Highways & Hostages Read Online Free PDF Page A

guess is that von Rothschild wants to be the big man in the art business. He comes from a long line of art collectors—it’s in his blood. And poor little upstart me is besting him.” Julian returned to his seat, a wry smile playing over his face, as Finn mulled over the information he’d just learned.
    Julian cleared his throat. “Finn, you have royally fucked up.”
    Finn opened his mouth to say something, but Julian held up a hand to stop him. “I recognize that you will do whatever is necessary to get the job done, but your problem-solving skills have gotten a little rusty. I need to talk to Christoph and see if we can work something out. Since he called me in pain from his home recovery room, vowing revenge and promising to remove all of my limbs and yours, I’ll have to give it some time. You need to lie low for the time being. I know Christoph has men crawling all over the city looking for you. At least you were wearing that ridiculous disguise. I’ll contact you when I have something figured out.”
    Julian steepled his fingers again and pensively watched the fish tank. Finn took this as his cue to leave.
    In the hallway outside the office, Finn raked a hand over his face. “Jesus, I’m fucked.”
    “Watch your language!” Yvonne Bartlett called as she exited a room down the hall. Prior to managing Julian’s household for the last fifteen years, Yvonne had been brought on as Billy’s nanny soon after Julian’s wife, Sylvia, died of ovarian cancer.
    Finn smiled and walked over to meet her, wrapping the petite, older woman in a hug. As Finn inhaled her familiar, flowery scent, some of his worry dissipated; she reminded him of his grandmother. He stepped back and looked into her cornflower-blue eyes, still sharp as ever. “How’s Alex?”
    Yvonne petted the severe bun of snow-white hair on top of her head. “He’ll be good as new in a few weeks. Dr. Fletcher gave him something to help him sleep.”
    “Can I see him?”
    Yvonne put on what Finn and Alex called “the nanny face”—the face she wore whenever she found out Billy had done something stupid. “He needs his rest.”
    “Please?” Finn wheedled. “Just a quick peek.”
    Yvonne sighed and opened the door to Alex’s room. “You have one minute. Don’t wake him,” she whispered sternly.
    Finn stepped into the room and Yvonne closed the door behind him. As Finn approached the bed, he let out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding. Alex looked the same as he usually did, if a little pale. Finn gazed at him for a second before taking a lap around Alex’s childhood bedroom.
    The cool blue room was decorated with a nautical theme. A captain’s wheel hung above the large sleigh bed, and paintings of lighthouses and sketches of sailboats covered the walls. Finn ran his hands over the walnut bookcase that held Alex’s prized ship in a bottle and numerous soccer trophies. Finn was glad Alex was okay, but now he wondered what would have happened if his friend had been seriously injured. Would Julian have kicked him to the wayside? Or would he have indoctrinated him further into the Beckham family?
    Julian had moved Finn to Las Vegas and set him up with a cushy life over ten years ago. As a result, Finn saw him as a father figure, but it was always in the back of his mind that Alex and Billy were his actual kids. When Finn first came to the city, Billy was thirteen and away at boarding school. Alex was nineteen and studying at college. He and Finn got acquainted the few times he came home on break, when he wasn’t off skiing in Aspen or sailing in the South of France. The two didn’t become close until after Alex graduated and moved back to the mansion to work for his father alongside Finn.
    Finn had always been jealous of Alex, and if he was honest with himself, he still was. Growing up, Finn had never seen college in his future and had been fine with it. It was only when he met Alex and was regaled with stories about the college