Total pages in book: 36
Estimated words: 33642 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 168(@200wpm)___ 135(@250wpm)___ 112(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 33642 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 168(@200wpm)___ 135(@250wpm)___ 112(@300wpm)
“And you waited patiently for me to work with Cain to get things in place to get you outta there. While you did, you were able to get back information that stopped people from being killed. I could have worked something out quicker, but you weren’t in immediate danger. I wanted to make sure we did this cleanly. That way you have the option to make a break if you want. We’ll help you get a new identity so you can have a normal life.”
Joilyn snorted. “Define normal.”
“Good point.” Scout grinned. “We’re headed to Florida. While these guys don’t let outsiders in their compound, Salvation’s Bane MC’s compound will. You can clean up and rest a few days, then decide what you want to do.”
Joilyn looked from Rattler to me before nodding her head. “Yeah. That sounds like a good idea.”
“And for the record, guys…” Scout raised an eyebrow as his gaze slid from me to Rattler. “She’s right about what happened with the raid. The whole thing was an elaborate set-up. What they learned about how information spreads organically before it’s picked up by algorithms and shit will be the way they delay information getting to the public in the future.”
I stared at Joilyn. Really looked at her. She appeared the same as she did the last day I saw her. Dark auburn hair and green eyes, that stubborn chin and athletic figure were very familiar to me. But I didn’t see her the same way I used to. When I thought about marrying a woman, making a home, I didn’t see those clear, green eyes looking up at me or the sprinkling of freckles across her nose as she smiled. I saw sparkling copper eyes framed by chestnut-colored ringlets. I saw the look of near hero worship in her eyes when she looked up at me and let my chest swell with pride even though I knew I didn’t deserve her. I saw Gina.
I stood to go back to my seat. I had a lot to think about. Mainly about how quickly I could get my property cut around Gina’s slim shoulders. The more I thought about it, the more I realized it had been a mistake to come here. Sure, I could say I’d been there for Rattler. The man was my best friend. But the truth was, I’d felt obligated. And maybe a small part of me had thought I wanted her to tell me she hadn’t had a choice. I now knew that had been my biggest mistake of all. I didn’t want Joilyn. I never had. Not the way I wanted Gina.
“Falcon,” Joilyn called out as I walked away. “Can I talk with you before you go up front?” She glanced at Rattler. “Alone?”
“Yeah. Guess we have a lot to talk about.”
“Is there someplace private we can go?” Joilyn asked in a louder voice, obviously asking someone else in the plane other than me or Rattler.
Scout looked from me to her and shrugged. “Sure.” He led us to a door at the back of the plane. The door opened to a study. There was a small, curved desk in one corner and a leather sectional couch in the other. “It’ll be a few hours before we land. Take all the time you need.”
He shut the door, and Joilyn and I just stood there. For the first time since I actually got a look at her, she seemed uncertain. Like she was at a loss of how to proceed. Then she crossed the short distance to the couch and sat. I parked my ass on the desk, not knowing exactly what to do. I didn’t want to crowd her, and I also needed to keep my distance. The very last thing that could happen now was for her to get the impression I thought we should pick up where we left off.
“You won’t sit by me?” She tilted her head looking confused.
“I don’t think it’s the best idea, Joilyn.”
She ducked her head, her hair hiding her face. Then she took a deep breath. “I’m so sorry, Jacob.” She’d been so strong and tough up to this point, when her face crumbled and she started weeping silently, it nearly broke my heart. “I thought I was doing the right thing. I wanted to make a difference.”
“You did, honey. Scout says you saved lives by staying put.”
“I almost got you and Ruben killed,” she said softly. “Everyone else died. I know because Scout told me when I first contacted him. That’s on me. Isn’t it?”
“I don’t have answers for questions like that, Joi. But, it honestly doesn’t sound like it. You tried to warn us. To keep children from getting caught in the crossfire. I’d rather have died myself than accidentally harmed a child. Besides, their hidden agenda sounded like something they’d say was worth the collateral damage. It’s not the people like us in the field who are evil. It’s the people pulling our strings to get us to do things we wouldn’t normally do. Then, they hold those things over our heads to get us to do more things we wouldn’t normally do.”