Diane (The Town of Pearl 6)

“Yes. Monique mentioned New York and Paris. But I would turn it down. This isn’t for me.”

“New York and Paris! Holy shit.” Melissa raised her voice. She was in shock.

Her men were trying to ask questions and were only hearing bits and pieces of the conversation. They didn’t know what was going on.

“Listen, I need to go. I’ll be home late tomorrow night, so I’ll see you in the shop on Monday.”

“Okay, just text me to let me know that you arrived okay. Be careful at that party and don’t go signing any contracts.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t. Love you.”

“Love you, too.”

Melissa hung up the phone and smiled.

“My sister is going to be a lingerie model. There are people who want her to model in New York and Paris. She’s getting dressed for a big after-party with agents and bigwigs in the fashion industry. Holy crap.”

“Is she going to call Mark or his brothers?” Hank asked.

Melissa pulled her bottom lip between her teeth as all three of her husbands stared at her.

“Well…not exactly.”

Chapter 5

“Well, Brenda, they called him in, just as you predicted. So now that he is involved, I can’t take any chances that he’ll try to destroy my operation. I have to take your old partner out.”

“No, Marzban, please. He won’t find you or cause any problems with the plan. You said you were going to close up shop and settle down with me,” Brenda stated, as she placed her palms against his chest and rubbed up and down along the material.

He reached up and placed h

is palm against her cheek. She turned into it and closed her eyes.

“My beautiful gem, I adore you. My promise to you will come to be true. But I can’t allow your government and your department to destroy everything I have worked for. There are multiple shipments that still need to get to our shores. I must apply some kind of pressure to keep Santos off my back. He seems to be the only one capable of destroying my agenda.”

“But Marzban, I gave up my life, my identity, everything for you. You promised that we would leave this all behind us soon, and yet, a year has passed and still you engage in the same activities. I can never return to the United States. I will always have to live in hiding.”

He gripped her shoulders and shook her hard. She knew she pushed him and that it wasn’t a smart thing to do with Marzban. But she didn’t want Mark to get hurt. He was a good man. This mission was the most intense and deepest undercover she had ever gone into. Marzban was one evil, manipulative Persian. He was the mastermind behind millions of dollars’ worth of military arms being smuggled out of the United States and into the Middle East. His partners, all affiliated with different countries including the United States, were into everything, from weapons of mass destruction to heroin. Marzban even had money invested in diamond mines and rare jewels. He was a collector, and now she was part of his collection.

“I will tell you when it is over and when the time has come for us to disappear. Your conversation with Santos provided some much needed information before you left. It made me realize how important he was to you.” Marzban moved one hand away from her shoulder and traced it along her cheek and then to her neck as he stared deeply into her eyes. He applied just the slightest amount of pressure to get his point across. He was a big man. Six feet tall, over two hundred pounds and an evil killer. Anyone who double-crossed him never lived to tell their tale of deceit.

She should have been more careful when she made that call, but she didn’t want mark thinking the worse of her. It was stupid, and it may have just caused more problems.

“You know what I think, Brenda?”

She shook her head and just listened. It was better to hear him out and just nod in agreement.

“I think that you and Santos were lovers.” He traced his finger along her jaw and abruptly gripped it.

“Oh.” She gasped. His fingers dug into her skin.

He gazed over her breasts and then back up into her eyes.

“And for that, he will die. I want you only thinking of me. No one else. Just me forever.”

“I do only think of you, Marzban.”

He squinted his eyes at her as if he truly didn’t believe her. The man had trust issues. Rightfully so. Everyone wanted what he had. They wanted his power, his connections, and his control.