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122|This Life We Didn't Choose
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Beautiful Disaster 123|His Achilles' Heel
When Austin returned to Blake's office, his capos had moved on from the sex tape and were now crowded around one of the laptops, watching Nadia and her crew."They just got here," they announced before Austin could even ask them anything."But they're one man short today," Angelo said, sipping his whiskey."Who's missing?" Austin asked as he took his place on the couch."The older son, Josef Something What's—His—Name," replied Tim, his eyes barely moving from the screen."Did you track down their hideout?" asked Austin as he reached for his laptop and got down to some work."They're renting a place in Montague Cove," replied Angelo."Swanky," said Austin. If it wasn't obvious before that Nadia and her little gang were raking in the money, it was now. Montague Cove was an upmarket neighbourhood in the east of town, and the rent was R20K minimum for a two-bedroom place."Well, they have to use their ill-gotten gains somewhere," Tim said wryly."Any word on Friar John?" Austin enquired a
Beautiful Disaster 124|Must Be In The Water
Turning back to the couch, Austin wasn't surprised to find his capos gawking at him like he was from outer space. He really shouldn't have placed Blake on speaker phone; now he'd have to field their fifty billion questions."If you have something to say, just spit it out!" he said with a heavy sigh as he returned to his place on the couch."The sex tape—" Angelo stammered, leaving the rest of his question hanging in the air, clearly at a loss for words.Tim didn't have his problem, though. He barraged on in a surprisingly coherent manner, asking, "It wasn't with a woman, was it?"Austin held his gaze for what seemed like an eternity but could have only been a few minutes before he spoke, "What makes you think that?"This was the last thing he needed; Blake's secret coming out like this. His capos may not have heard their entire conversation, but they were smart enough to add things up, and Tim was proving to be a dog with a bone, pointing out calmly, "Well, he wouldn't be so damn prot
Beautiful Disaster 125|Expedition
Pigs!They were all pigs, Austin fumed as he and Angelo waded through the unkempt rooms. They weren't even inside the Van Staden's five-bedroom apartment for five minutes, and he was ready to get the hell out of there.He didn't know what was worse—the bug-ridden kitchen overflowing with dirty cups and plates and days-old garbage bags, or the living room, where a heavy stench seemed to stain the very air they were breathing.He didn't even want to venture into the bedrooms because he was terrified of the madness he'd find in there.How anyone could throw away R40K on rent just to live in such filth was beyond him.With the amount of money Nadia was bringing in, he would have expected the woman to at least hire part-time help—"Don't just stand there! Help me!" Angelo said, breaking through his disgusted thoughts as he threw a pair of latex gloves at him.Austin caught them swiftly and reluctantly slipped them on. He wasn't a germophobe by any stretch, but even he had his limits, and i
Beautiful Disaster 126|I Want Him To Know That I Know
They made it back to Gold Rush just after 3:00 PM, and Tim was nowhere to be found. Austin figured he was dealing with Josef."I'd love to tag along and watch the bloodbath, but I have a meeting with Willem and Jaco," said Angelo as he threw his laptop in his backpack and headed out."Tell them we are not backing down. I refuse to clean their money until Willem gets on his knees and apologises to Beth!" Austin reminded his capo before he slipped out and slammed the door shut.Alone, Austin contemplated the laptop and notebook they'd brought back from the Van Staden's, wondering if they were worth anything now that they had Josef. He was prepared to beat the truth out of him. In fact, it might even be quicker than figuring out what the numbers in the notebook meant or trying to access the laptop. But he took both anyway and the plastic bag with the rhino horn and headed across the quad to Gold Towers, an old events venue currently undergoing renovations.As soon as Austin swiped himsel
Beautiful Disaster 127|Any Last Words—Part 1
Camille Charleston was properly fucked if the jelly-like feeling in her limbs and the throbbing ache in her lady bits were anything to go by. No surprises there. After all, Ralph, one of her junior reporters at Scandal and latest boy toy, knew his way around the sheets.He wasn't particularly good at his job by any stretch of the imagination. His weekly satire column on the country's politics often put her to sleep. But, what he lacked in the way of skills at the office, he more than made up for in her bed. And this was the only reason she'd kept him around. Camille didn't tolerate mediocrity in her life, and Ralph was far from mediocre when it came to using his tongue and dick.As satiated as she was, though, she had to send him home ASAP. She never made the mistake of allowing her lovers to stay the night. She wasn't about to start now with him. She loved her personal space too much. Though she'd admit, he looked thoroughly tempting as he lay there, with the covers spread over the l
Beautiful Disaster 128|Any Last Words—Part 2
It wasn't some sick twisted joke. And this man wasn't a delivery guy hired by some bozo at the office to scare the daylights out of her.No. This was her execution, and Ghostface, her executioner.The moment the penny dropped, the white box and the black rose scattered to the floor, and Camille put up her hands to ward off the attack as the man raised his gun and fired straight at her. The force of the bullet splitting her skin and shattering the bone in her arm sent her crashing to the floor.A maddening scream, as clangorous as her erratic pulse echoing in her ears, pierced the silence of her foyer. And it took her a little while to process that the sound, like a wounded animal trying to outrun its death, came from her or that the blood rapidly pooling around her as she crawled on her ass, dragging herself to the living room, oozed from the gaping hole in her arm.She wasn't even aware of the pain. All she could zone in on was her body's crippling flight or fight response to the hor
Beautiful Disaster 129|Shock Waves—Part 1
Marybeth awakened to a different world–one filled with murder and violence.As she stood in the living room, her eyes glued to the horrific news on the TV, she couldn't understand how humans could be so cruel, so brutal, and so heartless.Last night, the city had been taken under siege in a spate of gruesome attacks, sending shock waves throughout the country, and the cops were now out in full force, playing catch up to the criminals.The Police Minister—it still hadn't registered to her that the man was Hadley's father—was front and centre, vowing to bring the responsible party or parties to book.Marybeth snickered at his empty promises. She didn't expect much from a man neck-deep in the mob's affairs and watching him make a mockery of the people he was supposed to serve made her sick to her stomach."We have zero tolerance for violence, and our society has no place for animals—" Rawlings continued with his press-op, and Marybeth couldn't help but roll her eyes, immensely annoyed on
Beautiful Disaster 130|Shock Waves—Part 2
"It's okay, Orly," Marybeth murmured, gently patting Orlando's back to comfort her. "It's okay to miss your Daddy.""I should be used to it," Orlando cried even harder, her words muffled as she buried her face in Marybeth's shoulder. "But I thought after Mrs Allan left, Daddy would have time for me. Why does he work so much?"Marybeth thought it was a rhetorical question, but when Orlando pulled away and stared at her expectantly, her eyes brimming with the tears her small heart couldn't contain, she didn't know how to answer her.She knew why Austin was always away, but a six-year-old should never be burdened with the knowledge that her father was a crime lord and perhaps one of the deadliest, if not the most dangerous."Do you want to practice the guitar when we come home?" she suggested feebly, hoping to shift their conversation to a much happier place when she couldn't come up with a good reason for Austin's absence."But it's not Wednesday," reasoned Orlando in her six-year-old l
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