Total pages in book: 128
Estimated words: 121360 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 607(@200wpm)___ 485(@250wpm)___ 405(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 121360 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 607(@200wpm)___ 485(@250wpm)___ 405(@300wpm)
“I’m so sorry, Bones. I know this must be…” He fell silent, unable to say anything.
“I’m gonna get her back, Max.”
“I have no doubt you will.”
“I’m not sure how they figured out who I am.” I didn’t accuse Max of anything, knowing he covered his tracks better than anyone I knew.
“I don’t either. I can look into it for you.”
“Please.” I wanted to know if I had any other enemies creeping around behind my back.
“Do you have a plan?”
“No.”
“Is her tracker still in place?”
“I just checked it five minutes ago, and it still has a signal. She’s on a plane headed right toward Morocco.”
“I bet they’re taking her to the palace,” Max said. “That’s my best bet.”
“I agree. They’re being sloppy, assuming I wouldn’t figure this out.”
Max was quiet for a long time. “Or this is exactly what they want…”
To lure me into their territory—so they could get revenge.
“Coming after you in Italy would be stupid. But taking Vanessa gives them the advantage. You’re running out of time, so you’re going to follow them as quickly as possible, not preparing fully for the war. This is exactly what they want, Bones. They want you—not her.”
If they wanted me, they could have me. If they just let my woman go…I would give them my head on a silver platter. “You’re right.”
“That’s good news for you…but also bad. If they can have both of you, that’s ideal.”
“They aren’t getting both.” Vanessa was my priority, and I would do anything to gain her freedom. But I had to do my best to survive too, because losing me would kill her anyway.
“I hope you’re right, Bones. I’ll get that team together and have them meet at the rendezvous point.”
“Thanks, Max.”
“Good luck, man.”
“Yeah…”
He hung up.
Crow and Cane both stared at me, waiting for the details.
“Max will send a dozen men our way to help. They’ll give us some equipment too.”
“Are your men joining us?” Crow asked.
“No. They’re in the middle of a mission.” I was disappointed, but I couldn’t be angry. Max couldn’t turn his back on Shane. That wouldn’t be the right thing to do.
“Shit,” Cane said as he dragged his hands down his face.
I was ashamed that we were in this situation, that I was the reason Vanessa had been taken. I’d promised to protect her, but now she was in the hands of men who wanted to hurt me. If they laid a single hand on her…I would kill their entire family line. “They want revenge for what I did. If I can’t save her, I should be able to trade her.”
“Your life for hers?” Crow asked.
I nodded.
“And will you do that?” Crow asked, his eyes filled with a pain he couldn’t defeat.
I was offended he even asked. “In a heartbeat.”
Satisfied with that answer, he turned away.
Fifteen
Vanessa
I was chained to a chair on a private plane.
The men spoke Arabic, which I couldn’t understand.
I was dead quiet, keeping my eyes averted and trying to disappear. I didn’t want them to even know I was there. Now I was en route to an unknown destination, and the fear started to kick in. I was stuck on a plane, and there was no way Bones would be able to save me now. They could do whatever they wanted to me.
All I had was myself.
I truly believed Bones would save me. But he couldn’t stop the events that happened in between.
And I didn’t want to go through the same thing my mother went through…
The thought alone made me more afraid than I’d been in my entire life.
There were two guards watching me at all times. They all carried rifles, guns that were too big for their hands. They kept looking at me, like I would do something unexpected at any moment.
The man in charge sat up front, drinking with his men and speaking in the language I couldn’t understand. Whoever these men were, they were excessively wealthy and obviously powerful. They were able to board a private plane with dozens of weapons without anyone even glancing at them.
Who the hell were they?
I kept looking out the window, doing my best to remain calm. If Bones weren’t around, I believed my father would find a way to save me, but knowing Bones was out there gave me more comfort. He was capable and trained for this. On top of that, he loved me. He would never stop until I was rescued.
I believed in him with all my heart.
Based on the landscape around me, I figured out I was in Morocco. The famous bazaar with the gathering of thousands of people told me where I was. Bones had just been in Morocco for a hit, and it seemed like the most likely destination.
Bones mentioned he killed the target and was discovered by the son.
That must be the man who took me.