Total pages in book: 102
Estimated words: 93984 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 470(@200wpm)___ 376(@250wpm)___ 313(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 93984 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 470(@200wpm)___ 376(@250wpm)___ 313(@300wpm)
“Oh, I’m in,” Gabriel said, his low voice rolling over Justin like a cold wind. “But I’m not going to just stand aside while you fuck around. There’s a lot of money on the line. I’m in from day one to completion.” The accent peeked back again. Something that opened up in the vowels that Justin couldn’t quite catch.
“The job pays two million.”
Gabriel laughed, a sharp, joyless sound. “The job pays twenty-two million.”
“But your cut—”
“Fifty-fifty split.”
“No fucking way.”
Gabriel lifted one hand up. “You need me. You can’t do this without me. And I’m very good at what I do, which makes me expensive.”
Justin gripped the edge of the table, leaning closer to Gabriel. His heartbeat quickened, and he found himself fighting the first pulls of a grin. Inwardly, he revised his estimation of the man. Definitely a lawyer. Those nearly black eyes narrowed, and his lips pressed into a hard, thin line, making Gabriel look more sharklike than he’d first noticed.
“You need me and all the contacts I’ve cultivated in this city. I’m also picking up expenses on this job. I’ll consider eighty-twenty.”
“Sixty-forty, or I walk now. Leave Marilyn to find someone else to handle this contract.”
Which was the last thing Justin wanted. More than the money, he was growing concerned about this new cancer drug. If it wasn’t ready for release, Iaso would have ripped it away from the FDA for more trials, more tinkering. But if the scientists working on the drug were killed by someone within the company, then Iaso was desperate to cover something up. How many people were facing an unknown danger that could be worse than cancer tarted up to look like a cure?
Gabriel Prescott was right. Justin needed him.
“Can you even use a computer?” Justin mocked.
Gabriel only glared back at him, earning a snicker from Justin. He hadn’t considered having the other man around while he worked, but there was going to be some grunt, on-the-ground research that needed to be completed as well as some other tasks. He’d thought to hire some of it out, but if Gabriel was determined to be underfoot, he had no problem giving the man some of the more menial jobs.
“Fine,” Justin relented with a roll of his eyes. “Sixty-forty, after Marilyn’s cut.”
Gabriel gave the briefest of nods as he reached for his glass of wine and took a sip, his eyes scanning over the crowd as if weighing potential victims like a cheetah watching a herd of gazelles as they crossed the Serengeti.
“I’ve been thinking it would be useful to acquire a list of all the researchers who worked on the project,” Gabriel announced as he lowered his glass.
Justin arched one eyebrow at the man in surprise. He really did mean to be fully involved in this endeavor. From the first moment that Marilyn had mentioned a partner, he had thought of the man as nothing more than a blunt tool to be used when force and a bit of stealth were finally required toward the end.
No, this wasn’t the assassin’s first rodeo, and Justin would do well to fucking remember it if he didn’t want to end up with a knife in the back when it was all over.
“It would be nice, but it’s not the easiest of tasks. I’ve started scoping out Iaso’s security, and as expected, it is very tight. It’s going to take a while.”
“The FDA’s records?”
Justin shook his head and made a show of relaxing in his chair. “Because of all the proprietary data, it’s harder to hack than the Department of Defense. Unless you’ve got someone on the inside…”
Gabriel stared at his wineglass, his long, narrow fingers turning the stem around and around as he frowned. “Not lined up. Sadly, this is my first foray into the medical industry.”
“Usually running side jobs various governments don’t want to waste their own men on?” Justin inquired in a mocking tone. “Upsetting peaceful protests and stealing from charities?”
Gabriel smiled slowly at him, a cold, dangerous twist of his lips. His dark eyes glittered in the dim light. “Yes. When I’m not murdering widows and orphans in their beds or beating useless hackers with their keyboards.”
Justin laughed, throwing his head back. My God, this man was easy to rile! And it was just so damn fun. He could see the muscles tightening in Gabriel’s jaw as if he were grinding his teeth, but his expression was empty, almost bored.
Reaching for his glass of water, Justin saw someone approaching their table and his own expression froze. Justin had not counted on knowing someone at The Club. Hell, this wasn’t the type of place that he’d encounter most of his contacts and associates within the city. This especially was not the type of place he’d ever expected to run into Carson.
“I knew it was you!” the newcomer said as he reached their table. “I’d recognize your laugh anywhere! It’s good to see you, Mark.”