Noble Intentions: Season Four Read Free Page A

Better that way. Every word he uttered dug another six inches in his eventual grave.
    "So what should I do with you?" He didn't wait for the man to answer. "Death is too simple an answer. It lacks the punch I'm looking for. Maybe a demotion.
    You know, knock you down a peg or six. You're young enough to hustle on the street. Of course, you won't have any protection if you get picked up."
    "And I'll rat your ass out first chance I get."
    "Oh, hotheaded Paolo. The moment you arrived from Brazil or Argentina or wherever the fuck you're from, I knew you'd be a problem."
    Charles smiled at the guy while an internal switch flipped. Rage rose up within him like angry bile. Still smiling, he reached out, grabbed the back of
    Paolo's head and slammed it against the edge of the desk. Cartilage met solid mahogany. The desk won. Paolo choked on the blood that flooded his mouth and
    throat. Another round of head-meets-desk split Paolo's forehead and sent him to the floor.
    With his heart racing and his breath rapid and uneven, Charles rounded his desk. A pool of blood seeped into the twenty thousand dollar rug. He slammed his
    foot into Paolo's midsection, cursing at the spreading tide of crimson, then he proceeded toward the door.
    "You two," he said, aiming a finger in the direction of the men who had accompanied Paolo. "Get him off my floor. Clean him up, take him upstate, and get
    rid of him. Use the express elevator straight to the garage. Anyone asks, he slipped in the bathroom and hit the urinal."
     

Chapter 3
    New York City.

    TWO WOMEN. ONE blonde, the other brunette. Skimpy outfits. Did they run for exercise? Or for attention? The blonde glanced over, then back, smiling as
    she passed. The diamonds on her wedding ring glinted in the sunlight.
    Jack Noble returned a complimentary nod as he stayed far to the right of the Washington Square fountain. In part to stay out of view should someone be
    watching from above. Also to seek shelter from the heat. But not even the cover of the trees could provide respite from the mid-July humidity. Even at nine
    in the morning. Didn't bother the kids at the playground, although few things did. They raced past, sidestepping adults without taking their eyes off one
    another.
    The sight brought images of Mia to the forefront of Jack's mind. He hadn't seen his daughter since he left London to deal with a matter in his hometown of
    Crystal River, Florida. Things there hadn't gone as planned. Once again, his past had resurfaced, as it always did. And as much as he wanted to be near his
    daughter, her safety was paramount.
    So Jack came back to the closest thing he had to a home.
    But there wasn't much left for him in New York. The properties he co-owned with his former partner Riley "Bear" Logan were all up for sale or sold. It had
    been Jack's idea. Bear followed through with it. The properties were a waste at this point anyway. They sat unused, and would remain that way if the duo
    hung onto them. Better Bear have the money to set aside for his and Mandy's futures, than the condos and apartments go to waste.
    Bear had kept another promise Jack forced upon the big man. He and Mandy had disappeared. Calls to his main forwarding number were met with a fast busy
    signal. The line was gone. All other numbers Jack tried received a message indicating the same.
    Better this way. At least, Jack convinced himself of it. Anyone connected with him met an untimely and painful ending. Somehow, Bear had managed to survive
    for close to twenty years as Jack's partner, first in the military, then in business. The odds weren't in the big man's favor if he remained in that
    capacity.
    At the northeast corner of the park, Jack crossed Washington Square North and continued along the busy sidewalks of University Place until he reached 11th.
    He'd made the same walk four other times in the past month. Each time, his knocks went unanswered. Had they gone unheard? All he wanted was proof that
    Clarissa was OK. The last