Total pages in book: 155
Estimated words: 146392 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 732(@200wpm)___ 586(@250wpm)___ 488(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 146392 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 732(@200wpm)___ 586(@250wpm)___ 488(@300wpm)
“So we’re sending Coop,” Kala quipped.
Coop groaned, but his lips curled up. “I’m extremely attractive, thank you, but I will take her in. I’m roughly the same height and coloring. He’s got a scar on his cheek. Kenz can fake that with makeup.”
“Shouldn’t we talk to Boomer?” Theo looked pale, like he couldn’t stand the thought of sending one of the kids in.
But they weren’t kids anymore. “My father knows the risks I took when I agreed to do this job. They are the same ones he took. My father does not ask me about my job because he is my father and not my boss. So no, we will not be calling my dad because I am an adult who has passed all the tests and who is competent at her job.”
Erin chuckled. “Forgive my husband. He’s a lot like my son. He wants to protect everyone he cares about, even when they don’t need to be protected.”
Theo ran a hand through his short, cropped hair. “I’m sorry. I know Lou is well trained. But I also know TJ will want to die if anything happens to her.”
She wasn’t sure about that, but she did feel for Theo. She’d kept herself calm, a bit cold, but seeing TJ’s dad so worried thawed her heart. She got up and walked to the man who’d been such a part of her teen years. Theo had been the fun dad, the one who took them to concerts and never made fun of the pop bands. He’d sang along with them all.
She walked up and put her arms around him. “I will bring him back. I promise.”
Theo hugged her tight. “You come back, too, Lou. You be careful and cautious and wait for the right time. We’ll be there. We won’t let you down.”
They never had. Not once.
And she wouldn’t let them down. She would get TJ back and then she would finally be able to move on with her life.
Chapter Three
There was movement outside the door, and TJ prepared himself for pain.
The last…he wanted to say day, maybe day and a half…had been surprisingly quiet. After they’d announced they were going to give him a reason to talk, they’d chucked him in this windowless room and left him on his own. He’d passed out for an undetermined amount of time and when he’d woken, he’d managed to find the light switch. He’d been surprised when it worked, and more surprised to find himself in what looked like a somewhat normal room. There was an industrial-looking cot he’d been laid out on with sheets and a blanket. The nightstand was bolted to the cold concrete floor. Not that he had anything to put on it. He had access to a toilet and rudimentary shower, though there were no toiletries. That was it. No windows. No desk or table. Just a small, cell-like room with concrete walls and a solid-looking door.
He’d tried the door, of course, but the banging from the other side had let him know he wasn’t alone. There was a guard on the door at any point in time. They brought in bland food for him twice a day. MREs with tepid water, so they were even worse than well-done MREs, and weren’t those words he’d never thought he would put together.
Sometimes he blamed his Uncle Sean. He’d grown up around a highly celebrated chef. It made it hard to get used to MREs.
God, what was happening to his mom? It was awful, but TJ hoped and prayed they went after his mom because she had the best chance of surviving an attack. Devi or Lou… He didn’t know what he would do if that door opened and they dragged him out and showed him his sister or Lou tied up and helpless.
He didn’t know what they thought he knew. He had no idea what they were talking about.
He had nothing to trade for their lives.
What was he going to do if he had to watch his sister or Lou die?
Make shit up. He could do that. Sure, he knew this Jester guy. His real name was Ian Taggart.
No, that wouldn’t work. They wouldn’t believe it was his uncle. He was too high profile. He needed someone tough, someone who would be on guard because the minute Lou or Devi went missing, they would know something had gone wrong. They wouldn’t think either woman was going off on their own for the weekend or ditched plans.
Would they know the same about him? Or would they think TJ’s kind of a flake. That sounds like something TJ would do.
Fucking TJ.
He knew how his cousins referred to him when they thought he wasn’t treating Lou right.
Would they leave him here? They might, but they wouldn’t leave Lou and they wouldn’t leave Devi, and that was all that mattered.