Total pages in book: 92
Estimated words: 84544 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 423(@200wpm)___ 338(@250wpm)___ 282(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 84544 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 423(@200wpm)___ 338(@250wpm)___ 282(@300wpm)
Kairo was on his feet before he even thought about it, crossing the short distance between them to drop down on the edge of the other mattress. He placed a hand on Isidore’s slumped shoulder and squeezed. “Enough of that. This Vanko asshole seems determined. If he hadn’t grabbed you at the market, there’s a good chance he would have gone in shooting. He doesn’t seem the type to be upset by killing your bodyguards to get what he wants. Besides, you did do one very smart thing in all this mess.”
“I did?”
Lifting his chin, Kairo grinned broadly at his companion. “You had the brains to hire me.”
“I did!”
“I can figure a way out of here, but it’s going to take time and a lot of help from you.”
Isidore nodded, brightening again. “Yes. Anything. I’ll do whatever you need me to.”
“To start, I need information. I need details on the exact layout of this house as well as a description of the area. I also need to know how many men Vanko has in the house and on the grounds. After that, we need to figure out a way to contact my friends. The faster they get here, the more they can aid our escape.”
“But what about the hack you’re supposed to be doing? If Vanko thinks you’re not working on it…”
Kairo released Isidore’s shoulder and waved his hands dismissively. “I’ve got plenty of ways to stall that. That’s not a problem. A hack can’t be done in a few hours. I’ll need to build a computer, conduct research, and then build the programs I need from scratch. All that takes time since I don’t have any of my equipment here.”
“And the more time you take, the more time your friends have to find us,” Isidore finished.
“Exactly.”
Isidore’s body relaxed to the point of him leaning slightly against Kairo. He lowered his head so that it rested in both of his hands. His voice was low and muffled, but he could still make out his words. “And more people means more protection for Athena.”
Kairo flicked Isidore on the back of the head, getting the man to snap his wide eyes to him. “All three of us are getting out of here,” he announced sternly.
The crooked smile returned, doing funny things to Kairo’s heart, but he ignored it. While he didn’t mention anything to Isidore, this had become about more than getting the Panopoulos siblings free and to safety. This time would also give him a chance to look more closely at Vanko. It wasn’t enough to simply escape. He wanted to make sure Vanko and his goons never troubled Isidore again.
4
ISIDORE PANOPOULOS
Isidore bolted upright when their door banged open. He’d been lounging in bed, waking slowly as his mind turned over the memory of spending the previous day talking to Kairo. He’d rambled for hours, spilling everything he knew about the house, grounds, nearby town, and Vanko’s men.
Okay, so maybe some of his slow waking had been passed in idle daydreams about his new friend. Even though Kairo still refused to call him Izzie, he was sure they were going to be great friends.
At least, he wanted them to be friends after he convinced Kairo to forgive him for dragging him into his mess in the first place.
Those first minutes of consciousness had been filled with visions of Kairo’s warm amber eyes as they watched him so very closely, hanging on his every word. Kairo was the best listener he’d ever met. He made it feel like the entire world had fallen away and there was nothing outside their little room. Just the two of them.
Isidore also thought about the lock of wavy hair that had come loose from where Kairo had secured it earlier in the day. It’d taunted him all while they spoke until he was forced to sit on his hands to keep from reaching out to touch it. More than once Kairo had brushed it aside and tried to tuck it away again, but it always returned. Izzie was dying to touch that lock, to rub it between his thumb and forefinger to discover if it was silken or coarse.
But all those thoughts and questions were put on hold because Vanko had decided to start the day in a mood.
Isidore tossed aside the light blanket he’d used and jumped out of the bed a second behind Kairo. The man stood in front of him, protecting him, and this was not good. Isidore’s heart went from lazy to racing in the blink of an eye. If Kairo wasn’t careful he was going to piss Vanko off, and that only led to pain.
Stepping up close to Kairo, he placed a hand on his arm and tried to tug him so that he could step around him, but Kairo was not budging. He even threw Isidore a warning look.