrian…
I looked down at Victor. His eyes eagerly searched mine for an answer.
“Yes.”
The Billionaire’s Dark Escape Book 3
Bella Rayne
Chapter One
I laced my fingers behind my head as I looked at Sally. When she was sleeping peacefully beside me like this, I could almost forget why we had divorced. Almost.
Sally always blamed my work for our failed marriage; she never understood the time-sensitive nature of my business. It was crucially important to strike while the iron is hot as they say.
Perhaps I was neglectful, but she knew how dedicated I was to my work when she married me. Besides, I was an independent man. If she wanted someone who never left her side, maybe she should have married a bodyguard.
Sally certainly had not seemed to mind all of the perks that came as a result of my working long hours, especially when those perks granted her the ability to continue living in the neighborhood even after our divorce was final. Sally wasn’t materialistic, but she did enjoy the finer things in life, as did I.
I began to wonder if Victor’s suggestion that I cut my client list wasn’t a blessing in disguise. I missed Danisha terribly, but I had to admit, I was enjoying the familiarity that came with being with Sally. My bond with Sally ran deep.
My connection with Danisha was immensely refreshing, but what if I only thought it was exciting because it was new? So many relationships never lasted past the honeymoon phase— could the flame I held for Danisha withstand the test of time? Was I willing to sacrifice my history with Sally for a future with Danisha?
Sally began to stir next to me.
I slid my arm around her shoulders and pulled her close as she woke. She kissed my cheek.
“Good morning,” she said.
“Good morning,” I replied. “What would you like for breakfast?”
“Adrian, I saw your pantry last night. Let’s not pretend like you have anything besides cereal.”
I nudged her playfully. “I can have something brought in. What would you like? Name it.”
Sally decided on French toast and a blueberry muffin. I opted for a bowl of honey and cinnamon oatmeal. After breakfast, she gracefully excused herself, saying she had errands to run for the rest of the day. I think she knew my mind was beginning to wander toward work. Grateful, I kissed her goodbye, promising to see her when my work was done.
Of course, it wasn’t work that I was actually thinking of, but Danisha. Even though there was nothing I could do until Victor called me, I still felt guilty for having such a good time while Danisha was trapped on that island. If Danisha felt any sort of attraction to Victor like he had insinuated on the phone, I knew it had to be because he was manipulating her.
Last night, I faxed Victor every one of my clients’ files. There wasn’t time to write a press release, so I e-mailed my PR handler, Darius, telling him to notify my clients and all trading companies that I would be trimming my client list.
I knew it would end up as ticker tape on the major business news networks by noon today, so I flipped on the TV to check. Sure enough, my name scrolled across the bottom. That should be public enough to satisfy Victor.
I didn’t want to spend the day fielding calls from my clients (or future ex-clients) while I waited for Victor to contact me, so I asked Darius to handle all questions.
“The clients will want to know why you’re doing this. What would you like me to tell them?” Darius had asked.
“Tell them it’s none of their goddamn business.” I’d replied. I normally flourished under the public eye, but with everything that was going on, I was chaffing at the scrutiny.
�
�Uh…”
I sighed. “I’m sorry, Darius. Tell them that I have worked hard for the last thirty years of my life so that I might enjoy the next thirty years. I deserve to take it easy.”
Darius was silent. Then he asked, “Are you okay, Mr. Ardic?”
I understood his hesitation. I had never expressed a desire to ‘take it easy’ in my life.
“I’m fine, Darius. I am just under a lot of stress. That’s why I need to cut back on my clients.” It was important not to arouse suspicion just yet. If someone thought I was being coerced, they wouldn’t run the story, Victor would get spooked and I would never see Danisha again.
“Alright, Mr. Ardic. I will inform them. Do you know whom you will be dropping as of yet?” He asked me.
“No. I will have made my decision by the end of the week once I find a suitable replacement for the clients I am cutting. Thank you. Darius.” I hated referring to Victor as “suitable” when he was anything but.
The satellite phone Victor sent me rang less than twenty minutes after I turned on the TV.
“Hello, Victor. Seen the news, have you?” I asked coolly.
“I have to admit, Adrian, I was hoping for something a little more…personal.”
“I suppose you wanted to see my face as I helped you kill my business? So sorry to disappoint.” I replied sarcastically.
“I’ll get to see your face soon enough during negotiations.” Victor said smoothly.
Victor agreed to release Danisha in exchange for my client list. First, we would discuss the percentage of my clients he would receive and their combined net worth. Then we would decide which clients they would be. If I was going to out-maneuver Victor in negotiations, I needed to try and anticipate his main goal. I knew Victor wanted money, so he might want my biggest clients, but he also wanted to hurt me. He might try to take a client that was special to me, like my first client, perhaps.
“Yes, and where is this extortion supposed to occur? I suppose it’s too much to hope that you would leave the island.”
“You suppose correctly,” Victor said. He knew the second he touched down anywhere with extradition laws, I would have him in handcuffs.
“Besides,” he continued, “Danisha enjoys it here so much, I don’t think she’ll want to leave. I even offered her the opportunity to go home and she chose to stay here with me!”
“You’re lying,” I said automatically, but my mind raced.
“You’ll see soon enough, Adrian. Come for dinner, stay the night, and we’ll spend the following day negotiating. When it’s time for you to leave, you’ll see. She’ll stay.”
I hung up with Victor and sat in my study, thinking. Was he telling the truth when he said he’d given Danisha a chance to leave? If so, why had she chosen to stay? I looked at my reflection in an antique mirror on my wall. I was an attractive man, but my salt-and-pepper hair was more salt than pepper these days. Victor was much closer to Danisha’s age. Perhaps he connected with her in a way that I could not.
