Read Online Jigsaw (Black Raven Book 2) by Stella Barcelona - Free Book Online
Authors: Stella Barcelona
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fast she went, he kept up.
Damn him.
Chapter Four
Paris, France
Tuesday, February 1
“Get my granddaughter’s ass on a jet back to the States before sunrise. Persuade her to resign from the ITT proceedings and get her the hell away from there.” Samuel Dixon’s normally calm voice crackled through Zeus’s earpiece, concern and fear over the evening’s events elevating his decibel level to just below a yell.
Zeus glanced at his watch. 0120. Tuesday. Sunrise was a mere five hours away. Considering the enormous mobilization effort Black Raven pulled together in the last thirty-six hours, the idea that the job could end this abruptly was almost laughable.
He perfectly understood the man’s about-face.
The problem was that Dixon’s granddaughter had grown into an accomplished attorney, who was operating on an international stage while building a reputation for her future. Even seven years earlier, when she still faced a rigorous year of post-graduate school and hadn’t yet passed the bar exam, she had unflagging determination and absolute certainty of her capabilities. She hadn’t been a quitter then, and Zeus doubted she’d become one.
“Give me a few minutes.” Zeus jogged up the stairs to the third floor. “I’ll have her call you, and I’ll back you up on getting her to resign.”
The likelihood of Samuel’s demand being met before sunlight broke the horizon, or at any time, was pretty damn slim. Black Raven was in the security business. Miracles were someone else’s forte.
“Bring her home, Zeus. Make it happen,” Samuel continued. “I’ll pay Black Raven’s full fee, as though you did the job in its entirety, through the verdict reading in Brussels on March first. Understand?”
“Yes. Understood.” Zeus clicked a button on his watch that controlled phone reception, breaking the connection.
Resignation? Not going to happen.
While he had worked the job of body guarding her grandfather, before he acted on his feelings for her, he and Sam had shared many late nights in the office of Dixon’s home with their laptops open. She had studied. He had dealt with security issues for Dixon’s team and Black Raven management issues. They’d had hours and hours together and many quiet conversations, where he had learned that she, who came from immense wealth, planned to work as hard as he, who came from relatively humble beginnings. Her determination to navigate and excel in the arena of prestigious legal work based on her capabilities and hard work—as opposed to the leverage that came with her grandfather’s name—was one of the many things he had loved about her.
They’d shared their dreams and ambitions. Sam’s goals were to become partner at a prestigious firm, then become a federal judge, first on a district court, then in an appeals court. At the right time, she wanted to be considered for a seat on the U.S. Supreme Court. Zeus had respected such lofty ambition and the willingness to work hard to meet her goals. Even years earlier, her goals in life didn’t include Malibu mansions, townhomes in New York, and long days of shopping with other high-society ladies, all of which she could have with the snap of her well-manicured fingers. If she had dreamed of having a family with a husband and children, that was one ambition she hadn’t voiced. At most, she talked about finding a hard-working man who understood her commitment to long hours of work, who would enjoy watching sunsets, and who would help her raise Golden Labs. Maybe, he now thought, the omission of wanting children or more of a family life should’ve sent up a red flag. It hadn’t, at the time, or afterwards.
Back then, he’d wanted her to succeed, and he was happy for her that she held such a powerful position today. Which was why he wasn’t looking forward to telling her she should resign from the prestigious position.
The idea is goddamn laughable.
Sam was unlikely to follow her grandfather’s orders. Zeus
Damn him.
Chapter Four
Paris, France
Tuesday, February 1
“Get my granddaughter’s ass on a jet back to the States before sunrise. Persuade her to resign from the ITT proceedings and get her the hell away from there.” Samuel Dixon’s normally calm voice crackled through Zeus’s earpiece, concern and fear over the evening’s events elevating his decibel level to just below a yell.
Zeus glanced at his watch. 0120. Tuesday. Sunrise was a mere five hours away. Considering the enormous mobilization effort Black Raven pulled together in the last thirty-six hours, the idea that the job could end this abruptly was almost laughable.
He perfectly understood the man’s about-face.
The problem was that Dixon’s granddaughter had grown into an accomplished attorney, who was operating on an international stage while building a reputation for her future. Even seven years earlier, when she still faced a rigorous year of post-graduate school and hadn’t yet passed the bar exam, she had unflagging determination and absolute certainty of her capabilities. She hadn’t been a quitter then, and Zeus doubted she’d become one.
“Give me a few minutes.” Zeus jogged up the stairs to the third floor. “I’ll have her call you, and I’ll back you up on getting her to resign.”
The likelihood of Samuel’s demand being met before sunlight broke the horizon, or at any time, was pretty damn slim. Black Raven was in the security business. Miracles were someone else’s forte.
“Bring her home, Zeus. Make it happen,” Samuel continued. “I’ll pay Black Raven’s full fee, as though you did the job in its entirety, through the verdict reading in Brussels on March first. Understand?”
“Yes. Understood.” Zeus clicked a button on his watch that controlled phone reception, breaking the connection.
Resignation? Not going to happen.
While he had worked the job of body guarding her grandfather, before he acted on his feelings for her, he and Sam had shared many late nights in the office of Dixon’s home with their laptops open. She had studied. He had dealt with security issues for Dixon’s team and Black Raven management issues. They’d had hours and hours together and many quiet conversations, where he had learned that she, who came from immense wealth, planned to work as hard as he, who came from relatively humble beginnings. Her determination to navigate and excel in the arena of prestigious legal work based on her capabilities and hard work—as opposed to the leverage that came with her grandfather’s name—was one of the many things he had loved about her.
They’d shared their dreams and ambitions. Sam’s goals were to become partner at a prestigious firm, then become a federal judge, first on a district court, then in an appeals court. At the right time, she wanted to be considered for a seat on the U.S. Supreme Court. Zeus had respected such lofty ambition and the willingness to work hard to meet her goals. Even years earlier, her goals in life didn’t include Malibu mansions, townhomes in New York, and long days of shopping with other high-society ladies, all of which she could have with the snap of her well-manicured fingers. If she had dreamed of having a family with a husband and children, that was one ambition she hadn’t voiced. At most, she talked about finding a hard-working man who understood her commitment to long hours of work, who would enjoy watching sunsets, and who would help her raise Golden Labs. Maybe, he now thought, the omission of wanting children or more of a family life should’ve sent up a red flag. It hadn’t, at the time, or afterwards.
Back then, he’d wanted her to succeed, and he was happy for her that she held such a powerful position today. Which was why he wasn’t looking forward to telling her she should resign from the prestigious position.
The idea is goddamn laughable.
Sam was unlikely to follow her grandfather’s orders. Zeus
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