Ending with Forever (15 page)

I
can’t seem to wipe this goofy grin off my face while listening to my attorney go over the contract for Med-Aid United, an organization that supplies drugs and equipment to disadvantaged countries. It’s a good thing he’s calling from New York. He can’t see my ridiculous face. Lil is just something else. The controlled and predictable world I’ve been accustomed to and conquered is now a distant memory in the past. I never know what to expect from her, from one day to the next. She’s proven to be a worthy opponent for keeping me on my toes. Tying me up against my will was a brave move—very daring of her, given the fact that she knows what kind of man I am and the retaliation I’m capable of unleashing. No woman in my past would’ve made it a fleeting second without a brutal chastising and the fear of God shoved down her throat after that escapade. Because she has me completely locked under her spell, Lil escaped my wrath with a hard fuck and an earth-shattering orgasm that knocked her out cold. Where has this incredible woman been all my life? I love her senselessly.

“Joseph, go ahead and renew the contract,” I insist after setting my thoughts of Lil aside. “I’ll also commit to building fifteen additional clinics. The locations will be determined under my discretion.”

“Yes, sir. That’s very generous of you. Will you be in New York any time soon?”

“Probably not this month, but I do plan on making a special trip there with Lillian. She’s a fan of the Christmas holiday.” I shouldn’t speak of it like it’s a dreaded funeral. It’s a joyous occasion for most people—just not for me.

“She’ll love the Rockefeller Center with their beautifully trimmed trees, and of course, a quick skate there or at Bryant Park,” he suggests but forgets to add the most raved attraction, Serendipity 3. Lil will love their colossal frozen hot chocolate and all their mouthwatering desserts. Nikki introduced me to that place years ago and it’s my favorite spot to get my sugar fix.

“We’ll certainly have to hit those highlights. Thanks for the ideas, Joe. Good talking to you.” I end the call and flip open a silver jewelry case Hayden dropped off for me. He did an outstanding job embedding the micro-tracking chip in this platinum bracelet with etched, intertwined vines of infinity symbols. I plan on giving it to Lil when she stops by the office to see Gabriel. Twirling the glimmering ring around in my hands, I try my best to find it, but can’t. I gave Lil my word that I’ll remove most of the bodyguards, but for my sake, I still need assurance. I’d only use it if an emergency arises. I justified several times to myself, as well as to Hayden, so it didn’t appear like I’m some sick control freak. He agreed with my decision and confided that he’d do the same, which helped relieved me of some self-induced guilt.

“Mr. Bradley, everyone has arrived and is waiting for you in conference room C,” Evelyn informs over the phone intercom.

“Tell them I’m on my way,” I instruct and slip the bracelet back into the sparkling case before tucking it in my desk drawer.

“Yes, sir. Oh, one more thing, Mr. Bradley. The gift basket you ordered for Gabriel is out here.”

“Set it on my desk. And Evelyn, please escort Miss Lucy directly to my office without delay,” I tell her firmly. “She’ll be using my private elevator.”

“I will, sir.”

