Bloodbound: The Alliance
Landen Vacheron, heir to a fortune built on oil and ambition, has lived his life as a wealthy playboy, the world bowing to his every whim, thanks to the empire his billionaire father, Colton Vacheron, forged. But as his older brother Vance steps into the role of CEO, Landen begins to see that the true cost of power and privilege is far greater than he ever imagined. Avara Du Pont is a devoted daughter who set aside her own dreams to bolster her father’s political aspirations. Unaware of his dark secrets. When it comes to light, Colton Vacheron offers him a proposition he cannot refuse; a marriage alliance between Avara and Vance, as a way for him to garner more political influence. And Mayor Du Pont will receive a king’s ransom as payment to stave off the shadows spilling into his life. Avara agrees to the fake relationship in order to protect her family from her father's criminal ties.
Chapter 67
Akio POV
The car slows to a deliberate stop before the secluded estate, its structure, gaudy and overcompensating, is framed by the dying light of dusk. My gaze tracks every visible point of entry, noting the two guards stationed at the front—Botan's personal detail—now standing like statues flanking the massive front door. Their presence, a body without a head, is as unusual as it is telling.
I'd suspected something was amiss the moment I received word: Botan had summoned the cleaners. Under normal circumstances, I wouldn't care, but their deployment to his current location—the estate of an associate with whom Botan was supposed to broker an arms deal and secure the Baltic shipping routes—for some reason—and none of them good. The cleaners were sent.
"Stay here. All of you."