Total pages in book: 75
Estimated words: 71444 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 357(@200wpm)___ 286(@250wpm)___ 238(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 71444 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 357(@200wpm)___ 286(@250wpm)___ 238(@300wpm)
I hold my hand out, Barrett takes it, and I lead her down the hallway past my apartment and the others to the intersection at the end. The laundry facilities are to the right, and a small staircase that leads up to the roof is to the left.
The roof is my favorite place, and Joslyn made it a paradise. She’s covered most of the surface with potted plants and trees. The perimeter is bordered by a four-foot wall so no one can see up here from street level. There aren’t any taller buildings around to indicate we’ve got a miniature jungle up here. There are two sets of patio dining furniture as well as boxed vegetable gardens Joslyn started.
I lead Barrett over to one of the tables, and she sits. I take the seat beside her, sitting reassuringly close.
I start by filling her in on the things I know she’ll be most curious about. “The man who tried to kidnap you is American, but that’s about all we know. He swears he doesn’t know who hired him—that it was anonymous.”
“Do you believe him?” she asks.
“I don’t know, since I haven’t been able to talk to him. Kynan’s going to continue to work on him, though.”
She mulls over it before nodding her understanding. “What now?”
“Now, you and I have to leave,” I tell her. “Too many people know we’re here, and we don’t know who wants you. So we have to go off-the-grid.”
“Off-the-grid?” she murmurs.
“Somewhere no one will know where we are or how to find us,” I clarify.
“My uncle?”
I shake my head. “No one but Kynan and maybe a select few here at Jameson.”
Barrett’s eyes cloud with frustration. “For how long? When exactly will I get my life back?”
My hand goes to her knee and I give it a squeeze. It doesn’t seem too forward, and Barrett doesn’t react negatively to my touch. “I’m sorry. I know this is hard on you, but my job is to keep you alive. If we’re lucky, Kynan will learn something from this guy. We also still have the team in Vegas pursuing leads with the arms dealers who originally mentioned you.”
“Or they can make another move on me,” she suggests softly, her gaze moving toward a pot of pretty yellow flowers. The tone of her voice tells me that scenario is one she does not want to happen.
This is good, as she understands going on the run and hiding is our best bet to keep her safe.
She continues to stare for a moment before focusing on me. I get an agreeable but tired smile from her. “Okay. Whatever you think is best.”
I rise from the table, offering her my hand again. She takes it easily, and I tug to pull her up. Regretfully, I let go the minute she has her feet under her. Together, we return to the kitchen.
Joslyn already has the table set. She, Kynan, and Saint are seated and waiting for us. Joslyn introduces Barrett and Saint while I grab a few bottled waters from the fridge. Joslyn serves up steaming plates of gooey lasagna. I forego a salad because… why would I want rabbit food when I can eat cheesy goodness?
We engage in general small talk, and Saint goes into overdrive trying to charm Barrett. Makes me want to punch him so I concentrate on my food.
“I’ve got an idea,” Joslyn says while we tuck into our meals. “About where you and Barrett can go.”
I pop up, fork full of cheese and pasta paused in midair. “Where’s that?”
“How about a private island in the Caribbean?” she suggests with a triumphant smile. “Accessible only by boat or helicopter, private and security conscious.”
I cock an eyebrow at Kynan, because while I love Joslyn for putting her thinking cap on as well as getting a birthday present for Aaron from me, she’s not a security expert.
Kynan nods. “It’s owned by Brad Murdock. Got the most up-to-date security, discreet staff on site, and the island is inaccessible on all sides except the north because of reefs.”
Brad Murdock is a big time, A-list actor in Hollywood. I don’t know much about him but clearly, Joslyn has a good relationship with him since she thinks he’ll let us use the place.
This has potential.
I turn to Barrett, who meets my gaze. “I need electricity to plug my laptop in. As long as it has that, I’m good.”
Joslyn laughs. “It’s a luxury estate. It has electricity, servants, and Wi-Fi.”
“No Wi-Fi,” I state, staring pointedly at Barrett. “You can’t communicate with anyone on the outside. Nothing that can track back to us.”
Her face falls as she realizes how isolated we’re going to be. “But I need to be able to talk to my staff—”
“Sorry, Barrett,” I murmur with a slow shake of my head. “We are going totally off-the-grid, okay?”