Remembering Lil’s suggestion, I soften my tone and tell her, “Thanks, Evelyn.”

~~~~

Everyone is accounted for except for Bridgette, who’ll be seeing me tomorrow privately. She called to cancel at the last minute without offering a reasonable excuse.
Fickle woman
. Alpha and his four men sit on the left side of the oval table while Owen, Hayden, Mateo, Kevin and Ly’s three men sit on the right side.

“Good afternoon, gentlemen,” I greet, taking my seat at the head of the table. Everyone’s heads bow respectfully in response with stern expressions. “I understand tomorrow is target day. I stress that I don’t want anyone harmed unless absolutely necessary. The mission will be led by Alpha. He’s in command. No one moves or breathes unless it’s approved by him. Is that understood?” I emphasize.

“Yes, sir.” They all grunt.

“Kevin, I hear you have new info that can be helpful for tomorrow’s mission.”

“Yes, I do. I met with Ms. Longley and a confidant who confirmed Paul and David’s location. They’re kept in a confinement pod that’ll require Mr. Carter’s expertise to bypass their encrypted codes.”

“I’m already working on it,” Hayden interjects, shooting me an encouraging look. “Ms. Longley was able to provide me a partial palm print for Chandler Montgomery.”

“The challenge is to figure out which of the six rooms they’re kept in. There are also twelve scientists who’ll need to be repositioned in case firearms are required. Security isn’t obvious or visible, so I believe there are hidden cameras at various locations with guards on hand.”

“Alpha, what do you suggest?” I give him the floor.

“I say we disable the cameras and remove the scientists first with half the team. The other half will secure the pod area as Mr. Carter bypasses their security code remotely. Mateo and his men will then perform a clean sweep of the area when we’re done. We’ll reassemble at BPC in the basement at 1500 hours.”

“Everyone will need to be out of there before 1430 hours. The Feds have already been anonymously tipped with the exact location,” I emphasize.

Mateo and his men will swap out the pharmaceutical drugs with heroin, cocaine, meth and weapons. The Feds will bust the Montgomerys for illegal drug possession as well as mass production. This bit of information isn’t privy to anyone but Owen. He’s arranged all the particular details for me. With the amount of drugs they’ll find on his property, Chandler will never see the outside of a prison again. He won’t be threatening Lia, Lil or anyone else in the future.

“Does anyone have anything to add before we adjourn?” I offer, looking respectfully out to every brave face in the room.

“Good luck,” Hayden encourages. “We’ll celebrate when Paul and David are back.” The men applaud and revel out loud. The comradery is impressive, given the differences in their backgrounds.

“I second that. Gentlemen, I’ll see you all tomorrow evening. Be safe,” I offer them a boost. “Owen and Mateo, I need a word with you two. Walk with me.” They follow me down a corridor and into a small meeting room. “Can I presume everything is squared away?”

“Yes, sir,” Owen and Mateo answer in unison.

“I was able to link the Montgomerys to the notorious Petronellas. They’ve been doing business for years,” Mateo tells me with a scowl. I gather he must’ve had a bad run-in with those assholes. “No one likes the Petronellas. They’re considered the dirtiest and most ruthless, even among their criminal peers. Disgusting bottom feeders, that’s what they are. Once the inmates discover his connection to them, Chandler Montgomery won’t stand a chance in there. A few weeks tops.”

“I’m impressed, Mateo.”

“Thank you, sir.”

“Mr. Bradley, how would you like us to handle Mrs. Montgomery and their son?” Owen inquires, concerned.

“Unless they’re involved, I don’t want their lives to be altered. They’re innocent and shouldn’t be presumed guilty by relation. My only objective is to repay that scumbag for all the shit he’s put everyone through.”

“You’re much nicer than me. I would make him suffer slowly,” Mateo elaborates with a knotted expression and seeping venom in his tone. “No one fucks with
mi familia
and gets away with it.”

“Trust me. I’m not. I’d love to see that asshole die a slow death also, but it’s not in my nature to be as cruel as he is.”

“You’re a good man,” Mateo praises me.

“Thanks, but I’m far from good,” I clarify. He doesn’t know how I’ve used women callously for my own pleasure or the thriving competitors I’ve had to eliminate to get to the top. “I guess all is covered then. I’ll see you tomorrow, Mateo.”

I walk out with Owen and inquire the status of the Oss-Meta drug. Samantha emailed me this morning, confirming the drug is completed and has been successfully tested. “It’ll still need to go through a final stage of testing before we can declare it an effective treatment for bone cancer disease.”

“We’re on the cusp. It’s so close. So many people will be able to take advantage of this drug, including Gabriel.”
Oh shit that reminds me
. “What time is it? Lily’s probably bored out of her mind waiting for me in my office.”

