Page 87 of Full Throttle
Brian was confused. He had no idea what was going on.
“Plan C,” Liam said to Brian. “Thank you, Gina, but I think we’ll pass on the champagne.”
She poured herself a glass. Her voice changed from smooth as butter to hard as ice. “Mr. Luccesse, you boast a gravitas that you do not possess. Your small-town operation is in no way a formidable opponent for me, and neither are your associates. Even your main supplier, Ezekiel Monmouth, could barely remember your name.”
Anthony stilled.How the hell did she know him?He started to take this situation more seriously.
“However, Ezekiel did provide a lot of useful information, like the name of your accountant. As a matter-of-fact, the account in the Caymans yielded more than I expected but less than it should have. Pity. Your mismanagement caused the loss of millions.” Gina took a sip of champagne. “Oooh. This is burned.” She placed the glass back down on the table and glanced over at Liam. Again, she spoke sweetly. “I can guarantee you that the champagne at my wedding next month won’t be.”
“I can’t wait to taste it and share in the celebration. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, Brody is a lucky man.” Liam was taking great pleasure in watching the exchange between Gina and Anthony.
“He is.” Her lips curved up. “So is your Colby James.”
Liam wasn’t surprised that Gina knew about their relationship. The woman had eyes and ears everywhere.
“Speaking of, your beloved has just made us all so proud. I hope we see her at the wedding too. Now,” she clapped her hands together and began to shoo Liam away, “I can finish up here. You go and celebrate this incredible win.” Gina looked down at Anthony. “I can guarantee you will never have to deal with this nasty little issue again.AndColby and her family won’t have to deal with Asher or Lorene again, either. I made sure of it. I have a feeling you’ll find a certainleakedvideo that’s making its way around the press very interesting.”
Liam sauntered over and kissed Gina on the cheek. “Thank you. I owe you.”
“You owe me nothing but continued friendship. Now go. Go. Go. Go!”
As Liam and Brian turned to leave, Gina stopped them. “Wait.” She glared at one of Anthony’s bodyguards. “Give me your shirt.”
He didn’t mess around. Quickly, he removed his button-up. Gina tossed it over to Brian. “You might want to change. Your shirt has blood on it. I’ll dispose of it properly.”
Brian had no idea who the hell these people were other than he recognized the woman who had been at Liam’s poker game the night all this started, but if Liam trusted them this much, then so would he. Brian changed.
“Fantastic. Now, please, go and step over the mess outside the door. We’ll take care of that too.”
Liam and Brian left the suite, stepping over the bodyguards with bullet wounds in the center of their foreheads.
Liam’s team and Gina’s talked as if there weren’t two dead men lying on the floor. Brian mumbled under his breath, “We’re going to prison.”
“Nah, no cameras on this floor. Gina is not one to be played with. The woman knows how to dot her i’s and cross her t’s. I’d hate to ever get on her bad side.”
“From the looks of things, me too.” Brian turned to Liam as they left the area. “So, this Gina, who the hell is she exactly?”
Liam grinned. “A great poker player and friend.”
Chapter 33
Liam and Brian made it down to the winner’s podium, where the Lockwood celebration was in full swing. He watched in awe as Colby realized her dreams. He was so damn proud of her. Colby radiated a beauty that still took his breath away.
She took to the podium and lifted the trophy high up into the air just as she had said she would. Cyrus found Liam in the crowd and placed an arm around him. He had the same awestruck look in his eyes as he watched his baby girl live in her moment. He spoke through his smile. “At some point soon, we have to talk about this thing between you and my daughter.”
Liam grinned and nodded in agreement. “My intentions are more than honorable. I love her.”
“Just like that?”
He nodded. “Unexpected, but it fell on me like a ton of bricks.”
Lila and Brian were near enough to hear the exchange. Brian pulled her into his side. “I know the feeling.”
Cyrus looked back at them. “You too?”
Lila laughed and blushed.
The crowd quieted down for Colby’s interview. The announcer asked the question everyone wanted to know. “Ms. James, how does it feel to hold that trophy in your hand?”