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)
Devi moved in front of him. “My uncle won’t let them take Zach.”
They all looked at her like she was naïve. Damn, if he’d known how one session would change Devi’s mind, he would have convinced her to play with him that first night. It felt good to have her on his side.
It was dangerous for her. If the Canadians were here, there was a chance they would want to get on the Agency’s good side, and an excellent way of doing that was turning him in.
“Your uncle will do what’s best for the op,” Lucy replied, though not unkindly. “I mean I don’t think he’ll leave Zach there to rot, but if it comes to it and we have to choose saving the world and saving Zach Reed in the short term, his ass is sitting in a prison for a while.”
“I’m going to turn myself in when this is all over,” Zach said. “That was always the plan. I made a deal with Kala.”
Devi turned, and she was staring at him like she’d never seen him before. “Turn yourself in?”
Oh, he fucked up again. He reached for her hands. “Yes. I’ve done some things I need to make right, and turning myself in is what I have to do.”
Kala’s eyes rolled. “Like I’m going to keep you to that, but we do have to deal with the Canadians, and that means I have a role to play.” She looked to Lucy. “Are you going to fuck me over?”
“I’ll fuck you up, but I won’t fuck you over,” Lucy admitted. “Are you going to pretend to be your better half and make Parker think you’re not all weakhearted girl for Coop? I take it he wasn’t invited to the wedding.”
“You can’t turn yourself in,” Devi said quietly.
He pulled her close and wrapped his arms around her, not quite sure what to say.
“No, he wasn’t, and how the hell do you know all that?” Kala asked. “Not the wedding. The whole Kenz and Parker thing. We’ve kept that out of the reports.”
“Oh, I know how she knows.” Lou slipped the water bottle back into her pack. “Big Tag feels the need to gossip. Henry is the only one in his life besides Aunt Charlotte who has the clearance to actually hear his stories, so he talks to Henry.”
Lucy nodded. “Dad gets sad and lonely when Mom’s not around, so he gets chatty with me. I looked Parker up. He’s hot. Way to go, Kenz.”
“He’s a douchebag,” Kala complained.
“You think everyone is a douchebag,” Lucy countered.
“Are they going to take me home?” Devi asked.
It would be for the best, and he was a selfish bastard to not turn her over right this second. Instead, he breathed in her scent. “Not unless you want to go.”
“I think I’d like to stay a while if only to make sure you don’t do something dumb.”
And to explore this thing between them. Thing. What a stupid word. This miracle that seemed to be going on between them. He called it that because he never expected to feel this way.
TJ strode back in, a big piece of beef jerky in hand. And a couple of kittens clinging to his pants. He wasn’t sure TJ even knew they were there. “Thanks, Zach. I was dying. So what’s happening? Are we bunking down here?”
Lucy’s eyes had gone almost comically wide. “Is that meat you’re eating in my home, TJ Taggart?”
TJ shoved it down his throat so fast. He was still trying to chew when he shook his head. “Nope. All plant based. Yup.”
The kittens were climbing TJ like a tree.
Lou moved in and carefully pulled one off him, her face going soft. “Oh, they’re so cute.”
There was a knock on the door, and Lucy moved to open it.
“Maybe we should go change.” Zach wanted to get her alone. Even if they did nothing more than talk about what was going to happen next. Hell, he didn’t know what was happening next.
He noticed Cooper had his gun at his side, and Kala did the same, both staring at the door. He should have been doing that, too, but he’d gotten soft. So fucking soft.
“Uh, guys, I think something’s on my back,” TJ said quietly, staying still. “Is this like Australia where everything wanted to kill me?”
Devi snorted her brother’s way. “It’s like a shelter where you’re a perfect cat climbing toy. Come here, baby. You don’t want to play with my stinky brother.”
“I’m not stinky,” her brother protested.
“Guys, it’s my dad,” Lucy announced. “And it looks like he’s been hunting. Game faces on.”
She opened the door and Arthur was there. Henry. Henry was there. It was plainly obvious that he’d been hiding a lot because the man was suddenly a predator. Gone was the mild-mannered vet who gave good advice and gently took care of all creatures great and small.