Billionaires in New York Boxed Set: Billionaires in the City Books 1-3 by Laura Burton (learn to read books .TXT) 📕

a dark side to Calvin. Something dangerous and unnerving behind his polite smile. The same smile he was giving her now. All she could think about was how he could have found her.

“I’ve come for closure,” he said with a note of finality. Catherine held her breath as her eyes shot to the hall, praying that Johnny could somehow sense danger and stay locked in the bathroom.

All alarms were going off in her head, and every hair on her arms had risen. If Johnny came out and found Calvin standing there, she wasn’t sure what he would do. But she had a few guesses what Calvin would do, and it instilled enough fear for her to muster the courage to go against her instincts.

“Okay Calvin,” she said, reaching for her jacket. “Let’s take a walk.” Calvin’s thin lips curved upward as he gave a curt nod and followed Catherine out the door.

Chapter Twenty

Tactics and Alliances

Edward paced the room, his mind spinning as he glanced sideways at Anthony who was sitting on the couch.

“She’s not picking up,” he said with frustration, looking at Edward.

“You know what to do,” Charles said to Sam and David, they nodded back and called the elevator. As soon as the doors opened, a security guard appeared, he marched into the apartment and whispered into Charles’ ear, who hummed. Then he looked at Anthony.

“Can you give us the address for your aunt and uncle?” he asked mildly. Anthony shook his head.

“Oh no,” he said. “Catherine won’t be impressed if I told you that.”

“Does Calvin know?”

Anthony sucked in the air through his teeth and squinted.

“I don’t know about that,” he said slowly.

“Let’s consider this. A man who has made a direct threat, not only at my son, but at your cousin too, is walking around the city, a free man. His motives are clear. What move do you expect him to make now?”

Anthony furrowed his brows in thought before he rubbed his forehead, then he picked up his phone again.

“Come on, pick up,” he muttered. Then he sighed and looked up.

“Fine. I’ll go over there and make sure she’s okay.”

“I’ll go with you,” Edward said quickly. Anthony looked at him as if he had been strangled.

“No,” Charles said simply. “You need to stay here. The team have set up a perimeter around the penthouse, you’ll be safe.”

Edward gawped at his father, hardly believing his ears. Then he clenched his jaw and nodded. There was no use in arguing with Charles Marks. They shook hands, then Charles made to leave.

“Where are you going?” Edward called out as Charles reached the door. He looked pointedly at his son with his silver brows raised.

“To clean up the legal mess you’ve created,” he said. Then he turned on his heel and left.

Anthony grunted as he tapped away on his phone, then he got to his feet.

“Well, I’m going to head off,” he said gruffly. Edward followed him to the door.

“I’m coming too.”

“But your dad –”

“Forget it, there’s no way I’m sitting in this prison while she’s out there with a crazy person on the loose.”

Anthony gave him a long hard look before he smiled.

“You really do care about her,” he said, as if he had unearthed a buried secret. Edward smirked and gave him a shove.

“Figured that out, all by yourself?” he shot back. Then the two gentlemen left the penthouse and headed for the garage.

The black Mercedes saloon pulled up on a quiet street in Jersey City. The tree-lined avenue was dark despite the glow from the city lights. Edward climbed out of the car and glanced at his watch. It was late, they had been talking for hours. He only hoped that they were overreacting, and Catherine was perfectly safe, having a visit with her family.

“It’s this one,” Anthony said in a hushed tone. Edward glanced at the convoy behind them. His security team insisted on joining them. But four men in dark suits getting out of an unmarked black car did not look inconspicuous. An uncomfortable sense of foreboding grew in the pit of Edward’s stomach as he followed Anthony down the garden path to the small one storey house. His heart skipped a beat, and his hands grew clammy as the door opened.

“Hey there Johnny,” Anthony said, as he hugged his cousin. Edward offered a sheepish wave as Johnny’s bright eyes lingered onto him.

“Edward Marks, the billionaire,” he exclaimed, reaching for a hug. Edward bent down and clapped him on the shoulder as Johnny hugged him round the middle. “Don’t worry about Cathy,” he said as they broke apart. “I spoke to her, and she’s not mad at you anymore.”

Edward couldn’t help but allow a grin to take over his whole face. He wanted to pick Johnny up and swing him around. Johnny turned to Anthony and raised a pointed finger at him.

“What you did was very wrong,” he said, sticking his jaw out. Anthony took a step back with his hands raised.

“What do you mean?”

“You hurt Edward. Cathy told me all about it. I’m not happy with you for that.” He jabbed his finger in Anthony’s chest.

Edward opened his mouth to argue but stopped.

“Did you hear that?” he said, looking around. An unearthly siren-like screech filled the air, but it was faint, as if coming from a distance.

“Never mind that Johnny. Eddie and I are pals again,” Anthony said, ignoring Edward’s question. “Can we see Cathy?” A rumble in the distance grew loud, then faded as Johnny’s face fell.

“She’s gone,” he said. Anthony and Edward exchanged looks. Another faint scream filled the air.

“Don’t worry about that noise, they’re playing a movie in Hamilton park tonight,” Johnny explained.

“What do you mean Cathy’s gone?” Edward said slowly. Johnny shifted his weight from foot to foot and dragged his teeth across his bottom lip.

“We were playing monopoly. The doorbell rang and I went to the bathroom. When I got back, she was gone. She didn’t even leave the pizza.”

Anthony looked at Johnny quizzically then glanced at