Page 144 of Owned (Office Intrigue Duet 8)
“And Jimmy?” Braelyn asked, her eyes wide with fear.
“He’ll be dealt with.” Unlike their parents, that man’s demise was imminent. After what he’d done to Braelyn … he didn’t deserve to live.
Ransom sat up, planting his elbows on the table. “You’re aware of this plan?”
I nodded. “Trent’s been a pain in my ass since I brought you here. He’s determined to help you. Says he owes you.”
“Me? What the hell for? He gave me a job, not the other way around.”
“Something about you saving one of his submissives? Clarissa, I think.” I honestly didn’t know all the details other than Zeke and Ransom had played a part in taking care of things. I hadn’t bothered to ask for more information.
Ransom sighed, seeming to relax. “He owes me nothing.”
“Well, he doesn’t see it that way.”
Ransom was shaking his head. “I don’t want him involved. He does this, I’ll owe him. I owe enough people as it is.”
“You owe me,” I stated firmly.
“Trust me,” he huffed. “I’m aware of that.”
“And this is me calling in that favor.”
Ransom frowned.
“I want you to accept Trent’s offer.” I looked at Braelyn briefly, then back to her brother. “For your sister’s sake.”
As I expected, Ransom peered over at her, his face softening. I knew he would do anything for her, and as it turned out, so would I. I’d already made the decision to have Trent put his plan in motion, but I had wanted to discuss it with Ransom out of respect for Braelyn.
“Say I agree,” Ransom said, his gaze swinging back to me. “What’s to say it’ll be final?”
“From what I gathered, he’s got a line to another Mafia boss, one who’s not keen on some of the things your parents have been doing. You can get the details from him, but he’s adamant it’ll be taken care of.”
“What would that mean for us?” Braelyn asked, hopefully.
“You’d be free,” I informed her. “To live your lives without looking over your shoulder. You wouldn’t have to fake your deaths.”
“Ransom? Is that true?”
“You know as much as I do,” he told her. “But yeah … if I know Trent, he’s certainly got the connections to pull this off.”
“Yes,” Braelyn blurted, locking her eyes with mine. “We’ll let Trent help.”
I felt a strange churning in my chest. Did she want this so she could go back to her old life? Leaving me behind?
There was an actual ache in my heart at the thought of losing this woman.
Especially since the only thing I wanted was to keep her forever.
THIRTY-FOUR
TALON
On Saturday morning, the last full day for the Owners to be on the island, I was eager to get out of the office, to spend some time with Braelyn. Ever since Braelyn had insisted Ransom have Trent implement his plan, we’d been busy. Some of that had been playing phone tag with Trent. The rest was determining exactly how Trent intended to handle things.
As far as I was concerned, it was imperative this work and not backfire in our faces. After all, we were still working under the guise that Ransom and Braelyn Bishop had died in that fire. If things went sideways, there was a real possibility the ruse would be revealed, and they’d once again be targets. I wasn’t willing to do that, no matter how much Braelyn wanted the opportunity to go back to her normal life.
I figured I could take today to enjoy myself. Come tomorrow, the Owners would be leaving, and we’d deal with whatever chaos Trent might’ve caused. For now, I didn’t have to think about either.
“Hey, you got a second?”
I looked up from my desk to where Ransom was standing in the doorway. I motioned him inside as I leaned back in my chair. He glanced over at Ari then back to me.
“If you’re worried about discretion, there’s no one he can speak to, so it’s fine.”
Ransom nodded then closed the door behind him. “I thought I’d give you a heads-up.”
“I already know,” I informed him. “Trent called me earlier.”
He stared back at me, his eyes having gone cold and hard.
“Do you know this guy?” I inquired, glancing at the notepad on my desk. “Maximillian Adorite?”
Ransom stood before me, hands going into his pockets. “Only what I’ve looked up.”
That meant Ransom would’ve known that Maximillian Adorite was the head of the Southern Boy Mafia. He had ties to organized crime from Texas to New York, and over these past couple of years, ever since he took over the family, he’d been growing his business, strengthening his network. Sounded to me like he would welcome getting a better grip on Chicago, and dealing with the Bianchi family would allow him to do that.
“Appears he doesn’t mind getting his hands dirty,” I said.
“It’s the only way.”
I nodded in agreement. “Trent called in that favor to a…” I looked at the paper again. “Travis Walker. Travis in turn called Max. They’re taking care of things.”
