United and Dangerous by Cherie Benjamin (the speed reading book .TXT) 📕

and Uriel’s.  They had stumbled on him one night as he was being attacked while walking back from the local bar.  He had been stabbed multiple times in the stomach and one large gash on his thigh, which still caused him to walk with a slight limp.  Uriel and Kane had gone with him to the hospital the night of the attack. It was there they met Matthew’s father, Roger.  He was distraught at what had happened to his son and wanted vengeance for him. 

Kane knew that Mr. Allen owned several hotels around the country; his largest was in Vegas, but he had one in Seattle as well.  Kane’s father was friends with Roger and he knew that he would want him to help catch the fuckers and make them pay for what they did.  The assholes who had done it were easy enough to track down.  Once they were caught, there were sliced, diced, and filleted by Kane’s favorite “little” friend, their remains were never found.  Mr. Allen had been so grateful that he extended his gratitude to the Leone family.  If there was ever a time that they needed anything, it was theirs.  Matt was more than agreeable for this opportunity to return the favor, and block off the hotel solely for the Coven’s convention.  Of course, Kane was compensating Matthew and his father for the rooms, so it was a profitable venture for everyone.

As they pulled up to the valet stand, Seth saw the extra security team already in position at the front doors.  Kane had demanded that security was the number one priority for this weekend, so everyone who was not needed to run the businesses back in Seattle was assigned to the event in Las Vegas.  Seth got out of the limo and went over to check in with the security team.  It had been all quiet, nothing out of the ordinary had happened.  Seth did a survey of the area and, once he felt that it was safe, opened the back door of the limo.

Kane exited first, even knowing that the security team and Seth had conducted a survey of area, he discreetly did one as well, because the person coming out next was the most important person in the world to him.  The love of his life, his wife, his submissive, and he would never permit anything to happen to her.  He would never survive in a world where she did not exist.  Once he was satisfied, he reached out his hand and she placed her hand into his. 

Ara stepped out and Kane pulled her in close and bent over and placed a sweet kiss on her lips.  “Welcome to Vegas, baby.”

“Oh Kane, it is so beautiful.”  Ara’s head was practically on a swivel trying to take in all the sights.

“I promise we will come back soon and spend some time enjoying what Vegas has to offer.”  Kane assured her.  He knew they needed a honeymoon, but with everything that had been happening, there just wasn’t an opportunity; he hoped soon things would die down and they could take some time for themselves. Hell, maybe they’d make that baby they so badly wanted.

Kane and Ara walked into the hotel.  The large lobby had white and brown marble floors and the check in desk was a large marble wall with a large gold leaf medallion in the center.  Even at 2:30 A.M. the place was a hive of activity.  Kane looked toward the desk and saw Matthew walking toward him.

“Kane, it’s been awhile; so good to see you again.”  Matthew greeted, shaking Kane’s hand.  As he did, Matthew glanced over to see who was on Kane’s arm and couldn’t believe his eyes.  She was a true beauty, long mahogany hair, a fucking hot body, with the face of an angel. 

Kane saw how Matthew was staring at his wife and he knew exactly what he was thinking.  Squeezing Matthew’s hand with a bit more force broke him from his trance.  “Matthew, I didn’t expect you to greet us personally.  Let me introduce my lovely wife and partner, Arabella Leone.”

“Wife?”  Matthew questioned, because he knew Kane Leone as a womanizer and now he was married to this goddess.

“Yes, wife.  Do you have everything ready for us?”  Kane asked, trying to direct his attention to the task at hand.  Matthew had known him during the time when women were good for only one thing and once the goal was met, he dropped them like a hot potato. 

 “Oh, of course, everything is ready per your instructions, Kane.  Your immediate family have been placed in the penthouse suites.  The remainder of the Leone family are located three floors below.  The guest rooms are ready and are set according to the specifications that we received.”

“Wonderful!”  Kane said as he clapped Matthew on the back.  “We would like to retire to our room.  It has been a long day.”

“Certainly, let me get the bellhops to get your luggage.”  Matthew said.

“No, that will not be necessary.”  Kane barked.  “Our security team will take care of that.”

“Okay.  And let me say, it is a pleasure having you here at Bally’s.  I will be staying at the hotel, so if you need anything, don’t hesitate to contact me at any time.”

“Thank you, Mr. Allen, we will do that.  It was a pleasure meeting you.”  Ara said in her most authoritative voice.  She had seen how Matthew had looked her over, and she would make sure he knew that she was not what he expected. “Kane, dear, take me to bed.” 

“Hmm, gladly.  Matthew, goodnight.”  Kane chuckled, wrapping his arm around Ara and walking toward the elevator.

 

 

The next few days were filled with meetings with their guests.  Each family head was provided with a detailed booklet that listed every service available for hire.  Demonstrations were provided in various conference rooms for each of the teams, as well as interviews with the team leaders.  At the conclusion of each demonstration, there would be a meeting to address any questions or concerns.  The Coven had made an unprecedented impression on their guests. If the murmurs were any indication, there would be a windfall of assignments coming the Coven’s way.

