“I have my ways.” I pull an envelope out of my inside jacket pocket and pass it to him, as this is the information that will secure the deal. “And I have these.”
He looks at the envelope warily before taking it from my hand.
I watch with mild satisfaction as he turns a little greener with each photo he pulls out. “They’re rather damning, aren’t they?” I move toward him. “I wonder what Sylvia would say if she saw these.”
His Adam’s apple bobs as he looks at me like a broken man. The satisfaction rises as I know I’ve won already.
“So, do we have a deal?” I ask.
He nods. “A merger between our companies. It’ll need to be passed through the board members, so we’ll have to come up with a plan.” His jaw works. “Obviously, Kevin and I will vote in favor, but there’s three others on the board.”
“Leave securing the last to me.” I smirk at him. “One of them has some similarly dirty washing that they won’t want aired either.”
He raises a brow, as if his interest is piqued. “Damien?”
I shake my head. “You will find out the day of the vote. I’ll be in touch.” With that, I walk out of the meeting room and back toward the main events hall to find my wife.
My work for tonight is done, and everything went as planned, but I must be vigilant around Eliza as she’s still a loose cannon. I crack my jaw at the memory of her rather pathetic attempt to hit me. She did more damage to herself than me.
The bar is busier than when I disappeared with Jason, making it difficult to spot her through the crowd. I fight my way through people, hating having to get so close to others. It makes my skin crawl.
When I get to the bar, there’s no sign of Eliza anywhere. I pull my cell phone out of my pocket and call up the app linked to the tracking device that my men put under her skin when she fainted in the back of the minivan. Always plan for all eventualities.
Motherfucker.
Eliza isn’t one to play by the rules as I watch the little dot on the app moving at a fast pace deeper into central Chicago. She’s on the run. I call Gustavo, my driver, who picks up on the second dial-tone.
“Sir, I’m already following her.” He clears his throat. “I noticed she left the Ritz without you and was sure she was on the run.”
I sigh in relief. “Perfect. Keep eyes on her until I arrive.” I cancel the call and then head out of the charity event, irritated that my wife has cut short my evening. Everything I needed to handle has been dealt with, but it doesn’t mean I was ready to leave.
I pace down the street in her direction, making up the ground with every step as I watch the little dot on my app. She’s fast, but not fast enough. Every step she takes seems to get slower, perhaps as she gets further away, believing there’s no way I’ll catch up to her.
A sick part of me enjoys the chase, knowing she’s unaware that a monster is closing in on her with every single step. Eliza made a monumental mistake the moment she stepped foot outside of the Ritz, one that will result in punishment.
Excitement tingles up the base of my spine at the prospect of making my wife pay for disobeying me. A well of desire pooling in the pit of my stomach. It’s frustrating the effect that she has on me, but I’m sure after I’m through with her tonight, the desire will ease.
As I get even closer to Eliza, I realize her dot has stopped moving. I scan the perimeter to find out where she is and notice a little rundown internet cafe that she’s obviously gone inside to get the word out to her brothers to save her.
So predictable.
I walk into the cafe, noticing her instantly at the back. She’s typing frantically on a computer. Anger coils through me as I march over to her and then sit down in the chair opposite.
Eliza stops typing as her face turns a ghostly white, and she swallows hard. “How did you—”
“Silence,” I growl.
She looks like she’s about to pass out from fear as I tap my fingers rhythmically on the desk.
“Turn off the computer.”
Her eyes dart between me and the computer. Finally, she relents and her shoulders slump in defeat as she powers off the computer and stands.
I stand as well. “Did I tell you to stand?”
“No, but I assumed we were leaving.”
I tilt my head. “You assumed correctly. The car is outside. Gustavo has been following you since you left the Ritz,” I say, not wishing for her to know about the tracking device under her skin. “Sit back down for a moment.”