Total pages in book: 55
Estimated words: 51589 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 258(@200wpm)___ 206(@250wpm)___ 172(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 51589 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 258(@200wpm)___ 206(@250wpm)___ 172(@300wpm)
That was what I wanted. Needed right now.
He lifted me, and I wrapped my legs around his waist. He kept our mouths molded together as he walked down the hall, his steps sure and fast.
In his room, he followed me down to the mattress, his weight pressing me deep into the bed. “Tell me what you want,” he demanded, dragging his mouth to my ear.
“Make me forget everything but you, Marcus. Make me yours all over again.”
“Hold tight,” he murmured, his dark eyes glittering in the light. “I’m going to rock your world.”
“I’m counting on it.”
Chapter Ten
Missy
Darkness surrounded the city, the streetlights bright down below. I stared out the window of the apartment, restless and edgy. Marcus had been gone for hours. The building felt empty even though I knew Sofia was in her place, one of Marcus’s men was outside the door, and a couple people were still working in the command center.
Marcus hadn’t been pleased when I’d shown up in the room earlier this morning. He’d come out of his office frowning when he saw me sitting with Egan. He crossed the room to my side.
“What are you doing?”
“Egan is showing me how he designs the charges. It’s fascinating.”
He regarded me with ill-concealed impatience. “I’m not happy about that, but I meant how did you get in here? I left you upstairs.”
“I came in like everyone else. Through the door. I can’t ghost through objects, Marcus.”
He leaned down, his mouth close to my ear. “How did you get the passcode for the door?”
“I memorized it yesterday,” I responded, keeping my eyes on the computer screen Egan was using.
“Damien, change the code,” he barked, straightening up, taking my arm.
I didn’t respond and let him lead me upstairs. “You don’t need to know about explosives,” he snapped, sitting me on the sofa. “Do your research.”
I waited a bit, then headed back down, taking my laptop and sliding into a corner in the room. I worked for a while, the sounds of the busy room helping me to focus. When Marcus appeared again, his tone exasperated, I tried not to laugh.
“Why are you never where I leave you? How the hell did you get in this time?”
“I called Julian and asked for permission. He gave me a code.”
Marcus walked into his office, slamming the door. I heard some yelling on a one-sided conversation, then he came back out.
“Missy. My office. Now.”
Egan looked over with a comical grin. “Good luck,” he muttered. “I know that tone.”
So did I. But I marched into Marcus’s office and sat down. “Yes, sir?”
“Don’t play coy with me. I want you upstairs.”
“I want to be here.”
“Why are you being so stubborn?”
“Because I feel better when I’m here. I’m close to you, and the background noise helps me concentrate. Upstairs, there is too much silence. It bothers me.”
That took away his anger, and his shoulders slumped in defeat.
“No explosive lessons. And don’t touch the weapons. Stay in the corner.”
“Anything else, Dad?”
He glared at me, and I grinned.
“You interfere, and you’re out.”
I jumped to my feet. “Got it.” I hurried out of his office before he could add any other stupid rules I would have to ignore.
I did leave the space once they got down to the mission for the night. He felt better with my not knowing, and I could respect that. Now that he was gone, I had no desire to go downstairs.
I sat down, pulling my laptop onto my knees and studying the notes I had made. I was missing something. We were all missing something.
A smile played on my face as I saw how Egan had scribbled a Z over the X of Xanadu. “It makes no sense how something spelled with an X and a Z can be pronounced the same way. It should be X-anadu. Like X-ray,” he stated, his Romanian accent thick. “Your English is too confusing.”
I had laughed and ignored him. But as I looked at his scribble, something niggled again at my tired brain. The beginning of an idea formed. Something so simple, it perhaps was overlooked. Or maybe it had been thought of and nothing came of it. Either way, I wanted to check it out, but I needed to be able to concentrate. To think it through carefully and decide how to go about it the best way. When I heard the low ping of the elevator, I shut the laptop. I would start in the morning.
Marcus
My body was weary as I headed down the hall. My mind was not. It was full of the terrified faces of the women we had pulled out of the dark, damp cellar of an old house. Something had tugged at me, and it wasn’t until Damien said something that the troublesome thought congealed in my mind.
“These women all look like Missy. Every one of them.”