Kane and Ara had been well received and garnered enormous respect from their guests, each wanting to spend time with the new West Coast power couple.  Many of the heads of invited families had been unsure about union between Kane, Ara, and the two most powerful West Coast crime families, but, one by one, their doubts were assuaged, and their respect won.  They were impressed by their knowledge and professionalism.  It was obvious that they were strictly business, and were extremely capable of providing a successful outcome. 

Kane and Nazario were scheduled to have drinks with an old friend.  Kane had asked Elizabeth to stay with Ara in their suite.  He knew that she had Seth and the extra security detail, but he wanted someone on a personal level to stay close; Elizabeth was a perfect choice.  Ara had been feeling slightly ill and when she woke up this morning, she felt sick to her stomach.  After a short time, it seemed to pass.  As she sat on the side of the bed, she remembered that she had been tired lately, requiring a nap, which was highly unusual.  Now she was feeling nauseous, and out of sorts.  As she added things up, she was shocked at her conclusions; could she be pregnant?  Instinctively covering her stomach with her hand in a protective manner, she smiled and couldn’t help but think about how happy Kane would be.  She needed to get a home pregnancy test.

Once her nausea seemed abated, she dressed for the day and went out into the living room of the suite to find Elizabeth typing away on her laptop.  “Elizabeth.”

“Ara.  Are you okay; how are you feeling?”  Elizabeth asked, because, instead of the healthy glow that Ara always seem to have, she looked a little pale. 

“Actually, I need to go pick up something, but I want it to be a surprise for Kane.” 

“Okay, what is it?”

Ara looked around the room to be sure they were the only two within hearing range.  Once she was sure they were she leaned in close and whispered.  “A pregnancy test.”

“REALLY?!”  Elizabeth excitedly asked.

“Shhh.  I don’t want anyone to know, especially Kane, until I know for sure.”

“Okay.  Are you okay to leave the room or do you want me to get it?” 

“No, I’m feeling much better now.  I need to get out and get some air.”

“Okay.  I will make this happen, I promise.”  Elizabeth put away her laptop, and informed her team that if they needed her to contact her on her phone.  She was growing concerned by the outages they were experiencing on Roberto Cortez’s electronics.  Something was up, and she didn’t like it.

Elizabeth and Ara left the room, followed by Seth and the security detail.  When they reached the ground floor, Seth and the detail surveyed the lobby for any threats and, once they felt that it was all clear, Ara was permitted to leave the elevator.  Elizabeth locked arms with Ara and chatted as the crossed the lobby.

“Seth, we are going to do a little shopping in the Grand Bazaar.”  Ara said.  Bally’s had a large array of shops.  Ara and Elizabeth went from shop to shop, buying clothes, jewelry, lingerie and some kinky toys at the Lolo Exotic Home Goods store.  As they were passing by a pharmacy, Elizabeth gave Ara a wink. 

“Ara, I need to drop in a grab some feminine products.”  Elizabeth said, making Seth cringe at the thought. 

“Oh, Elizabeth, how horrible to have that ruining your week.”  Ara smirked. 

Elizabeth and Ara walked in and headed toward the feminine product row, which was where they located the pregnancy tests.  Picking up several boxes of tampons, liners, pads, feminine wash, and, lastly, five tests they walked to the counter.  Seth normally would be following more closely, but he just couldn’t when they were buying those items.  Ara paid for the items and they were placed in a bag, which they stuffed in one of their other large shopping bags.  With the tests securely in hand, they shopped at a few more shops and told Seth they were returning to the room.

Once back in the room, and after Seth had left to stand guard at the door, Ara pulled out the tests and went to the bathroom.  Reading over the instructions, she used one of the available plastic cups from the bathroom to collect the urine for the five tests she had purchased.  There was no way she could pee on five test strips.  Dipping each test in and placing them on the bathroom counter, face down, the agony of waiting began.  She walked out of the bathroom to find Elizabeth waiting for her.

“So?” Elizabeth’s face lit up with excitement.

“I am waiting on the results.”  Ara nervously muttered. 

“Oh, Ara, come over here and sit down.  So, was this planned?”  Elizabeth tilted her head, smirking at Ara.

“We have been trying.  Kane has been putting his cough, cough all into making it happen.”  Ara giggled.

“Damn...lucky girl.”

“Yeah and what about Sean O’Leary?  I heard that he has been racking up the air miles for some redheaded lass here on the West Coast.  I also heard each and every trip has him leaving with a large grin on his face.”

“Oh, Ara, he is so amazing.  I am so happy, but I keep looking around, waiting for the other shoe to drop.  It just seems that, every time we turn around, something negative happens.”  Elizabeth said.

“Elizabeth, you can’t always look for something bad to happen; look at the bright side and enjoy this time with Sean.  He is your match in every way.  I can see the love he has for you in his eyes when he talks about you.”

“I love him so much it is scary.  I never felt anything like this, even for Tony.”  She muttered as she dropped her head.

“Sean is your