“Luke messaged just ten minutes ago that she’s in the building,” Owen assures me.

Perfect. She hasn’t been waiting long at all. “Let’s continue this after I meet with Lil and Gabriel,” I cut Owen off and pace to the elevators.

“Yes, sir.” I hear him answer behind me.

It’s a good thing I’m riding the elevator alone. That ridiculous grin is finding its way back on my face again as I picture Lil straddled over my lap trying to punish me with her naked body. Fuck. I’d happily take that kind of punishment any time of day. I’ve never had a notable morning like that before. Why can’t I seem to brush it under my usual blank facade? Maybe I don’t want to. Maybe I want the world to know how happy she makes me—and then the doors open to Evelyn’s eyes signaling to my office to let me know Lil’s already in there.

“Please have the Grays in my office in ten minutes,” I tell her. Nine of those minutes will be spent on Lil’s mouth, neck and hopefully other parts of her body. This might be a record-speed quicky.

“Hello, beautiful,” I tell her as my hungry eyes roam the length of her body, appreciating her soft curves from behind. She’s wearing a pair of fitted jeans that hug her ass with a cropped jacket gathered around the waist and a lightweight scarf. From the sound of my familiar voice, her head turns to face me, striking my heart with a full-blown smile. She appears excited, scrutinizing the items I had my personal shopper gather for Gabriel. “Do you think she’ll like everything in there?” I ask confidently. Let’s be honest, what child wouldn’t give to get a basket like this one?

“You missed one thing,” she mutters under her solemn voice. How is that possible? I had Evelyn asked Gabriel’s mother to jot down a list of all her interests. Lil lifts a toy bird up to me and shares the story behind it. It blows my mind. All that little girl wanted from me was a singing bird when I could give her Disney or a trip to some magical paradise. Gabriel sounds a lot like a selfless mini-version of Lil. Without warning, Lily starts to crumble emotionally. Tears come hard and uncontrollable, choking her. Her desperation gouges painfully at my heart. I understand this desperation more than anyone, trying to hold on to the inevitable. I tell her to be strong. She has to be. Gabriel can’t see her broken like this. It’ll only scare and make her fear death even more than she probably does. She pulls herself together and bravely offers me one of her stunning smiles, shrouding the sadness underneath.

Everything from housing, clothing, meals, and entertainment has been arranged by Carson’s people. Gabby, her mom, and a healthcare representative have all been flown first class into Boston and collected by a private limo driver. They’re staying at the Four Seasons until Gabby qualifies for the protocol that best matches her rare cancer type. Carson went several levels above and beyond to ensure their experience is as pleasant as possible. Again, his generosity is unmatched. He’s an incredible man and I love him with all my heart. Luke and I are on our way to BPC. The excitement is more than I can contain as I stare out the tinted limo window. I’m holding an adorable songbird with blue and yellow hues that sings four different songs at the touch of a button under its left wing. Luke was kind enough to follow me into three different toy stores before we found a specialty bird shop that carried a variety of songbirds. Gabby will be so thrilled to have it in her arms. I can’t wait to see the delighted expression on her sweet little face when I give it to her. It’ll be like Christmas for the both of us. Carson’s gifted ability strengthens my faith and hope for Gabby. His success rate is high and his fail rate is nominal. Gabby will have more of a fighting chance now that she has him on her side.

My excited chest is dancing to the lively beat of my anticipation as I’m minutes away from seeing Carson. Between my pregnancy news and being able to meet Gabby again, this has to be one of the best days of my life. I had fifty pink and blue helium balloons delivered to the penthouse, which required two trips up four elevators to get them all there. My secret was out of the bag after that. Luke refrained from asking any questions while he helped me separate the balloons. I swore he had an elusive grin on his face the entire time. I imagine Carson will have no problem figuring out my surprise after he sees fifty balloons with boy and girl name tags floating in his living room. They’re popular names I googled from all over the world. I also have my four positive pregnancy tests bundled together with pink and blue ribbons tethered around Sugar, the stuff giraffe. He’s patiently waiting on our bed for daddy to come home so he can surprise him with our baby news.

“Miss Ly, we’re here.” Luke turns to face me from the seat next to the driver to inform me. “Mr. Bradley left specific instructions for us to use his private elevator.”

“That’s fine,” I tell him as I dread the thought of being trapped in that cramped, metal box. “Luke, my secret is safe with you, right?” I’m positive he won’t say a word, but it never hurts to be reassured.