Total pages in book: 68
Estimated words: 66977 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 335(@200wpm)___ 268(@250wpm)___ 223(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 66977 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 335(@200wpm)___ 268(@250wpm)___ 223(@300wpm)
That would be a brilliant tactical strategy.
Especially when you take into account how long she’s been betraying the people she works for.
My second swipes the answer key and places the call on speaker.
“Good afternoon, the oh-so famous Slater Wahl…” a deep voice nefariously greets. “I wish I could say it was nice to finally make your acquaintance.” His pause is too brief to retort during. “But it’s not.”
Mentally, I scrutinize everything I possibly can.
His tone.
His speech patterns.
His inflections.
I don’t recognize any of them.
The clearness of the call.
The volume.
The background noises.
Of the latter, I hear very few.
Maybe a car?
Maybe wind?
Lots of wind?
“You have something that belongs to me,” the male casually continues as my eyes cut to Britt, “and I have something that belongs to you.”
“Slatttteerrrrrrrr!!!!!!!!!” screams Arley with enough force to literally drop me to my knees.
No.
No…
No!
It’s not possible!
He can’t have her!
I didn’t let that happen!
It’s gotta be a recording!
Or a fake!
Or…Or…
Not that!
Anything but that!
“Thank you for that. You can put her gag back in.”
Gag?!
“Do I have your full attention now, Wahl?” the voice cruelly questions.
I helplessly nod in spite of the fact he can’t see me.
“Oh, relax,” her captor playfully insists, “she’s mainly unharmed.”
My mouth can’t even fathom how to move let alone what to say.
“Define mainly,” Blu demands, doing what I should be.
What I can’t.
“Minor concussion from the car wreck. Minor.”
Wreck…?!
She was…she was…
There’s no stopping my shoulders from plummeting to the floor.
What if she hadn’t made it out of that?
What if she needs medical treatment?!
“She’s got a couple bumps, couple bruises, but she’ll survive for now unlike the driver.” The male theatrically whistles. “Pretty sure he died before the paramedics even got to the scene, but we didn’t exactly stick around to find out.”
Blu’s eyes fall to meet mine.
Is Reynolds really dead?
Did we really just lose a member of our fucking team?
“Extracting her alive was the main mission. One made possible because you were finally occupied elsewhere.”
Fuck!
This is exactly what I was afraid of!
This is exactly why I didn’t want her out in public out of my goddamn sight!
“Unfortunately for me, in the process of taking from you, you took from me.”
My stare lands on Martindale’s smug smirk a second time.
“And I want back what’s rightfully mine, Wahl.”
Pushing down the knot expanding in my throat is done to grimly state, “You wanna trade my woman for yours.”
“God no,” he loudly gags his denial. “Don’t be small minded. Britt was just a tool.”
The proclamation pulls my attention up to where shock is now covering her face.
Guess I’m not the only one getting shit news today.
“She was fine in the sack but replaceable.”
Ouch.
“In every way.”
Seeing her jaw struggle not to tremble informs me that she’s about to be a little more useful to me alive than dead.
At least for a couple hours.
“For the right price…for the right compliment…for the right promises…you can always find someone else to betray their employers. Loyalty – more often than not – is truly a false notion, Wahl. You should know that by now.”
I do.
Except for me it isn’t.
Never has been.
Never will be.
And there isn’t a damn thing on this whole fucking planet that I am more dedicated to than Arley Carmichael.
“My accountant on the other hand is irreplaceable.”
The man in control of his money?
Cleaning it?
Laundering it?
Keeping those watching from being able to connect all the pieces?
Of course he’s irreplaceable.
Without him, I doubt the operation itself could continue to even exist.
“We will be trading your current plaything for my righthand – both alive – in two hours, Wahl. I could break into the enhanced interrogation room myself – I assume you’re using the one in c not d – but that’s far too messy, and I’m far too busy. After all Christmas is coming and there are so many bonus checks to receive.”
So, he was a field operative for HE at some point.
It means he’s highly trained.
It also means following any sort of manual approved plan should be thrown out the window.
Not that I was going to load one into play, anyway.
“You have two hours. Two hours will give you time to stitch up the damage I’m sure you’ve done.”
I grab a glimpse of the hyperventilating, shaggy dark-haired male definitely in need of medical attention.
“And if HE’s favorite resident genius promises not to bite, I may even do the same.”
“DON’T FUCKING TOUCH HER!”
“Fine. I’ll let her bleed to death.”
“You let her bleed to death, and we’ll drown you in a pool of your own blood,” Blu promises without missing a beat.
“She’ll be alive as long as he is.”
The nod I give Blu indicates it won’t be a problem.
“In one hour, I will give you the geographical coordinates for the trade. And the next you will use to get there. Trust me when I say, you’re gonna need that whole hour, Wahl. You’ll come alone – no reinforcements.”