Free Billionaire's Tragedy (Standalone Book) (Billionaire Bad Boy Romance) by Alexa Davis

illegal sales,
and as much as everyone is standing behind the idea that legal sales should be
the only sales, we all know that a large portion of the profits in the weapons
industry come from unregulated sales."
    "How do you know all
of these things?" I asked as I looked at her. "I'm the damn reporter,
and I don't know all of this stuff."
    "It's patterns,
Liv," she shrugged. "Just follow the money and you'll see the pattern.
Besides, if smart technology is made mandatory, it's going to affect millions
of gun owners who have to then equip their weapons with the technology. Like it
or not, it's going to cost money, and that's not going to make people happy.
I'm sure Russo knows his members are not super rich billionaires who have tons
of money laying around, so he's going to fight the legislation any way he can.
You might check into whether those Senators were supporting the bill."
    "C'mon, Bix, get
real," I said as I bit into another cookie fragments. "Despite living
in D.C., this is not exactly House of
Cards . People don't murder people to get what they want! Not here in the US
of A!"
    "Don't fool
yourself, Liv," she said, pushing her glasses up on her nose with the back
of her wrist. "This town is full of people who do things that you and I
would never dream of doing in order to preserve their interests."
    "But murdering
senators? Seriously?" I said. "C'mon, that's just insane."
    "It might be, but it
also might be closer to the truth than you think,” she said as she looked at
me. There was something in Bix's eyes that told me she wasn't kidding, and that
scared me. I was about to ask another question when Diana came tumbling into
the kitchen and knocked a plate full of decorated cookies off of the counter.
They flew through the air and crashed at my feet where the broken bits mingled
in a rainbow of colors.
    "I'm sorry, Mom! I'm
sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Diana cried as she prepared to shed tears to
show how sorry she was. Bix knelt down, gathered Diana in her arms, and hugged
her tightly.
    "It's okay,
baby," she cooed as she rocked the sobbing child. "Accidents happen
and broken cookies are not the end of the world. We'll fix them or we'll make
another batch, okay?"
    Diana stepped back and
wiped her eyes with the back of her hand as she looked at her mother. Bix
smiled, patted the child's cheek, and then kissed her on the head before
saying, "I love you and I'm just glad you're not hurt, but what's the rule
about running in the kitchen?"
    "The rule is that we
don't run in the kitchen unless a monster is chasing us!" Diana yelled as
she jumped up and down.
    "That's right,"
Bix smiled. She patted Diana's head and then sent her on her way. After Diana
had returned to the playroom, Bix turned and smiled at me and said, "Some
days..."
    "I know, I
know," I said. "Do you want me to break out the wine?"
    "Every single
day," she sighed. "Every single day."
    We both dissolved into
laughter as Bix set about whipping up another batch of gingerbread kids while I
poured the wine.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
    CHAPTER
NINE
    Linc

 
    " Another drink, gentlemen?" I asked
as I raised the bottle of hundred-year-old whiskey. Glasses were quickly pushed
forward and I filled each one as I took note of how each of my poker buddies
were doing. "There are more sandwiches on the sideboard and cigars in the
humidor if anyone needs more of anything."
    "You sure know how to
throw a poker game, Redding," said the man to my left. Senator Roy Walker
looked a little farther gone than the rest of them. I'd been watching him
carefully and gauging his behavior, watching as his beady little eyes began to
shine brighter under the influence of alcohol. Despite his portly body, he
moved surprisingly quickly, reminding me of a hamster looking for food.
    "Thanks, Roy,"
I smiled as I held up the bottle and offered him another round. He grinned and
nodded as he held out his glass. "It's a good turnout tonight, I'm glad
you could