Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 88487 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 442(@200wpm)___ 354(@250wpm)___ 295(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88487 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 442(@200wpm)___ 354(@250wpm)___ 295(@300wpm)
“Dianxia, you were amazing,” West reassured him. He lifted Jin’s hand to his lips and pressed a gentle kiss to his knuckles. Jin raised his eyes and a fragile half smile lifted one corner of his mouth.
“He’s right, Dianxia,” Gabriel chimed in. “You handled that perfectly. In his current state, Deng Rong is very prone to making big mistakes, which can be used in our favor.”
“But what if we’re wrong? What if he isn’t the person behind the contract on Dianxia’s head?” Qin countered.
“Then I have a very big apology to give to the former finance minister. Hopefully, he will understand why we took these steps when we explain that someone was trying to kill me.” Jin sighed. “Minister Deng Rong and I didn’t see eye to eye on every matter, but I believed he was always working toward what was best for my kingdom.”
“Yeah, um, that will not be a problem you have to deal with,” Kairo interjected, reminding West that he was still wearing an earpiece connected to Kairo and Justin back at the team’s secret command center.
“Whoa! You have seriously pissed him off,” Justin chortled.
“Dearest, what’s happening? You know we can’t see your screen,” Gabriel prodded, sounding as if he’d made this complaint a dozen times in the past with his husband.
“Deng immediately logged into the dark web and accessed his hit contract,” Kairo continued.
“He’s canceling it?” Jin demanded, shock sending his voice a full octave higher.
Justin snorted. “Oh, hell no. He raised the payout on your head. Moved it from fifteen mil to a very nice twenty-five mil.”
Jin gasped, his complexion turning pale and waxy. Even Qin swore and looked as if he were going to pass out where he stood.
West tightened his grip on Jin’s hand. “K? Where are we on getting that damn contract closed?”
“Gimme a second. Gimme a second. Don’t get your freaking panties in a twist. This takes a little time. I’m not a fucking wizard,” Kairo grumbled.
“Fucking Hollywood. Too many of those bullshit hacker movies where you just pound on the keys and everything just magically opens for you,” Justin groused.
“Darling, now isn’t the time,” Gabriel pointed out. The assassin glanced up at West from where he lounged in his chair and flashed him a smile so icy he shivered. “Breathe, West. I think between the two of us, we can handle anything that could happen to the crown prince in the next five minutes.”
“Would you be this calm if it was Justin with a bounty this size on his head?” he snarled.
Gabriel’s smirk never wavered. “Calm? No. I would be the wrath of God. But don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll get your shot.”
That sounded very tempting, indeed. He wanted a list of names for everyone who’d thought about hurting Jin Long Wei, and then he wanted to take his time working through that list. Getting every one of them. No one could threaten his prince.
No. One.
“It’s okay,” Jin murmured, dragging West’s gaze to him, where his black eyes had softened and filled with loving warmth. “I’m safe. You and Gabriel are plenty to keep me safe. Plus, don’t forget that Charlie, Alexei, and the rest of your friends are roaming about outside the palace. No one is going to get close to me.”
“Bam! Got it!” Justin crowed a minute later.
“We got it!” Kairo echoed. “We got control of his account, locked him out, and closed the contract. There’s no more bounty on the crown prince’s head.”
West’s heart stopped for a full beat as he stared at Gabriel, who pulled his phone out of the breast pocket of his suit jacket. The assassin tapped the screen twice and nodded. With a tiny smile, he turned the phone to face West and Jin. “Notifications have gone out. The contract is closed. There will be no payment.”
“And that’s it?” Jin asked in a near whisper. “I’m safe?”
Gabriel’s expression twisted into something a little more wicked. “Safe from assassins, at least. We’re a fickle lot. We rarely work for free.”
West jumped to his feet and pulled Jin up as well, wrapping him in a tight embrace. His lover was safe. All the assassins across Gaoxing would receive that notification right this second. They’d curse and retreat. Maybe give it a day to make sure the contract didn’t reappear yet again, but then they would leave Gaoxing, searching for their next payday. Jin Long Wei was safe. The royal family was safe.
“Dianxia?” Qin prodded, sounding both relieved and nervous.
Jin nodded against his shoulder and pulled away so he could look at his assistant. “Alert the royal guards to capture former Finance Minister Deng Rong. He needs to be caught immediately, his phone and all electronic devices confiscated. He’s a traitor to the kingdom.”
Qin nodded once and set to work, launching into a series of phone calls. Jin also grabbed his phone and made a single call, his words short and clipped, but it sounded as if the crown prince had contacted the emperor’s advisor, Shen Xiao Dan, to inform him of the development. They were mere baby steps away from the royal family being completely safe.