Total pages in book: 154
Estimated words: 145091 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 725(@200wpm)___ 580(@250wpm)___ 484(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 145091 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 725(@200wpm)___ 580(@250wpm)___ 484(@300wpm)
Drake nodded. It was stupid to talk about this right now, but he couldn’t help it. He’d spent a couple of days with Kyle weeks ago, and it had taken everything Drake had not to confess to him. “I think his daughter and I have unfinished business, and I have to find her. She’ll be held in a facility somewhere. Probably a prison outside the States.”
Kyle moved back down the steps to stand in front of him. “What’s going on, man?”
“I can’t talk about it now, but she’s important to me.” After the initial meeting with Constance, he would sit down at the bar with Kyle and go over everything. Everything that happened with Taylor, and maybe Kyle could talk him out of throwing his life away for a woman who’d lied to him.
Or maybe Kyle would understand.
Kyle put a hand on his shoulder. “All right. If she’s important, then we’ll figure out what to do.”
For the first time in forever, he felt like he could breathe. From the moment he’d stood in that cabin to now, something tight had a stranglehold on him. Now it eased a bit as if merely acknowledging the potential solution allowed him to relax.
“Hey, you’re here.” Brad was suddenly coming down the stairs, looking more worried than usual. Brad was almost always polished and poised. “Man, I have to tell you something and you’re not going to like it one bit. I thought you would be the one I had trouble with, but she’s pissed. Like beyond pissed.”
“Constance?” He wasn’t sure how a woman he’d never met could be so angry with him. “What did I do to her?”
“It doesn’t matter what you did. All that matters is I’m not giving you a chance to do it again.”
Drake felt his jaw drop because Taylor was standing at the top of the stairs. Oh, she didn’t look like the sweet blonde she’d been before. She’d cut her hair into a short bob that barely reached her jawline, and it was a rich mahogany red. She’d lost weight, or maybe not since muscle weighed more. Her arms were proof of how much time she’d spent in a gym. She looked harder.
Even sexier than she’d been before.
Way, way more angry.
Drake stared for a moment and realized the world had turned once again, and he had landed on his ass.
Chapter Six
He looked exactly the same. Same Superman-type jawline. Same floppy well-cut hair. Same piercing eyes. She was sure if he took off the well-tailored suit she would see the same ridiculously cut abs that had once led her down the stupidest path she’d ever been on.
Luckily she wasn’t the same dumbass girl she’d been when she’d met him. That woman had been different. She’d had a dad who loved her, a future she was looking forward to.
Now she had vengeance.
Yeah, it wasn’t a fun version of herself.
And there was still a bit of the stupid girl inside because she couldn’t help but think about how good he looked.
“Taylor. I…” His eyes were wide and his jaw slightly open as though he couldn’t quite believe what he was seeing. Like he’d seen a ghost. He turned his gaze to Brad. “You told me she was in custody.”
Brad had a hand to his head and had to take a long breath before he replied. There was a defensiveness to his stance that couldn’t be denied. “No. I never said that. I told you her whereabouts were classified. I know you’re not going to believe me, but I only figured out she was Taylor Cline a few days ago. Due to the nature of this op, keeping her face from being seen by anyone at the Agency who she might come in contact with was paramount. I worked with her remotely. She had a call sign, and that was what we used to communicate with. When I got her actual records I knew we would have to have a talk, but this is more than I expected, too. I didn’t get the whole story from you, did I?”
Whole story? She got the feeling she was the one who didn’t know it. Taylor felt Kim move in behind her, and it was good to know she wasn’t alone here. Drake and Kyle looked comfy, and a couple of things fell into place.
Drake was the one Kyle had worked with. Drake had been the agent who’d overseen Julia Ennis and Kyle Hawthorne’s missions. Julia Ennis had been turned by The Consortium. Taylor’s mission was all about taking down that group, hence it made sense he would be the one to take over.
Unfortunately for him, sense didn’t mean a thing to her. She wasn’t working with the man who’d fucked her over.
“I didn’t get the whole story either.” There was a whole lot of accusation in Drake’s tone. “I was led to assume that her being in custody meant that she was in some kind of prison. I’d like to know where she was held and when she was let out. I want an entire report on what she’s been doing the last year and a half.”