Total pages in book: 146
Estimated words: 136425 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 682(@200wpm)___ 546(@250wpm)___ 455(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 136425 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 682(@200wpm)___ 546(@250wpm)___ 455(@300wpm)
He knew something of what his brother was talking about. He and Kala had a fight when they were teens and it ended with her being kidnapped so her cousin would have to walk into a trap. They’d been estranged for a long time after.
Was Devi out there wishing she’d never met him? Wishing he hadn’t walked into her life and wrecked it?
What was she going through? What was his father putting her through on that plane? Would he dump her body at the end of this like she didn’t matter? Like she wasn’t the whole world?
“Zach, you have to calm down. You need to be clearheaded throughout this.” Cooper studied him for a moment. “Maybe we should rethink our plans. I know it’s hard for me to think straight when Kala’s in danger.”
“You are not leaving me behind.”
“Technically, you’re not part of the team right now. You’re AWOL. Have you thought about that?” Cooper asked. “You could be arrested at the end of this. I don’t think Big Tag has worked his magic yet.”
“He doesn’t give a fuck.” TJ stood in the doorway, his face pale as he looked at the window. “Zach doesn’t care about anything but getting Devi back.”
TJ should be pissed at him, too. “Man, I’m so sorry.”
TJ shook his head as though he was shaking off some thought. He walked into the room and gave Zach a big bear hug. “I know. I am, too. One of us should have stayed, but this is the job, man. She should have been safe with Kala and Lucy. Huisman threw us a curve ball, and now we have to do everything we can to deal with the problem. So you’re going to take a deep breath and we’re going to do the job. There is no failure here. There is only one purpose, and we will achieve it. No matter who we have to get through.”
“I know the Agency is probably going to make a big deal out of ensuring this op is as quiet as possible, and that means keeping the body count down, but everyone in that facility knows what’s happening,” Cooper said. “From what I can tell they fired the real scientists a year ago. This place isn’t about climate change. It’s a bioweapons factory.”
“So we take them all out and then it’ll be real fucking quiet,” TJ vowed.
Funny, goofy TJ could turn on his soldier self when he wanted to.
“But Zach, you have to consider the fact that they’ll want you to come in,” Cooper pointed out. “If you go in…”
He might never come out, but he was having some faith. “If I go in and I don’t come back out, you have to promise me you’ll take care of Devi. I have to do this because I need to clear my name if we’re going to have any chance at the life she deserves. But if it goes wrong…”
“Then we’ll have a job to do,” TJ said, putting a fist out.
“And we’ll get it done, brother.” Cooper’s fist joined TJ’s.
His brothers. Somehow he’d found this amazing family. He pressed his hand to theirs.
He wouldn’t let them down.
* * * *
As kidnappings went this one wasn’t terrible. At least the accommodations were pretty good.
Devi looked around the sleek private jet. There were three men with lots of guns and a pilot with guns, and then there was Zach’s dad who had…yep, more guns.
It was gun party central.
“So you’re my son’s girlfriend.” Ray White sat in the chair opposite her.
She had to figure out how to play this. What she wanted to do was throw bile and vitriol this guy’s way. Her head hurt. She was being kidnapped…again. She was on her way to who knew where, and her future mother-in-law was drugged and buckled into a seat toward the front of the plane. They wouldn’t let her sit close to Shannon. She wanted to fight. But she’d seen how Huisman handled Kala. He’d loved her bile. It made him want to hurt her more.
She knew nothing about this man.
She knew nothing at all. Everyone kept looking to the back of the plane like they were all waiting to see a predator emerge.
She had the feeling Huisman was here, and that motherfucker was waiting to make an entrance.
“I don’t think he calls you dad.” She glanced over at Shannon Reed. She’d tried to make her more comfortable.
“Only because she kept him from me. She kept the other one from me, too. I didn’t know about my other boy until Dr. Huisman told me. That bitch ruined us.”
“I thought she hid your other son because you were in trouble with a cartel and she was trying to protect him.” Logic might not work, but she was going to give it a go.
“I would have protected them. I would have protected them all.” He stared at Shannon like she was a work of art. Or a deeply held regret that threatened to drown him.