Read Online KILLER INSTINCT (A Mafia Bad Boy Romance Novel) by Julia Gardener - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Julia Gardener
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pulled out a win against him in a fist fight but I didn’t intend to find out.
His eyes narrowed when he saw us approach.
“Mr. Lee’s guest wanted to see me,” I replied. “I’m here to get some stains out of a sweater.”
It was a stupid password but Mr. Lee liked to have layers of protection.
The guard didn’t move. Instead, he glared at Kelly. “You can’t bring your prostitute inside. It’s against Mr. Lee’s rules.”
Kelly wanted to retort but used all of her willpower to hold her tongue. It was good that she had learned discipline. Nevertheless, I answered for her. “She’s my partner, not a whore. The more you delay, the longer it takes for Mr. Lee to get his cut of the payment. Does he want his transaction fee or not?”
The guard sighed. “Go in and down the hall. Your destination will be the room on the right.”
As we entered the laundromat, Kelly whispered. “Who is Mr. Lee?”
“A fixer,” I answered. “Mr. Lee’s the go-between people like me and clients. In exchange for a service fee, his business acts as a liaison between people who want access to the black market or services like mine.”
“Like hits…”
Kelly was quick study. “They hold the payment in escrow until the hit is completed. The man’s a miracle worker. I used to get ripped off all the time if I tried to work with someone who wasn’t part of the Pastore family.”
“Why is he keeping Cobbs here?”
“The man also helps his clients stay alive in case they are in immediate danger. Well, it’s only until the hit is pulled off and he gets paid. It’s very expensive to get his protection so Cobbs must have paid a small fortune up front.”
“Can’t put a price on staying alive.”
I nodded as we reached the end of the hall. “Agreed.”
We found Cobbs sitting a storage room for laundry supplies. The man was fat, balding, and looking absolutely exhausted. He craned over a laptop and typed away in blissful ignorance. There was a bowl of some Korean soup next to him but it looked untouched. The man jumped up when he saw us before calming down.
I pulled out my phone. “Relax, I’m the hitman you hired.”
“Thank God!” Cobbs said, closing his laptop. He almost looked like he would grovel at my feet. “You’re Jackie, right?”
“How did you get my name?” I asked, suspicion in my voice. “I used a pseudonym to contact you and accept the contract.”
“I heard it from Mr. Lee,” he answered nervously. Mr. Lee would never divulge such information without my explicit permission. However, I let it slide for now. “Is he dead? Did you kill Krause?”
Using my phone, I showed them the news reports about what had gone down at the club. Krause’s body was discovered by the police and a formal investigation had begun. They had already found evidence of illegal activities committed by Noir’s management. “He’s going to be on the evening news. Viewer discretion advised.”
The color returned to his face. “Finally… it’s over.”
“The Black Fang will probably regroup to find out what the hell happened to Krause,” I said, getting down to business. “You’ll have a small window of opportunity to get out the country, join your family, and disappear for good.”
He got up to stand. “Good, I’ll get-”
I brought him down with a hand. “Not so fast. You have to fulfill your end of the deal. Tell us where Gregori is.”
The man looked evasive. He stopped when he saw Kelly. “You’re Chambers’ daughter! The one everyone is looking for. Ever since your father’s death, the Atlantic Corporation is panicking like there’s no tomorrow. They don’t know the details but they know that someone was trying to break their security. The company is lawyering up in case clients file a class
His eyes narrowed when he saw us approach.
“Mr. Lee’s guest wanted to see me,” I replied. “I’m here to get some stains out of a sweater.”
It was a stupid password but Mr. Lee liked to have layers of protection.
The guard didn’t move. Instead, he glared at Kelly. “You can’t bring your prostitute inside. It’s against Mr. Lee’s rules.”
Kelly wanted to retort but used all of her willpower to hold her tongue. It was good that she had learned discipline. Nevertheless, I answered for her. “She’s my partner, not a whore. The more you delay, the longer it takes for Mr. Lee to get his cut of the payment. Does he want his transaction fee or not?”
The guard sighed. “Go in and down the hall. Your destination will be the room on the right.”
As we entered the laundromat, Kelly whispered. “Who is Mr. Lee?”
“A fixer,” I answered. “Mr. Lee’s the go-between people like me and clients. In exchange for a service fee, his business acts as a liaison between people who want access to the black market or services like mine.”
“Like hits…”
Kelly was quick study. “They hold the payment in escrow until the hit is completed. The man’s a miracle worker. I used to get ripped off all the time if I tried to work with someone who wasn’t part of the Pastore family.”
“Why is he keeping Cobbs here?”
“The man also helps his clients stay alive in case they are in immediate danger. Well, it’s only until the hit is pulled off and he gets paid. It’s very expensive to get his protection so Cobbs must have paid a small fortune up front.”
“Can’t put a price on staying alive.”
I nodded as we reached the end of the hall. “Agreed.”
We found Cobbs sitting a storage room for laundry supplies. The man was fat, balding, and looking absolutely exhausted. He craned over a laptop and typed away in blissful ignorance. There was a bowl of some Korean soup next to him but it looked untouched. The man jumped up when he saw us before calming down.
I pulled out my phone. “Relax, I’m the hitman you hired.”
“Thank God!” Cobbs said, closing his laptop. He almost looked like he would grovel at my feet. “You’re Jackie, right?”
“How did you get my name?” I asked, suspicion in my voice. “I used a pseudonym to contact you and accept the contract.”
“I heard it from Mr. Lee,” he answered nervously. Mr. Lee would never divulge such information without my explicit permission. However, I let it slide for now. “Is he dead? Did you kill Krause?”
Using my phone, I showed them the news reports about what had gone down at the club. Krause’s body was discovered by the police and a formal investigation had begun. They had already found evidence of illegal activities committed by Noir’s management. “He’s going to be on the evening news. Viewer discretion advised.”
The color returned to his face. “Finally… it’s over.”
“The Black Fang will probably regroup to find out what the hell happened to Krause,” I said, getting down to business. “You’ll have a small window of opportunity to get out the country, join your family, and disappear for good.”
He got up to stand. “Good, I’ll get-”
I brought him down with a hand. “Not so fast. You have to fulfill your end of the deal. Tell us where Gregori is.”
The man looked evasive. He stopped when he saw Kelly. “You’re Chambers’ daughter! The one everyone is looking for. Ever since your father’s death, the Atlantic Corporation is panicking like there’s no tomorrow. They don’t know the details but they know that someone was trying to break their security. The company is lawyering up in case clients file a class
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