Maybe I shouldn’t feel so guilty about Sally after all…
***
I paced nervously in my room as I waited for Victor to finish his phone call with Adrian. It had been less than half an hour, but I felt like I had been waiting for ages. Finally, Victor knocked on my bedroom door. I took a deep breath to calm down. I disliked showing vulnerability.
“May I come in?” He asked when I opened the door.
“Of course, this is your house, after all.” We sat down together on a loveseat that faced the waving palm trees.
“It is your home, too, if you want.”
“Did you talk to Adrian?” I asked, changing the subject. I was too confused to talk about my feelings.
Victor’s face tightened and then relaxed so quickly I wondered if I’d imagined it.
“I did. Adrian agreed to not only lift his client ban, but to sign some clients over to me as well. We will have a little negotiation to hammer out the details.” Victor laughed. “You know businessmen, always wanting that extra thrill.”
“Businesswomen, too. Will he come to the island?” I asked.
“Yes, I’ve invited him for dinner in hopes of repairing our friendship. He’ll be arriving tomorrow night.”
“Tomorrow night?” I echoed. That was so soon.
“We will spend all of the following day negotiating. You can leave with him immediately after, if you wish, and be back home by dawn.” Victor told me.
Victor had offered me the chance to go home once before, and I’d chosen to stay because I didn’t believe Adrian wanted me. Victor made it clear he did want me, very much in fact… If Adrian asked me to go with him, would I still choose to stay? I wasn’t sure, and I only had two days to figure it out.
Chapter Two
I only had one day to persuade Danisha to stay on the island. This would be my coup de grȃce in enacting my revenge upon Adrian. I planned to make the most of it.
“I want to show you something,” I told her after breakfast.
“Are we going to see the other islands today?”
“That is not what I had in mind, but yes, we can do that today if you would like.”
“What do you want to show me?”
“Stand up,” I told her.
She slowly did as I said.. I could tell she was still wary. Hopefully my plan would allay her fears until I could strike. I stood with her.
“Close your eyes,” I said.
Danisha looked at me with a raised eyebrow.
I laughed. “It’s a surprise!” I told her.
“If this surprise is in your bedroom, I think I’ll pass,” she said drily. I forced another laugh and she closed her eyes.
I guided her carefully through the halls, keeping a smile on my face in case she peeked. She had a smart mouth and I itched to wipe it off of her face. Patience, I told myself. As long as I kept to the plan, soon neither she nor Adrian would be smiling.
We finally reached our destination.
“Open your eyes, my dear. I had a spare bedroom refitted into an office that day we explored the island. I thought if you decided to stay, you would need somewhere to work.”
Danisha gasped. I smiled. She was mine now. Everything was state-of-the-art, the tabletops embedded with microchips to drag files from your computer to your sofa.
“It’s amazing, Victor. Thank you,” she gasped. She slowly walked over to me, hesitated, and then gave me a brief kiss. I wished I had installed cameras so I could play this moment for Adrian when he arrived later tonight.
“It was my pleasure,” I said, honest for once. It was my pleasure, and it would be an even greater pleasure to see Adrian’s face as his lover chose his enemy.
***
After I hung up the phone with Victor, I called Jackson and asked him to come by the house at his leisure. The kind of favor I was about to ask of him for was one that needed to take place in person.
“Something to drink?” I asked once Jackson arrived later that evening.
“Just a beer, if you have one,” Jackson replied.
I opened two bottles of beer for us and we sat in the living room, sipping and chatting about our past travels. Both of us had been to every continent except Antarctica.
“If you finance the trip there, I will fly it,” he said, laughing.
“You have a deal!” I told him.
After another two or three beers, I invited Jackson to call me Adrian, and he, in turn, asked that I call him Jack. This was the moment I was waiting for.
“Jack, I was wondering if I might ask you a favor…” I began.
“Ah,” he said knowingly.
I paused and waited for him to explain.
“Well, I didn’t really think you invited me over to talk about winter camping trips in the South Pole,” he said.
I had obviously underestimated the man. That was not something I did often.
“Touché.” I admitted.
I decided to tell him the truth. I respected him too much to lie t
o him at this point.
“I need help with a…situation in the island chain I’ve had us fly over these past couple of weeks.”
Jackson was instantly alert. “What kind of situation?” he asked.
“I can’t say, Jack. It could be dangerous, so the less you know, the better. If you don’t want to assist me without knowing what you’re getting yourself into, I won’t blame you. I know that I am asking you to take a lot on faith.”
“I’m always up for an adventure!” Jackson said, grinning.
I laughed and resolved to have Jack over more often. Right now, it was time for business.
“Can you fly a seaplane?” I asked.
“I can fly it as smooth as the water it lands on,” he replied, shrugging.
“Good enough. I need you to either rent or buy one for me— something big enough for three people, but light and fast enough to land on that island.” I pointed to the large center island where Victor’s house was.
“I’ll need you to drop me off there tomorrow night. Hopefully, the night after, I will radio you to come and pick up Danisha and I.” I said.
Jackson held up a finger. “‘Hopefully’?” he repeated.
“That is where you come in. I have a contact in Australia that I’ve asked to leave a boat with food and water two miles north of the island. Once you drop me off at the island, I need you to go to the boat and stay there for the night. If all goes well, I will contact you the following evening via radio to fetch us.”
“What if it doesn’t go well?”
“I’ll be taking a flare gun with me. Keep watch on the boat. If you see the flare at any point, come get me immediately.”
“Alright, but if you shoot that flare and I have to come save your ass, then you have to tell me the whole story!” He grinned.
“You have a deal,” I said.
I trusted Jack, but it was better if he only knew about the flare gun, and not the handgun I put in my bag’s side pocket. I went to bed that evening feeling confident in my plan.
Hang Em' Up: A Bad Boy Sports Pregnancy Romance Page 69